Typing on the iPad is anything but analogous to that of a standard keyboard. As a result, a number of after market products have seen success, or at least production – case in point Logitech’s Foldup Keyboard (which we loved). Unfortunately, they add bulk and negate the iPad’s svelte form factor. As a result Steve Isaac & Brad Melmon built the TouchFire.
It’s an ultra thin and light weight (less than one ounce) keyboard that fits over the iPad’s virtual keyboard and provides the much needed force feedback to enable touch typists and those with an aversion to onscreen keyboards to type as if they were using the real thing. Course it won’t solve the issue of keyboard size, but by using micro-structures and some sort of special manufacturing process, it can not only produces force feedback, allow you to partially see the screen as well as swipe, but leave the TouchFire in place even with Apple’s smart cover is in place.
So at this point the two have designed and built a working prototype. But they need your help to get the TouchFire into production. Pledging (it’s another Kickstarter project) $45 will buy you your own TouchFire, though if you pledge $25 more you’ll get two and some additional goodies. So far they’ve raised $14,000, which exceeds their $10,000 funding goal, so it’s not a question of if it will ship, but when.
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