RIM Isn’t Ditching Physical Keyboards with BlackBerry 10

Earlier today, RIM posted a short video showing off its upcoming BlackBerry 10 operating system. The video depicts a new virtual keyboard complete with predictive text and it left some wondering whether RIM would still be releasing phones with physical QWERTY keyboards. Without going into specifics, the company confirmed that it will not be abandoning devices with physical keyboards.

In a statement made to PhoneScoop, a spokesperson confirmed that the company will still be releasing phones with physical QWERTY keyboards, even though the focus on the BlackBerry 10 demo was on the operating system’s new virtual keyboard.

The same spokesperson said that while the first BlackBerry 10 device might have a virtual keyboard, future BlackBerry 10 devices will indeed have both virtual and physical keyboards on board.

This confirmation should sit well with those that love BlackBerry’s physical keyboards and it jives with the rumors that we’ve heard about RIM’s BlackBerry 10 launch.

RIM is expected to announce its first BlackBerry 10 device in August, a device that supposedly doesn’t have a physical keyboard, with a release planned for later in the year in October.

The company apparently won’t release a BlackBerry 10 smartphone with a physical keyboard until sometime in Q1 of 2013.

RIM’s current lineup of smartphones features a mix of phones that have both virtual and physical keyboards.

CEO Thorsten Heins also claimed, during his BlackBerry Jam keynote that the company may include some of the features found in the virtual keyboard on the physical keyboard.

BlackBerry 10 is RIM’s next operating system and it will replace BlackBerry 7, the current OS that the company has on the market.

RIM is counting on BlackBerry 10 to reverse its fortunes as the once proud BlackBerry has fallen behind the likes of Apple, Google and Microsoft.

keep up with the newest technologies and contemplate about how these will be used in the future। On this blog I'll share my thoughts about the future of technology, based on the high Tech Road Show Blog inventions of today.

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iKeyboard Adds Tactile Keyboard to iPad

Typing on the iPad is a pain. It just is. Typing on any on-screen keyboard won’t be as good as typing on a handware one, of course, but there are ways to make the experience a little easier. While some companies are focused on a software solution, the folks behind a very successful Kickstarter project looked to a physical savior.

The iKeyboard is a physical, tactile keyboard that slides onto the iPad and fits exactly over the on-screen keys. In this way you don’t need to install a new app or learn to type a new way, just improve how you type on the keyboard you know.

I see a lot of benefits to this approach, especially for those who don’t want to carry an external keyboard or add bulk with a keyboard case. And again, you don’t have to learn a new way to type.

The drawback is a basic one: the keyboard on the iPad isn’t that great to use for extended typing sessions regardless of the tactile experience. It’s not positioned well, it’s a bit too big for the screen, and there’s no really good angle for comfortable typing.

However, people do love their pretend comfortable typing on the iPad, so this product will probably appeal to many. I will note that it could be useful for people with nails (like me) who can’t even hope for a semblance of touch typing on capacitive displays.

The iKeyboard has adhesive on the bottom to keep it in place while you type that won’t leave residue behind. It’s also thin enough that it can stay on the iPad even with some cases or covers over the screen.

Attendees of MacWorld who got a chance to try it out compared the tactile feedback to the Pop-o-matic dice rolling things from old games. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not. Hopefully we’ll get a chance to find out soon.

The iKeyboard is $35 and will show up on Amazon.com in a few weeks in both white and black.

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