TouchFire Is The Keyboard For iPad Apple Forgot

The iPad has a number of excellent writing apps designed for it. Unfortunately, using these apps is difficult because of the iDevice’s virtual keyboard, which can sometimes be hit or miss. Now a new accessory arrives that makes typing on the iPad easier. TouchFire is a new keyboard made exclusively for the iPad. Made of lightweight silicone, the add-on sits directly on the iDevice’s virtual keyboard and can also attach to the iPad 2’s Smart Cover for easy storage. The accessory is currently being offered exclusively through Kickstarter, where its creators, Steve Isaac and Brad Melmon, hoped to raise $10,000 before December 13. To date, they have raised nearly $80,000. Isaac states:

TouchFire was one of the most challenging design problems Brad has ever tackled. On one hand, TouchFire had to be thin, light and flexible enough to live in the iPad's cover. On the other hand, TouchFire's keys had to provide the proper force resistance to allow people to rest their fingers and type naturally. Brad figured out how to do this by inserting a series of micro-structures inside each key. You can't feel these micro-structures, but they contain carefully designed walls that provide the proper force resistance no matter how your finger strikes a key.

Take a look:

A TouchFire Standard Pack includes a keyboard, a storage case and a pair of cover clips, all in black, for $45 plus free U.S. shipping. For $80, you'll receive two keyboards (both black and white). For more information, visit the official TouchFire Kickstarter page.

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