In the past, I am now ashamed to admit, was an accomplished speed demon when it came to phone keyboards. Like with the mechanical keyboard, I would type so easily that during the initial days of text messaging, folks at home would ask me to dictate longer messages to them. Those days of carelessly typing on the cell phone came to a halt when I obtained my first iPhone.
Now, I cannot begin being without glancing down at my touchscreen keyboard. I can say that I frequently use both I and computer for writing messages, comments, articles, or emails, and I always type at least one mistake in very long texts, emails, and documents. Which is why I am rather interested in the latest effort to revive the tradition of physical keyboards on iPhone.
A snap on keyboard tailored for the iPhone
On Thursday, Clicks Technology launched Clicks that is a keyboard for iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max that attaches to the phone like a case. But, rather than adding protection it adds a physical keyboard. Each of the keys has the travel distance of 0. 22 mm, Jeff Gadway, the SVP for product marketing at Clicks, informed Ars Technica in an e-mail interview. This feels like an entire miles of difference from the flat aspect of touchscreens.
Key Features of Clicks
The keyboard connects to iPhone through thephone’s lightning or USB-C port whichever iPhone is equipped with. It employs external keyboards that are supported by iOS and which operate based on the human interface devices (HID). Clicks also omitted Bluetooth, this way they were able to eliminate pairing issues and lagging. Charging phones is still possible even when Clicks connected is in operation, for instance, one can charge through a wireless charger.
Connectivity and Compatibility
But if you’re planning to marry a smartphone with a phone keypad design with ordinary wired music headphones it will be a raw deal. I found out that the keyboard and wired headphones cannot be used at the same time; only one of them can be connected to Clicks Technology; therefore, the company is “working on a solution”. Creative also doesn’t support MagSafe accessories and the makers are still working on it to integrate it in the future.
Advantages of Physical Keyboards
Just from looking at Clicks’ layout I can already see the lure in there being a Tab key which is not present in the standard integrated iPhone keyboard. Moreover, the keyboard is said to enhance efficiency of using shortcuts through the Command (CMD) key all through. Clicks’ creators point to such features as the launch of search, the mentioned home screen, and scrolling through the Web page via the Space bar. Clicks maintain policies keyboard shortcuts in ‘many’ third-party apps, though these are not fully defined.
If the keyboard was efficient and pleasant to utilize, it could very well be a way of having extra screen space for some iPhones since at some time, a user does not have to have the touchscreen keyboard taking up screen space. However, it would be rather fascinating to see how easily one is able to grip and manipulate the iPhone for prolonged durations with Clicks, as well as going from the physical key board to touch screen as required.
Battery Life and Usage
Clicks also affects the iPhone battery life although the start-up says that this is not much. He continues, “When the backlight is turned off, the battery usage in a day, whether heavy or not, will hardly go beyond ~2%. If the backlight is on, another ~2% is understood,” these quotes are from Clicks’ FAQ page. Keyboard illumination is set to an intelligent mode, and the backlight goes off if the keyboard is not used for the next 5 seconds, and the option is also operable. Of course, the keyboard also turns off.
In response to further information, Gadway said that the keyboard employs around 4. 4mAh while on yet idle. “The power on background while Wh the backlight is off is estimated at about 0. 01628 Wh and it is crucial to consider that Wh depends on the voltage that the battery requires and thus we take an average of 3. 7V,” he said.
Drawbacks and Limitations
Some may also be let down that Clicks does not have a key for emojis that have gained a lot of importance in todays society that some mechanical keyboards and mice have added emoji keys. Clicks tells the audience the reason why the keyboard has no emoji button and it is because iOS external keyboards does not support this feature at the moment. Nevertheless, the options for Clicks users to prompt the emoji’s menu are not fully lost; it can be done by using several keys that the keyboard is equipped with.
Durability and Protection
However, what is evident is that Clicks is not a strong application that offers protection of iPhones. More telling, the website for the keyboard denies that it is even a case. For example, the most direct answer provided by Clicks to that question can be found in the FAQ section of the site: ‘‘Clicks is not being sold or marketed as a case at this time. ’’ However, the device might mislead the consumer who barely goes through the FAQ pages and deduces that since the product is named as the ultimate shield for iPhones, it will be sufficient iPhone security. Clicks had definite restrictions and it cannot work in conjunction with an iPhone case.
However, Clicks says that the keyboard is as protected as a silicone rubber case and would bring “a degree of added protection against scratch, minor bumps, and drop,” except that the keyboard is not water-resistant because it “would require the keys to be sealed which would compromise its typing experience. ”
The keyboard is supposed to be built to last up to and over 2000 installations and/or removals the startup says. Manufacturing defects come with a one-year warranty, but the product’s warranty does not include drop damage.
Pricing and Availability
In conclusion, Clicks will literally press people to choose between getting the ultimate protection for their sleek, costly device or better typing. All of a sudden, Clicks gives one the impression of belonging to a pricier family than what its ticket at $139 can indicate. For those who do not directly type but needs perfect protection for the keyboard, Clicks may be just for them. It is currently possible to order the device via Clicks Technology’s website, with the latter currently selling the gadget.
Is Clicks Worth the Investment?
If Clicks is worth its $139 price tag depends on you, and on what is most valuable to you in the usage of iPhone. There are many people, especially writers, who tend to use their phone’s default keyboard and are fond of the feel of real buttons, then Clicks can be a revelation. Others may find Clicks constricting, if they care more about their phone’s safety or wish to utilize wired earphones at the same time.
Conclusion
Clicks is another pioneering alloying of the traditional physical buttons in conjunction with the new touch screen mobile phones. On the positive side it is possible to list advantages like increased typing comfort and screen area but on the negative side it is possible to list such disadvantages as limited protection and compatibility problems. Whether it is justified depends on one’s needs and wants as a user of music streaming services.
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