2 Jul

A Review of the New Typo Products Keyboard

Typo Products have been in the news a lot lately, and not just because the company was co-founded by the US entertainment giant Ryan Seacrest. They were sued by Blackberry for creating a device that gave smartphones a keyboard, and one that happened to look a lot like the devices sold by Blackberry for many years. That set them back a lot, and Seacrest was very vocal in telling the world how the lawsuit cost his company more than they were making.

Still, it seems like they were able to foot the bill, pay Blackberry and get on with things (even though they have been forced to stop selling smartphone keyboards). They have continued to focus on the attachable keyboard market, but this time they have turned their attentions to iPads and other tablets. Whether that will mean another lawsuit — this time from Apple — further down the line remains to be seen, but it seems unlikely that lightening will strike twice.

Typo Keyboard Review

This is a brand new product, and one that we were very lucky to get ahold of. So what did we think of it?

Well, first off, it looks beautiful. The iPad has a very sleek and iconic design, and one that has yet to be equalled by any other tablet on the market and indeed by any other periphery that works with it. Typo Products have definitely come the closest though and this iPad keyboard almost looks like it could have been designed by the brains at Apple. As it happens, the price tag is right out of the Apple guidebook as well, as it has a suggested retail price of just under $200.

However, if you want the best then you have to pay for it, and this is easily the best keyboard we have used for the iPad. There are keyboards out there that offer more in terms of functionality, but if you want something that looks and feels right, then this is it. In fact, after a few minutes of typing we almost forgot that we were on an iPad, and not a Macbook.

The keys are intuitive and responsive, and whilst it feels a little awkward to begin with — as is the case with all new keyboards — it takes no time at all for it to feel like a second skin. We do a lot of typing and whilst we usually use laptops and desktops, the Typo Keyboard makes using iPads a very viable option for us in the future.

This keyboard also acts as a cover, and when it’s shut and sealed, it looks even better than when it’s open. It’s a design masterpiece, and we have to give credit to Ryan Seacrest and his company for that. However, the price is a big stumbling block and one that many iPad owners will simply not get over. This is not their way of recouping some of the costs syphoned out of their bank by the Blackberry lawsuit, as some have suggested, it is simply a way of increasing profits, spending more on advertising and trying to create a “premium” product. It’s a risky move, but it paid-off for Apple, and Mr. Seacrest will be hoping that it also pays off for Typo Products.

Whilst we don’t know much about the man himself, or about anything that he does on TV, we can’t help but feel for him after the Blackberry lawsuit, and he really has created a great product here, so we wish him the best of luck.