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December 06, 2013

Inside Ryan Seacrest's Million Dollar iPhone Keyboard, The Typo Keyboard

There's a lot that can be said for the iPhone, from its sleek overall dimensions to its sheer array of functions built right in, but typing on an iPhone is an exercise that many still find cumbersome, especially when it comes to working with a touchscreen. Ryan Seacrest, as it turned out, had noticed a similar problem himself, and so set out to change it with the help of a $1 million investment in a start-up that he co-founded that makes the Typo Keyboard, a keyboard accessory for the iPhone.

The Typo Keyboard started life, according to word from the company, when Seacrest noted that many Hollywood types—even Seacrest himself—had two phones around at all times. One phone was used strictly for typing and issues of correspondence, while the second phone was used for virtually everything else. The first phone was never an iPhone. The second phone virtually always was an iPhone.

Then, of course, it was subsequently noted that there were a variety of keyboard accessories on hand for the iPhone, and so several such offerings were tested to find the flaws and the advantages that each offered. Two years of development later, the Typo Keyboard was born, and it will be making its way to the Consumer Electronics Show this January to meet its public. At last report, the plan was to release the Typo Keyboard first for iPhone 5 and iPhone 5S first, then follow it up with additional models for other smartphones, as well as a version for tablets.

So far, according to Typo Keyboards, users of the Typo Keyboard report 50 percent fewer typos with the Typo Keyboard, and the recovery of 40 percent of screen space, since the virtual keyboard is no longer a factor. The Typo Keyboard itself is fully backlit for use in low-light environments, and offers not only a battery indicator to show just how much juice is on hand at any given time, but also includes access to currency keys in rapid fashion, as well as a custom auto-correct system that steps in to fix any actual typos that the Typo Keyboard may generate. Perhaps best of all, it even charges quickly, with a full charge on the device taking just under an hour. The keyboards are set to ship in January 2014, and can be pre-ordered now for $99.

So far, Seacrest and his co-founder have put $1 million into the research behind the Typo Keyboard, and by the time it's all said and done, expect to up that to over $5 million with other keyboard products in development.

It's not unusual to see celebrities diversify into the tech field. There's plenty of applications going around to make such a move worthwhile, and that represents plenty of opportunity for someone with sufficient resources to go into such a field. Ashton Kutcher, for example, was often seen connected with apps like Summly and beyond. If the Typo Keyboard can really improve the use of the iPhone, that may well give it a hand in the field in terms of persuading some users away from Android devices and the like. It will be interesting to see some more product reviews around this one, especially from general users after the device goes live this January. Solutions can come from strange places, and in the end, all that really matters is that the solution works. If the Typo Keyboard can say likewise, then users should all be better off for it.




Edited by Stefania Viscusi


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