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iTwinge: The Keyboard Sleeve That Turns Your iPhone Into a BlackBerry


Newsflash: the iPhone doesn't have a physical keyboard. Does this mean one has to crammed into (or onto) it at all costs? If you're a former BlackBerry addict, perhaps it does.

Enter the oddly named iTwinge, an iPhone sleeve that does the trick in the simplest of fashions: it merely covers the software keys with real, physical ones. Cool, one might think for a split second: I can finally type without looking! However, a closer inspection of iTwinge reveals a number of problems.

First of all, it makes your iPhone a lot fatter than such a sexy gadget should be. Furthermore, iPhone's keyboard has some advantages over physical keyboards: it adapts to different situations (for example, the ".com" key is only there when you need it), it gives you a choice of typing some alternative symbols if you press and hold a key, etc. None of those will really translate well to iTwinge. Not to mention the fact that it won't work particularly well when you flip the iPhone over to its side.

Still, it might be useful in certain situations. For example, if you must write a blog post or a long email, and the only device you have at your disposal is the iPhone, iTwinge might come in handy. According to the manufacturer, "an average user will improve their speed by 30% to 40% and simultaneously reduce typing errors by 70 – 80%".

If you're interested, bear in mind that it must be plugged into the iPhone, and it uses some of its power, but luckily it doesn't require any software. It works with the iPhone 3G and 3GS and you can get it for the price of $29.99.

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