The TouchFire is an iPad accessory designed to make the iPad’s “soft” keyboard more like a real, physical keyboard.
I’m writing this review using the TouchFire as well, to get some idea of how it works as a new user and compare this over time.
Right off the bat it takes some getting used to. Part of this is because the keyboard fees unlike anything else I’ve typed on before; it feels a bit like bubble wrap. The other thing that is strange is, having using the iPad onscreen keyboard for a long time, remembering to treat it like a regular keyboard (resting your fingers on the home row, for example) takes some getting used to.
That said I was able to see an improvement in typing speed almost immediately, and as I type this review, it’s becoming better and better.
There is also a stickiness to the keyboard that is a little weird but I’ve heard that goes away with use, so we’ll see how that goes.
My larger concern is with the storage of the keyboard. Neatly, it is very thin and folds up nicely into the Apple Smart Cover on my iPad 2, but I worry about it becoming deformed by the pressure of the cover or by the pressure of my hand holding the device closed. I also worry that it may get creased by accident if I’m not careful closing it an I accidentally fold-over part of the keyboard when I’m closing the cover. Perhaps I’m just being paranoid, but again, we will see.
I’ll be doing some more writing with the keyboard over the next week which should give me enlighten time to get over any “learning curve” associated with the device as well as break-in the plastic and see how it holds up over daily use. After this I’ll be posting a follow-up review to share my findings.