If you were loathe to give up your Blackberry because you loved that keyboard, and you still think longingly about the tactile sensation of clicking away on your phone, you’re not alone. CES 2024 was all abuzz this year with Clicks, a blast from the past BlackBerry-like physical keyboard for your iPhone, built into a snazzy protective case with colors that pop.
Not only that, but as The Verge reports, Clicks is the brainchild of a team that knows a thing or two about keyboards, including CrackBerry Kevin, MrMobile, and the guys behind the F(x)tec phone.
Clicks snaps around your iPhone like a typical phone case, snug and secure, and users have reported that the case itself is made of a material that feels great in the hand, with a nice subtly squishy silicone bumper feel, and seems well thought out in general. The phone fits so securely, and users say they particularly love the square of leatherette around back that goes beneath your fingertips. Not only does it provide extra grip when you’re typing, it makes the iPhone look and feel a bit more like a classic camera when you hold it horizontally.
As The Verge’s reviewer reports, you can tap a button to activate a backlight, and there’s a dedicated Command key for shortcuts — for instance, hit Command + Spacebar and then you can just start typing in the iPhone’s Spotlight universal search without touching the screen at all. iOS lets you build additional keyboard shortcuts, too. Tapping spacebar lets you scroll websites a page at a time, and iOS autocorrect works as you’d expect.
Another bonus? With the keyboard below and not taking up the bottom third of your screen, it really opens up your phone’s screen viewing capability.
The company reports that the first Clicks for iPhone 14 Pro version is shipping in just a couple weeks for $139. Crossing fingers that the company can keep up with production, because based on all the techie excitement it generated at CES, it feels like the demand for this keyboard will be high.
—
Photo Credit: Hafez Husin / Shutterstock.com