Making the iPhone a more productive device is the goal of Clicks Technology and its new iPhone case, the Clicks Creator Keyboard. Launched just ahead of CES 2024 and showcased at Showstoppers, the CES Pre-event, can Clicks bring the physical keyboard back to our handsets?
Clicks Creator Keyboard
Clicks Technology is spearheaded by tech personalities Michael Fisher and Kevin Michaluk, who plan to redefine the iPhone experience. This is one of the reasons I was keen to try the Creator Keyboard last month during CES week.
For the OG road warriors lucky enough to have experienced the real smartphone, the Blackberry, Kevin was one of the team behind Crackberry.
Crackberry was a portal for digital nomads to share and praise all things’ physical keyboards on handsets’ before being a digital nomad was even a thing! The site had a large and very loyal following of smartphone users who swore by physical keyboards and their Blackberry devices during the heyday period. I was one of these!
This duo has brought together people from Apple, Blackberry and Google to create, on paper at least, a knowledgeable and formidable team to ensure this is more than just a fad accessory.
Features
The Clicks Creator Keyboard addresses a long-standing compromise in smartphone design – the dominance of virtual keyboards.
By introducing a detachable physical keyboard, Clicks Technology aims to enhance the iPhone’s functionality, especially for those who are constantly on the move. The Clicks Creator keyboard case showcases the ingenuity of its design and how it focuses on the user’s needs.
Should that need be more screen space and a faster typing experience!
Thanks to its innovative one-piece design, attaching and detaching the keyboard is effortless. Plus, it connects directly to the iPhone, negating the need for separate charging or Bluetooth pairing.
The iPhone 14 Pro model supports Lightning, and the 15 series and onwards have USB-C. The case does not have a battery, and it only pairs with the iPhone by physical connection. There is pass-through charging, and the case doesn’t hinder wireless charging.
It transforms the iPhone into a more versatile tool, merging a full physical keyboard with the advanced features of iOS. This integration offers many benefits, most notably screen space optimisation!
The Clicks Creator keyboard liberates valuable screen real estate, allowing you to immerse in apps fully and without the intrusion of a virtual keyboard.
With tactile buttons, the backlit keyboard enables precise and comfortable typing, ideal for crafting lengthy emails or editing documents on the go. The keyboard introduces a range of iOS shortcuts, streamlining navigation and improving productivity such as:
- Press CMD + H to quickly navigate to your home screen
- Use CMD + Space to launch Search
- Scroll through web pages with the space bar
- Clicks supports keyboard shortcuts across many iOS and third-party apps
For its launch, the Clicks Creator keyboard will be available initially in two colour options: BumbleBee, a vibrant yellow, and London Sky, a serene blue.
Also known as a ‘Founders Edition, ‘ owners will enjoy exclusive access to these colours, VIP support, and early access to future colour releases.
A dedicated Clicks app in the Apple App Store will soon promise ongoing enhancements and new features, ensuring the keyboard evolves with user needs.
We’re excited to bring Clicks to those who have a latent love for keyboard phones, as well as a whole new generation of iPhone users
Clicks
First Impression
Clicks attended Showstoppers, a precursor to CES, where I managed to get a short amount of hands-on time with the keyboard case.
I use the word managed, as I cannot remember the last time I attended a Showstoppers event, held at the start of every CES, IFA and MWC show, and had to fight with the rest of the world’s media to get close to a device.
My initial thoughts were it felt good in the hand and didn’t make the iPhone feel that much bigger, although the press images in this article suggest the iPhone is much longer with the case on.
Putting the iPhone in or removing it from the Clicks Creator Keyboard was as easy as any other standard iPhone case. Even with constant use, I don’t think that bright Bumblebee Yellow will fade or start to attract dark dirt stains. It was a durable yet soft finish.
The typing experience was surprisingly good, but memorising the travel distance took me a few attempts. I was expecting not to like the round keys or for them to feel unresponsive, but this wasn’t the case.
I’m hopeful the Clicks Creator Keyboard iPhone case will succeed as there is room for improvements or upgrades, such as an internal battery or a stronger case for even better protection.
Or, and I live in hope here, Clicks can obtain the patent for the Blackberry Bold 9900 keyboard and build it into a case!
Accessibility and Launch: Pricing and Availability
The Clicks Creator Keyboard is $139 for the iPhone 14/15 Pro and $159 for the 15 Pro Max. It can be ordered today on clicks.tech, and shipping commences on February 1st for the 14 Pro, from March for the 15 Pro and during Spring for the 15 Pro Max.