Typo, stymied from selling any smartphone keyboards by a court order of its copying of BlackBerry’s keyboard design, has struck out in a different direction with a completely new product: a Typo Keyboard case for the iPad Air and Air 2, with a forthcoming version made for the iPad mini line. While Typo is legally barred from making any further smartphone keyboards, it is specifically allowed in its court settlement to make products for devices with 7.9-inch screens or larger — the exact size of the iPad mini.
The new case, which is one of the thinnest available (with the keyboard itself being only 5.5mm thick), uses Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy to further extend battery life, yet offers full-size keys in a compact keyboard design. The unit also retains built-in auto-correct functionality, correcting some commonly-used contractions and restoring the “two space, period” ability seen in messaging apps on the iPhone and iPad, which replaces a double space with a period, space, and capitalizing the next letter as the start of a new sentence.
The case housing for the iPad has a proprietary “friction hinge,” according to the company, that allows the stand to be adjusted to a wide variety of angles, and attaches the keyboard through a magnet, allowing the keyboard to be used separately for greater comfort if desired. The Typo for iPad Air and Air 2 is available now, with pre-orders opening for the iPad mini (versions 1, 2, and 3) for expected shipment in mid-June. Both versions of the keyboard sell for $189.
