CES 2024: The Clicks iPhone keyboard case reminds me of my old BlackBerry

Today's phones are zippier, larger, smarter, and more powerful, arguably making them better than the phones of the distant past. But there's one thing — in my opinion — that has gotten worse: typing.

Whether I'm typing on the iPhone 15 Pro Max or the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (I'm a tech reviewer so I'm often juggling several phones), the typing experience isn't optimal. I miss the days of the physical keyboard,à la the once-popular Sidekick or BlackBerry Curve, which made it easier for my fingers to fly while texting.

We thought we just had to grin and bear it. After all, it's a trade-off of having a slick touchscreen. However, it seems like the days of just "dealing with it" are over, thanks to a new mobile accessory.

Credit: Clicks Technology

'Clicks' adds a keyboard to your iPhone

Clicks is billed as new keyboard accessory that "brings a real keyboard to iPhone," according to the press release.

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It solves three problems:

1. The awkwardness of typing on a touchscreen with poor tangibility

2. The invasiveness of virtual keyboards that take up too much screen real estate

3. Not having access to keyboard shortcuts (e.g., CMD + A for Select All)

With Clicks snapped to your iPhone, you can now enjoy a physical keyboard that reportedly feels more natural. Plus, you get more screen real estate and you can use shortcuts like "CMD + H" to pull up the Home Screen and "CMD + H" to launch Search.

"We use keyboards on our desktops, laptops and tablets every day - so it's kind of odd that we abandoned physical buttons on the smartphone," said Clicks co-founder Michael Fisher, a YouTube tech reviewer with 1.2 million subscribers. "Clicks brings the tactility and precision of a physical keyboard to iPhone, so people don't have to wait until they get back to their desks to create or communicate with the satisfying feedback only real buttons can provide."

Clicks is the first product from Clicks Technology, a new company launched with Fisher (also known as MrMobile) and Kevin Michaluk (also known as Crackberry Kevin). 

Clicks can connect to your iPhone via Lightning or USB-C. It's available for pre-order now at Clicks.techwith a price of $139 (USD). It will begin shipping Feb. 1.