Heads up, iPad mini users: an old familiar keyboard experience is coming your way. Well, maybe not the traditional keyboard realm in which all your fingers get involved, but it should certainly make typing with two thumbs a bit easier.
It's taken about three years, but Tactus is finally ready to officially debut its unique "rising" keyboard technology, and it's chosen Apple's super popular tablet for its market arrival.
The Phorm is essentially a case that brings up keys boasting what Tactus calls "key guides," which appear as a raised surface on each key. The goal is to provide users with a typing experience that doesn't require having to look at the keyboard, at least for those who long ago memorized the keyboard layout of a PC.
It all works by fluids that move into the keyboard area via a slider switch. It's the same microfluidics approach used in ink jet printers. When you move the slider back into its original position, the raised buttons disappear. The technology runs solely on human touch and doesn't require batteries or charging.
Tactus CEO Dr. Craig Ciesla says the technology has shown to boost a user's typing accuracy and speed and has resulted in higher typing satisfaction.
So far, the keyboard approach is getting mostly receptive nods from technology reviewers, but most of them also seem to agree the technology still needs a bit of a buffing and polishing. The price point, which will be $149, if you don't pre-order at a $99 offer, is also not getting much applause.
"That's just too much to justify this trick right now. Either way, it's too expensive, even though it feels like a strong and sturdy case," noted one tech publication. Another called it a tech "still in its relative infancy, but seeing it start to make its way out to consumers makes it easy to get excited about where it could progress."
Ciesla has also been quoted as describing his company's technology as "a screen protector on steroids."
As several testers noted, it may be the perfect solution for those former CrackBerry addicts who leapt to the iPhone and are still missing the BlackBerry keyboard experience.
Endgadget described it as looking "cool," but warns users not to expect the full power of the typical keyboard as the "nubs basically act as guideposts for your fingers."
Tactus is seeking out collaborators to mesh its innovation into a wider range of tablets, including Android devices, and is reportedly working on an iPad Air case.
