Ryan Seacrest’s Typo keyboard case for iPhone has had an interesting life. The original model debuted in early 2014 but quickly became the target of a lawsuit from BlackBerry, which described the Typo as “blatant infringement against BlackBerry’s iconic keyboard.” Then we saw a Typo 2 for the iPhone 5 and 5s debut in January. But what if you’ve got Apple’s new hotness? Typo’s got you covered too.
The Typo 2 for iPhone 6 is now available from Typo’s official website for $99. Once you slide your iPhone into the case, the Typo 2 pairs with your phone over Bluetooth. The keyboard, while not as BlackBerry-esque as the first model’s, it does include dedicated Alt, backspace, shift and lock buttons. It’s worth noting, though, that the case does cover the iPhone 6’s TouchID sensor. For those of you with an older iPhone, the Typo 2 for iPhone 5/5s is being sold for $99.
There’s no Typo 2 available for the iPhone 6 Plus right now, because Typo says that its testing showed that the unit was too top heavy. However, a new design is in the works and is expected to launch in mid-2015. Typo is also working on a keyboard for the iPad that’ll launch in 2015.
Smartphones with keyboards are nearly nonexistent at the end of 2014, with BlackBerry being the only company to sell QWERTY-clad phones, and even then it’s only got a few models. The Typo keyboard aims to give iPhone users a tactile experience as well while also allowing them to be a part of the iOS ecosystem. The Typo 2 certainly isn’t the cheapest case around, but if you ever find yourself reminiscing about the days of pounding out emails on your old QWERTY-equipped smartphone, the Typo 2 could be worth the investment