Skip to main content

Keyboards

See All Stories

Review: Keychron Q1 Pro leaves just one reason to even consider Apple’s Magic Keyboard

Keychron Q1 Pro mechanical keyboard

Keychron launched their Q1 Pro keyboard earlier this year. It’s a customizable mechanical keyboard designed to work great with Macs or Windows PCs. It’s a really high quality device, and I’ve been using it as my primary keyboard for some time now, so here are my thoughts on the Keychron Q1 Pro and why you should consider it over Apple’s Magic Keyboard.

Expand Expanding Close

Hands-on: Keychron Q2 – a compact mechanical keyboard with programmable control knob [Video]

The Keychron Q2, a brand-new fully customizable mechanical keyboard in a super-compact 65% layout, makes for a pretty sweet Mac desktop companion. Not only does it feature the ability to fully customize every key, but it comes with a tactile programable knob that can be configured to control various functions on your Mac. Watch our hands-on video walkthrough for the details.

Expand Expanding Close

Review: SteelSeries Apex M800 mechanical keyboard with individual key LED illumination

Site default logo image

SteelSeries Apex M800

SteelSeries is well known around Apple circles for its iOS and Apple TV gaming controllers, but the company specializes in other gaming-related hardware ventures as well, such as mice, headsets and keyboards.

After browsing SteelSeries’ site to find some information on its popular Nimbus controller, I stumbled upon its keyboard line. Anyone that knows me understands that I have a special affinity for mechanical keyboards, and that’s exactly what I found on the SteelSeries website.

The Danish hardware manufacturer’s marquee mechanical keyboard, the SteelSeries Apex M800, is not your ordinary mechanical keyboard. It’s a fully customizable, gaming-centric experience that lets you assign an overwhelming variety of functionality and colors to individual keys. While the Apex M800 ships configured for Windows, it’s fully compatible with the Mac, and even comes with OS X key cap replacements.
Expand
Expanding
Close

Site default logo image

Microsoft developing iPhone version of its Swype-like Word Flow keyboard for Windows Phone

Word Flow keyboard

Microsoft appears to be planning to port its Windows Phone keyboard called Word Flow to the iPhone as a third-party keyboard, according to WinBeta. The company is currently reaching out to enlisted software testers to recruit iOS users with iPhone 5s or later to test the Windows Phone keyboard.

Word Flow works similarly to gesture-based third-party keyboards like Swype, which let you trace your finger across letters to suggest words for quick typing. The keyboard also supports traditional typing in the same interface. Emoji characters are even recommended when typing words so ‘dog’ might show the dog emoji when typing the word out.

This is how typing with Word Flow looks on Windows Phone minus gesture typing :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qM7IdBWtQ6I

Microsoft is currently recruiting beta testers already in its Windows Insider Program with the following message:

Word Flow keyboard has long been one of the highly praised features on Windows Phone and was used to break the Guinness World Record for fastest texting. We are now working on extending this keyboard to other platforms, starting with iOS.

Before publicly releasing this keyboard to the App Store, we’d love to give Insiders like you a preview. With your feedback, we’ll build a roadmap of improvements to the keyboard over time.

Most third-party keyboards since Apple added the capability with iOS 8 haven’t been real home runs due to speed and performance issues, so we’ll have to see how Microsoft works around this. The company is certainly no stranger to developing for iOS with nearly 60 iPhone apps on the App Store to date.

Review: Zagg’s Messenger Universal is a smarter, cheaper iPad Pro keyboard and stand

messengeruniversal-1x

There aren’t many iPad Pro-specific keyboards out there — Apple’s $170 Smart Keyboard and Logitech’s $150 Create (reviewed here) are the first two, if you can find them, with at least a few others announced and on their way to stores. But there’s really no need to wait on iPad Pro-specific keyboards, or spend a king’s ransom for one. Tons of iPad-compatible Bluetooth keyboards are already available, and thankfully at much lower prices.

Depicted with an iPad Pro on its box, Zagg’s Messenger Universal ($70) is clearly an alternative to Apple’s Smart Keyboard. Just like Apple’s accessory, Messenger Universal combines a full-sized keyboard with a magnetic iPad Pro-ready stand that folds down to a small size. But it skips the iPad Pro-only Smart Connector in favor of Bluetooth, and rather than serving as an oddly thick screen cover, takes the shape of a standalone folio that you can carry around as needed. Although it fits the iPad Pro perfectly, Messenger Universal works with all iPads — and other devices — so you needn’t feel constrained to using the keyboard with only a single tablet…


Expand
Expanding
Close

The best iPad Pro cases, covers, keyboards & accessories

iPad Pro Apple Pencil

With iPad Pro officially going on sale tomorrow (possibly at midnight tonight Cupertino time if Apple follows past launches), it’s time to move our attention to accessories for the device.

Will you go the Apple route and stock up on the official but pricey Apple keyboard, case & cover, and Apple Pencil? Or perhaps you’re looking for accessories with features that aren’t offered by Apple’s. Whatever the case, below we’ve started rounding up the best of the best accessories for iPad Pro. Most are available to order now while a couple are coming soon. We’ll be adding more as they pop up in the weeks following the iPad Pro’s launch.
Expand
Expanding
Close

LG debuts ‘Rolly’ universal, rollable Bluetooth keyboard

lg-rolly

In a press release early this morning, Korean tech giant LG announced that it wants to grab a bigger share of the mobile accessories market. It wants to do so with Rolly Keyboard, a wireless, portable, rollable universal keyboard. Opened, it forms a four-row keyboard with close-to full size keys. What makes the keyboard unique is the method by which it’s stowed. Unlike the traditional single fold down the middle, each row of keys has a hinge, enabling the user to roll it up in to a ‘stick’.

Rolly Keyboard is powered by a single AAA battery and uses two Bluetooth 3.0 channels to pair to two separate devices and enable easy-switching between them, similar to the Microsoft Foldable Keyboard we reviewed recently. What’s more, it also features two arms to hold smartphones or tablets upright. It’s made from polycarbonate and black ABS plastic and LG claims it “offers satisfying tactile feedback often not found on flexible silicone keyboards”. Judging from the selection of keys on the device, it seems it’s going to be compatible with multiple platforms, including Apple-flavored devices.

Instead of offering a separate row for extra function keys for tasks like media playback, volume etc. LG has opted to use an individual ‘Fn’ key which — when pressed with a labelled key — will allow users to skip tracks, play/pause, change volume, pair devices and much more. And it won’t be alone on the accessory market his year:

“LG Rolly Keyboard is just one of the many premium input devices we’ll be unveiling in the coming months as we expand our accessories offerings,” said Seo Young-jae, vice president in charge of Innovative Personal Devices at LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “The goal was to create a product that could add more value to LG smartphones and tablets at the same time offering a unique design proposition that hadn’t been explored before.”

LG will show off its Rolly Keyboard at IFA in Berlin at the beginning of next month and launch in the U.S. in September. Pricing and availability details will be shared once it’s available to consumers.

Microsoft Universal Foldable Keyboard review: An ultra-thin and versatile keyboard for your iPad or iPhone

microsoft-foldable-keyboard-ios

The iPad accessory market is full of keyboards. Most of them double up as cases, they’re about as big as the iPad and they’re not well optimized for other devices. The Microsoft Universal Foldable Keyboard is different. It’s small enough to carry around in your pocket when folded, and works with iOS, Windows and Android devices. What’s more, you can have it paired to two devices at once and switch between them with the press of a button. It’s safe to say that this is one of the most versatile and portable Bluetooth keyboards on the market. This review was written entirely on it.


Expand
Expanding
Close

Pixelmator keyboard by Editors Keys review: A no-brainer for Pixelmator users

pixelmator keyboard main

Pixelmator is one of the best Photoshop alternatives available on the Mac App Store. I’ve been using it for quite some time now, but mostly just using a trackpad or mouse to manipulate layers, access tools and edit functions. There are tons of keyboard shortcuts. And if I had the time or patience to learn them all, I would have. Needless to say, I didn’t. So when I got the chance to check out EditorsKeys keyboard specifically designed for Pixelmator, I jumped at it.

To cut it down to the very basics – This is essentially a wired Apple keyboard with numeric keypad. Except it has custom keys to clearly label the Pixelmator keyboard shortcuts, making photo and image editing much quicker and easier. Simply put: If you use Pixelmator on Mac and you don’t already have a grasp of all the shortcuts, you should get this keyboard.


Expand
Expanding
Close

Turn your iPad into a Surface with Logi’s new BLOK keyboard case

logi blok keyboard ipad air

Logitech recently announced a new branding and marketing strategy and its BLOK family of iPad cases are the first products released under the company’s new Logi brand. The Logi Blok are highly protective, colorful, square cases and keyboard covers for your iPad.

The Logi BLOK family is made up of the Logi BLOK Protective Shell, the BLOK Protective Case and the BLOK Protective Keyboard case. All have square corners, designed to protect the precious rounded corners on your iPad. What’s more, they have been tested to ensure you can drop your iPad from “up to six feet high”, on to surfaces as hard as concrete, without killing your tablet. Unlike some other ultra-protective cases, Logitech promises that these aren’t bulky or heavy.

With Logi BLOK, you get drop protection without the bulk and weight that is often associated with ultra-protective cases. Additionally, the Logi BLOK family reflects the colorful and bold new Logitech look, so you’ll see a sleek design and bright colors on each case.

The two different case options are incredibly similar to each other. From the images, it seems the BLOK Case is the same as the BLOK Shell, except with the addition of a cover and a kickstand similar to that on the keyboard case. BLOK Shell ships with a screen protector and is available for iPad Air 2 and 2nd/3rd gen iPad mini in blue or black mini for $39.99. BLOK case costs $69.99 and is only available for the iPad Air 2.

logi blok case shell ipad air 2

The BLOK Protective Keyboard looks to transform your iPad Air 2 in to a Microsoft Surface. It adds a versatile and adjustable kickstand to the back and a magnetic detachable keyboard to the front. Like most iPad keyboards, it connects via Bluetooth, ensuring you can continue to type even if you don’t have it physically attached to the case.

It’s available in black, teal/blue and red/violet color combinations and will set you back $129.99. You can take a look at the new keyboard accessory in the promo video:

All three BLOK products are available to order from today at Logitech.com.

 

The best Mac and iPad keyboards

macipadkeyboards-13

Keyboards are important — so important that many people won’t “work” on their iPads without real keys to type on. No one complained when desktop mice gave way to laptop trackpads, or when trackpads evolved into tablet touchscreens, but the switch from physical to virtual keyboards has been met with plenty of resistance… specifically because virtual keyboards offer no resistance. There’s something about the responsive, up and down movement of actual keys, known as “travel,” that people clearly prefer over tapping on completely flat glass.

I’ve tested a lot of keyboards, and since I rely upon them professionally every day, I have some strong opinions as to the best options for different types of Mac and iPad users. You might be surprised by my advice, as it bucks a couple of Apple’s trends (“smaller!” “thinner!”), but if you’re like me, you’ll be a much happier typist if you “think different” on this topic than the folks in Cupertino…


Expand
Expanding
Close

SwiftKey keyboard for iOS adds Emoji picker & predictions, iPad gesture typing, 11 new languages, more

Site default logo image

SwiftKey, one of the more popular third party iOS 8 keyboards on the App Store, is out with a new version today adding both new features and additional languages.

Since iOS 8, SwiftKey had been able to replace the standard Apple iOS keyboard, and the new version also packs in the complete Emoji keyboard in one package. This makes it even more simple (👌) to find that smiling pile of poo (💩) or slice of pizza (🍕) when you need it without having to toggle between system keyboards. Similar to Apple’s QuickType predictive text feature, the latest SwiftKey update also adds Emoji predictions to the word suggestion area.
Expand
Expanding
Close

Site default logo image

iOS 8 How-to: Set up and customize third-party keyboards

screenshot-2014-06-02-14-33-38

 

iOS 8 brings support for third party keyboards. This allows the user to further customize their device and they are no longer forced to use Apple’s keyboard. Now that we have been using them for a while, it would be nice to even further customize the order in which the keyboards appear. In this how to article, I will discuss how to choose the order in which the keyboards appear as well as how to disable Apple’s QuickType feature.


Expand
Expanding
Close

New third-party keyboards for iOS 8: Emoji++ & Character Keyboard

Site default logo image

third party keyboards iOS 8

With iOS 8, Apple now allows developers to create alternative keyboards on iPhone and iPad that can be used almost anywhere to replace the system keyboard. We told you about several third-party keyboards for iOS 8 including when the major operating system update was released last month, and a few more interesting third-party keyboards have since been released. The first is an Emoji-only keyboard called Emoji++ that makes finding the right Emoji character much faster, and the second is both a language and symbol keyboard called Character Keyboard for typing out special characters.
Expand
Expanding
Close

Apple releases iOS 8.0.2 to address cellular and Touch ID issues in previous update

Site default logo image

IMG_3396

Apple has finally released iOS 8.0.2 to address the issues discovered in yesterday’s 8.0.2 update on the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. The new release includes all of the HealthKit and keyboard fixes, among others, as well as the ability to actually make phone calls and connect to a cellular data network.

Apple said yesterday that the update was coming “in a few days” and instructed users to downgrade to version 8.0 while awaiting the fix. The new update is rolling out now and can be found in the over-the-air software updater built into iOS.

Apple told CNBC that “less than 40,000 devices” were affected by the buggy release. The change log is below:


Expand
Expanding
Close

Site default logo image

iOS 8.0.1 will reportedly bring fixes for phone & keyboard bugs, Safari video, & more

ios8logo

Apple’s next iOS 8 update following the public release of the operating system earlier this month will reportedly bring various fixes for phone and keyboard related bugs, problems with video in Safari and more. MacRumors claims to have details on the upcoming iOS 8.0.1 release from a source. In addition to fixing bugs with the phone, keyboard, and Safari, the fix will reportedly also include a fix for AirDrop support with Passbook and a problem with installing VPN profiles.

Here’s the full list of changes according to the report:

– Phone: Addresses bugs with call forwarding and freezing when accessing visual voicemail
– Keyboard: Fixes an issue with keypad not appearing to enter iCloud Keychain verification codes
– Safari: Fixes a problem with videos occasionally not playing
– Sharing: Fixes AirDrop support for Passbook passes
– VPN: Addresses an issue with installing VPN profiles

Apple released iOS 8 to the public earlier this month on September 17th two days ahead of its new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus models going on sale in initial launch countries. Adoption of the new operating system is lagging behind last year’s iOS 7 release, while Apple for the first time used its own CDN to deliver the update this year. A release date for the next iOS 8 update has not yet been confirmed, but Apple has said they are working on a fix for the HealthKit bug that delayed the feature expected later this month.

iOS 8 Roundup: The best third-party keyboards to try out right now

Site default logo image

screenshot-2014-06-02-14-33-38

In iOS 8, Apple is adding support for third-party keyboards. This means that iOS users can finally replace the default stock Apple keyboard with a myriad of choices already available on the App Store.

Keyboards are tied with an app. There is not a separate ‘keyboard store’. To find a keyboard, you search in the iOS App Store like any other app. Once you have downloaded an app that contains a custom keyboard, you must then enable it in Settings. Go to Settings -> General -> Keyboards -> Add New Keyboard and select the new app. This is kind of annoying, since it forces every app to instruct you how to install their keyboard in case you are new to the concept.

With that out of the way, what are the best keyboards available for iOS 8 to download today? Read on for 9to5Mac’s comprehensive roundup.


Expand
Expanding
Close

Fleksy keyboard for iOS 8 set for fall release with support for over 40 languages

Site default logo image

fleksy

The popular Fleksy keyboard for Android will be making its way to iOS 8 this fall, according to the company behind the software. While the keyboard isn’t quite ready for a public beta, the developers say it will be ready by the release of the next-generation mobile OS.

Keeping in line with today’s update for the Android version, the iPhone version is on schedule to ship with support with over 40 languages.

The Fleksy keyboard has been available on iOS in the form of a standalone app for some time now, but with iOS 8’s support for third-party keyboards, it will finally be available systemwide. The native keyboard has already been demoed by the Fleksy developers earlier this year.

Site default logo image

Logitech announces an even thinner Ultrathin keyboard cover for iPad, three new case designs

Logitech is introducing three new products for iPad users including a new lineup of protective cases and an updated version of its Ultrathin keyboard cover for iPad Air and iPad mini.

The new Logitech Ultrathin keyboard cover (pictured above) introduces a thinner and lighter design at 6.4 mm thick and two-thirds of the weight of the iPad itself. It comes with a magnetic clip in the same “high-grade aluminum construction and matching finish” that securely attaches the case to your iPad and allows for multiple viewing angles. It’s arriving for $99.99 for iPad Air and $89.99 for iPad mini in the U.S. and EU next month.

Also announced today are the three protective cases pictured above including the Big Bang for iPad Air & iPad mini ($99/$79), the flexible Hinge for iPad Air and mini that allows for 15 to 65-degree viewing angels ($59/$49), and the Logitech Turnaround for iPad Air and mini ($59/$49), a case that lets you rotate your iPad between landscape and portrait mode.

The Big Bang case is shipping in May, and the other two cases are available now on Logitech’s site.  Some of the cases come in various color options and all can be preordered or purchased from Logitech today.

Logitech’s Harmony Smart Keyboard for Apple TV & your entire living room

Site default logo image

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJ8ZS2BKdz4]

Logitech just announced a new Harmony Smart Keyboard that it says is specifically designed for controlling Apple TV and similar living room devices. The idea is that the Harmony Smart Keyboard, with support for “225,000 home-entertainment devices and over 5,000 brands,” will become your ultimate living room controller. The keyboard packs in a touchpad on the right hand side, a ton of quick launch functions for changing channels, browsing menus, and controlling media, and a number of interesting new features powered by the included Harmony WiFi hub and companion app. It’s essentially the best of both worlds from Logitech’s keyboard and Harmony remote products. 
Expand
Expanding
Close

The smartphone’s physical keyboard makes a last stand

Site default logo image

typo-iphone-keyboard

The Wall St. Journal today covers two different physical keyboard attachments for iPhone, the $100 (aptly-named?) ‘Typo’ and the Solomatrix Spike. The TL;DR is that both of these keyboards are OK (Joanna Stern seems to prefer the Typo) but have fatal flaws that push them towards edge cases – people who’ve recently just shifted away from a Blackberry, have sausage fingers, or suffer from some other problem with getting data into their phone via a screen.

Their real problem is that iOS on the iPhone isn’t designed for a physical keyboard. It is designed to flip back and forth, from landscape to portrait depending on the use and the app. It was designed from the very beginning to be agile and portable and with that portability, the ultimate sacrifice was made to the smartphone physical keyboard.

To this day, I don’t think I am faster at typing and multitasking  on an iPhone as I was on the physical keyboard of the 2007 Danger Sidekick that it replaced. But the wealth of other keyboard options and the ability to be both portrait and landscape more than make up for the speed.


Expand
Expanding
Close

Logitech announces new Ultrathin cases, covers, & keyboard folios for iPad Air

Site default logo image

We’ve been maintaining a running list of the best new iPad Air cases ahead of its upcoming Nov. 1st launch date, and today Logitech announced four new products for the device with a new line of Ultrathin cases, covers and keyboard folios.

Available starting next month, the company will be offering The Logitech® FabricSkin Keyboard Folio, Logitech® Ultrathin Keyboard Cover, Logitech® Ultrathin Keyboard Folio and Logitech® Folio Protective Case all for Apple’s new iPad Air. Most of the products are similar to Logitech cases already available for previous generation iPads:
Expand
Expanding
Close