Typo settles suit with BlackBerry, now makes $189 iPad keyboards

Dubbed a "blatant ripoff" from BlackBerry's keyboards, Typo will no longer sell its product for iPhones. Apple tablets, however? That's another story.

If you ever bought a Typo, the BlackBerry-inspired keyboard for iPhone, you have a collector's item. After a year-and-a-half of litigation, BlackBerry on Monday settled its case with Typo, which will no longer sell keyboards for smartphones.

Typo can, however, sell keyboards for devices with a screen size of 7.9-inches or larger. In fact, it's doing just that: You can buy a Typo keyboard for the iPad mini or iPad Air tablets direct from the company's website.


The company's keyboards for the iPhone were quickly well known for two reasons. First is the obvious look of BlackBerry's own keyboard; one of the best attributes about a BlackBerry. Second is the high profile name -- at least if you follow the entertainment industry -- of Ryan Seacrest, who backed Typo as an investor.

It didn't take long for BlackBerry to sue Typo, which it did in January of last year saying the Typo keyboard is a "blatant ripoff" off the company's keypad. In case you had any doubts, see for yourself.

Today's news isn't the end for Seacrest and the Typo name. Once I saw the official BlackBerry statement that Typo "may continue to sell keyboards for devices with a screen size of 7.9 inches or larger," I mused to myself: Isn't the iPad mini screen exactly 7.9 inches?

It is, and of course the iPad Air has a larger 9.7-inch screen. That's what Typo has become now: A maker of Bluetooth keyboards for Apple tablets.

The new Typo keyboards don't come cheaply, however. Regardless of the model you choose, you're looking at a $189 price. The new keyboards are thin and do have some interesting aspects: They offer full-sized keys, a hinging stand, and they magnetically attach to Apple's tablets.

Nearly $200 for a tablet accessory is going to be a tough sell though; even with Ryan Seacrest backing and hawking the product.