Touchfire Overlay Adds Keyboard to iPad

The problem many people have with iPads is the keyboard. Being a touch-only keyboard, you can’t use it when you have gloves on or when your fingers are dirty. It’s also hard to type on it like you would a real keyboard, since the keys aren’t real buttons. There are many cases for sale today that give you a keyboard for the iPad, but those add bulk and don’t look very pretty.

The Touchfire, funded by Kickstarter and made in the U.S., allows you to have a keyboard on your iPad without making it hideous and bulky. Touchfire is a silicon overlay that gives you the feeling of typing on a real keyboard, so you can type faster and more efficiently than if you just used the touchscreen. It also means you can wear your gloves!

While the cost is a little high, at $50, it seems to work well. The overlay stays in place with a combination of tabs and magnets, so it’s easy to lift up when you don’t want to use it. The keys aren’t hard like a computer’s keys, but they give enough support to make it easier to type.

Some problems people are having is that the spacebar isn’t raised to the same level as the rest of the keys. There’s also the dirt factor, as the rubber has a tendency to absorb everything that gets on it. However, being easily detached, it is simple to clean it off.

With this nifty little iPad invention, our keyboard woes will hopefully disappear.