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iPhone with External Keyboard (Video)
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Why so touchy? I'm not refuting anyone's point. I'm making my own point: that I just think it's funny that people will attach a keyboard to almost anything.
Anyway, I'm pretty sure *someone* made that iPhone keyboard. It didn't just appear out of the void with a doc connector on the end. Yes, I realize it was adapted from an existing keyboard. Which, by the way, is both ridiculously small (to type on) and ridiculously large (it's builkier than the phone itself).
Sure, it's the same thing as this
I guess, asking to have a decent input method for anything other than SMS'ing and writing very short mails is asking the impossible. I guess that's why it's been possible to do that with phones and pdas for almost a decade.
I really do find it funny how the apologists can continue down this road, as if the iPhone is the end-all be-all super-innovation and that Apple is somehow a first-mover.
Now you're talking!
Actually, there are docks that allow for video out. I *think*. It might only work for video though. I'm not sure (I had a video capable iPod, so I may be confusing my iPhone's behavior with that).
And Steve always demos with a customized iPhone, that outputs a mirror of the iPhone screen. Maybe it's not too hard to pull off that modification for your own phone/touch.
I'm not touchy. I don't understand why you'd consider it "touchy" at all. Yes, you might find it funny, but it was obvious from your post(s) that you thought that a) someone made a keyboard for the iPhone, b) they made a small keyboard because they somehow figured it would be better, and that c) people were asking for a keyboard like the one in the video.
Sheesh! It's NOT an iPhone keyboard. The only physical thing they did was playing with the connector. The keyboard itself doesn't matter. It's to show how _A_ keyboard can be connected.
LOL, after I explained it to you, you still do not get it, do you? It doesn't matter how "small it is to type on", or how big you figure it is. It's a proof of concept. And what's more, the point of an external keyboard is to have it large enough so you can use it to write longer mails, edit and write documents and so on.
Have you people never heard of pda's, smartphones or anything else to that end accessories included?
You're wrong about most of that. You must be confusing my posts with someone else's. I only thought that someone made an iPhone keyboard (the video evidence is right there, so I think that's reasonable).
I understand what uses an external keyboard might have and I'm not trying to refute that. To try to clarify:
I'm not trying to make some sarcastic point about this particular keyboard being useless or about external keyboards for iPhones in general being stupid. I'm not commenting on that one way or the other.
I'm just remarking that:
(1) the technology community has a general urge to try to reshape the original intent or function of any device (duh); and that
(2) certain forms of "reshaping" always seem to come up, regardless of whether or not it is counter to the original purpose of the device or whether or not it is generally practical. Add-on keyboards are one of the forms that are always explored thoroughly, which it why I made my original remark.
IMHO, an external keyboard is counter to Apple's original intent for the iPhone. I'm guessing here, but I think Apple's original intent was a slip-in-your-pocket-and-go communication and media device with a well designed and consistent end-to-end user experience.
I don't know why people are complaining about the iPhone keyboard.
In fact, with a bit of practice (i.e. a full battery or 2), I was able to get my speed of typing almost exactly the same speed as typing on my iMac's keyboard. I'm a 2-finger typist BTW.
In fact, I almost PREFER the iPhone keyboard over a "real" keyboard because the iPhone has the auto spelling thing.... I make so many LESS mistakes on my iPod Touch than a real keyboard!
I can type very long emails with it, too, with no problems whatsoever.
HOWEVER, the iPod Touch keyboard is in NO WAY suited to long uses, i.e. all day.
That's where this keyboard would be handy. Realllll handy.
If it came with a stand, you could prop the iPhone up on the stand at your desk at work, attach the keyboard, and you could use your iPhone for many tasks rather than a laptop! BT keyboard would be even better. And a hack to make the onscreen keyboard go away! Must have as much 3.5" as possible!
THAT'S where this would succeed.
SuperMacMan
In fact, with a bit of practice (i.e. a full battery or 2), I was able to get my speed of typing almost exactly the same speed as typing on my iMac's keyboard. I'm a 2-finger typist BTW.
In fact, I almost PREFER the iPhone keyboard over a "real" keyboard because the iPhone has the auto spelling thing.... I make so many LESS mistakes on my iPod Touch than a real keyboard!
I can type very long emails with it, too, with no problems whatsoever.
HOWEVER, the iPod Touch keyboard is in NO WAY suited to long uses, i.e. all day.
That's where this keyboard would be handy. Realllll handy.
If it came with a stand, you could prop the iPhone up on the stand at your desk at work, attach the keyboard, and you could use your iPhone for many tasks rather than a laptop! BT keyboard would be even better. And a hack to make the onscreen keyboard go away! Must have as much 3.5" as possible!
THAT'S where this would succeed.
SuperMacMan
This poster has the right idea. All they need to make is a litte thing to do the usb conversion. Then others will make keyboards small or large, rollable, existing ones or whatever. And if it is priced at < $20.00 they can sell millions.
I, too, don't understand the point of this? I can easily type five times faster on the iPhone's keyboard than the demo video showing this bulky add-on keyboard. Why on Earth would anyone use this??
I see foreign Asian students use little translators with many more keys as their language has many more characters than ours...
It has purpose...
I see it as a proof of concept
While wiring a USB keyboard is not in my future, I think it is is a great proof of concept. I have often thought it would be nice to pair my BT keyboard to the phone, as others have noted it is significantly faster, especially if it did not disable the auto learning. I need to send in my laptop for repair and being able to user the iPhone for extending period of typing would be great.
While wiring a USB keyboard is not in my future, I think it is is a great proof of concept. I have often thought it would be nice to pair my BT keyboard to the phone, as others have noted it is significantly faster, especially if it did not disable the auto learning. I need to send in my laptop for repair and being able to user the iPhone for extending period of typing would be great.
While I know you posted that as a joke, we can already do that with the external video cables Apple sells.
I'm very suprised this hasn't yet been accused as being fake.
That would be great.
Especially since I can't jailbreak mine since it is the 2G iPod touch and has 2.1.1
That would be great.
Especially since I can't jailbreak mine since it is the 2G iPod touch and has 2.1.1
I want a bluetooth USB port. Or one that can connects via the wireless. Or even a wired one failing all that.
If I had the know how to be mucking around with this stuff that's what I'd be working on; I've got this xmas tree lava lamp desk fan that plugs into my pc at work and it's essential that I am able to hook it up to my iPhone.
If I had the know how to be mucking around with this stuff that's what I'd be working on; I've got this xmas tree lava lamp desk fan that plugs into my pc at work and it's essential that I am able to hook it up to my iPhone.
.
And I suppose you expect me to carry that keyboard around in my pocket everywhere I go?
"Oh! I just got a text message. Give me a second. Let me plug in my keyboard." LOL!
Hahah Very funny
Well, they didn't make an "iPhone keyboard". They wrote a driver and made a cable to attach an already existing keyboard to prove a point.
1) Technically, you're right on this. Practically speaking, though, they're merely copying what real smartphones and PDAs do. And since Apple is trying to sell the iPhone as a "smartphone", it should have the same capabilities.
2) I don't see anything "countering the original purpose" of anything here? What's the "original purpose" of smartphones if not adding pda functionality and productivity to a phone, negating the need for two devices?
The _ability_ to attach an external keyboard wouldn't even touch upon the ability to slip it into your pocket. On the other hand, it would be much more of a communication device if they were able to attach a keyboard. Secondly, it wouldn't touch upon the notion of a "well designed" (I think you mean "pretty looking", as "well designed" implies that a smartphone actually has real smartphone capabilities), nor the "consistent user experience".