The idea behind this is so brilliant that it's a wonder it wasn't developed sooner: Jing Yang of eico Motion Lab in China has created the Smart Keyboard, what he bills as the world's thinnest keyboard for the iPhone.
You want a phone with a Qwerty keyboard for that dedicated typing experience, but you also want the benefit of a touchscreen for whizzing through web pages and the like. But you don’t want to skimp on screen space. 2.8-inches? Sorry, no dice. You’re a 3.5-inches plus or bust kind of person. Fair enough, but there's not really a smartphone out there that offers all that right now.
It's based on the concept behind the iPad 2 Smart Covers. Roll the keyboard onto the screen when you want to use it, then roll it back off when you're done. Like the Smart Cover, it attaches to the bottom of an iPhone with magnets and can be used as a stand.
The Smart Keyboard is a roll-up style kick stand in the same vein as Apple’s Smart Covers for the iPad 2 that incorporates a full Qwerty keyboard.
Ok, so the keys aren’t active, mechanical keys themselves, rather rubber pads that’ll press on the virtual Qwerty beneath. The keys would be backlit as well, allowing for easy typing in the dark.
The keyboard, which attaches to the base of an iPhone 4, would also somehow allow for more typing space on the screen. We're not quite sure how this would work though.
That aside, an accessory like this might just be enough to convert those who hate typing on touchscreens to the Cult of iPhone.
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