Hasta La Ideas

Remedial design object: Clicks is an iPhone case featuring a physical keyboard.

Created by London-based Clicks Technology, it offers 36 keys that not only make it easier to type, but also free up screen space that would otherwise be taken up by the virtual keyboard. Furthermore, the physical keyboard allows shortcuts that will be familiar to desktop/laptop Mac users.

The keyboard has a backlighting feature for nighttime use.

For ergonomic credibility, the company hired veteran industrial designer Joseph Hofer, who put in 12 years at Blackberry, for design input. “I was instantly taken by the approach to the product and brand position—it made me feel happy and just a little nostalgic,” Hofer writes.

Attaching it is pretty simple: You slide your phone (it currently supports the iPhone 14 Pro, the 15 Pro, and 15 Pro Max, with more models said to follow) into the case, which has a connector at the bottom that plugs into your phone’s port. This does mean you cannot use wired headphones with the case on, though you can charge your phone through the case.

One thing we’d love to know, but which the company does not mention, is how much length it adds to the overall form. The iPhone’s Pro and Max models are already of pocket-exceeding dimensions, and the Clicks case adds to the issue. Hofer addresses this: “When I shaped Bold”—Blackberry’s high-end model launched in 2008—”it seemed huge. Now, it’s tiny. It’s all relative.”

Image: Kskhh, CC BY-SA 4.0

Clicks is offered in two colors, “BumbleBee” (yellow) and “London Sky” (grey). Prices start at $139, and they’ll start shipping in February.