I regret to inform you that I still cannot deal with this.
The Clicks keyboard case has arrived, and it’s cute, if not entirely practical for everyday use—at least, not without weeks of practice.
The new device, which adds a physical button pad to the bottom of your iPhone, evokes a sense of nostalgia for the BlackBerry era, but in its current form, it’s difficult to use, especially with heavier and larger devices. as long as the iPhone 15 Pro. Max.
The main problem with Clicks is that iPhones are not shaped like BlackBerry devices, which were short, curvy and wide. Instead, the weight of the iPhone pulls the case down, so you’re always fighting against the force of gravity as you try to type. This causes the case to wobble a bit in your hands, making it harder to hit the right key.
To be fair, Clicks admits that the case can be difficult to use at first.
On its help pages, the company suggests a proper retention technique to make Clicks more consistent. It advises users to cradle the phone, with the bottom edge of the device resting on your pinky fingers, while the back is supported by your middle and ring fingers. Your index fingers, meanwhile, can rest on the back or sides of the case.
If you grip the phone with both hands at the bottom of the keyboard, you may find it heavy, the website warns.
However, your phone will feel very heavy either way, although the extent to which you’ll be able to properly balance the keyboard will depend on a number of factors, including your iPhone model and weight, as well as height and the strength of your fingers. People with shorter, stronger fingers may have more difficulty holding the device than others with longer fingers, for example.
Clicks says it added ballast to the bottom of the case to help it achieve the right balance, but early adopters say they’re considering upgrading to a smaller iPhone model to make Clicks easier to carry. was used – and it is true.
An iPhone 13 mini would probably be great to use with Clicks, but alas, it’s not supported.
Instead, the Clicks keyboard works with the iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 models, the former only on the Pro and Pro Max models, while supporting the full range of models for the iPhone 15. By comparison, iPhone weight can vary between devices, ranging from 6.02 ounces for the iPhone 15 to 7.09 ounces for the 15 Plus and 6.60 ounces for the 15 Pro model. The 15 Pro Max is heavier at 7.81 ounces. Although these are small differences when using an iPhone with a traditional case, even the tiniest bit of extra weight matters when it comes to using the Clicks. The heavier the iPhone, the harder it is to hold, it seems.
Clicks tries to account for the difficulty of balancing the phone in several ways. In addition to instructing users on proper holding technique, the case also features a vegan leather clip on the lower back, making it less likely that your fingers will slip and reminding you where to place them.
In addition, the case has a slightly textured surface, which helps keep your iPhone upright.
Despite these adjustments, there’s another problem with using Clicks, and it’s surprising.
If Clicks appeal to you, then you might be old enough to remember what it felt like to fire off emails and quick texts on a BlackBerry, its physical keyboard buttons a significant improvement from the T9’s texting. But in the years since, you’ve likely adapted to typing on a touchscreen. Pushing buttons, it turns out, isn’t like riding a bike. There’s a learning curve here, especially with your now-extra-long smartphone.
In other words, you may not immediately find Clicks as easy to use as you remember your old BlackBerry being. You will have to relearn how to type this way and it may take some time to adjust. According to the Clicks website, it will take you 20 minutes to learn Clicks, two hours to get comfortable with it, two days to master it, and two weeks to build the muscle memory needed to really go easy on the Clicks. (I suspect some people may need more time. I haven’t spent weeks with Clicks yet, so I can’t weigh in there.)
The “Clicks” keyboard makes a satisfying “clicking” sound when you press the keys, hence the device’s name. But there’s a reason why many of us eventually turn off iPhone keyboard sounds: The tick tick tick tick the keyboard clicks can become annoying after a while and can annoy other people as well. The Click keyboard has a quieter, more natural clicking sound, but will always make an audible, attention-grabbing noise.
Of course, Clicks keyboard buyers might like the attention — especially if you’re pulling out the bright banana yellow case or the new hot pink Miami Heat case with the blue keys. These occasions can make a great icebreaker. I guarantee that if you drop off Clicks in a bar, someone will talk to you. (That alone might make it worth the price, for some!)
That said, the company says the more corporate-looking “London Sky Gray” color has been the most popular option at launch, and it sold out its first “Founders Edition” devices in less than two weeks. At the Consumer Electronics Show this year, the company said that if one in every 1,000 iPhone customers were interested in Clicks, it could build a successful business. Based on the demand Clicks has seen so far, the company says the interest is “much stronger than that.”
Clicks, started by MrMobile (Michael Fisher) and CrackBerry Kevin (Kevin Michaluk), won’t disclose sales numbers to date, but has already added the Blue Pink and Royal Ink boxes to its lineup. The company is now in the process of raising a seed round to further expand the Clicks product portfolio.
For those planning to switch back and forth between the Clicks and a traditional case (or no case at all), be warned: Be gentle with the Clicks’ USB-C or Lightning port. The case includes a sticker that advises you to be careful when placing or removing your phone. This is the easiest tip to follow after the introduction. But if you’re used to removing your iPhone case at any angle without thinking too much, be very careful; Your $159 will go up in smoke just like that. The click warning says don’t tilt the phone up from the port until it is FULLY detached and they’re not kidding. Even at a slight angle, you can easily damage the port. (Clicks says it hasn’t seen a breakage problem yet. I say give it more time.)
For this reason, I wouldn’t recommend that, say, a company’s IT department buy Clicks for their older end users who still complain about losing their BlackBerrys. Chances are, a handful of them will break the device or bend the port the first time they remove the case. Make it a holiday gift, not a corporate flyer, if you must.
As for the keyboard, the buttons are well placed and with decent clicks, if a little small. There are also a few clever touches. It has a built-in microphone, Shift, CMD, and the “123” button that you can press once for numbers and symbols or twice to lock. The “%+-” button can also be pressed to show and hide the iOS keyboard, where you can also easily use emojis. (Alternatively, you can add the emoji keyboard as an option that appears when you press the globe key in Clicks.)
Once you’ve mastered typing on the keyboard, there are a few keyboard shortcuts you can learn to make it even easier to use. CMD + H will take you back to your home screen, for example, while CMD + spacebar will launch Search. When you are in the Safari or Chrome web browser, you can also use the spacebar to move through web pages. Many other popular iOS keyboard shortcuts, Clicks notes, are also supported.
But the size of the “Clicks” case cannot be overlooked as a deciding factor whether to buy.
Its odd and very long shape makes it more difficult to carry in a pocket, where it will inevitably stick up, stretching the fabric. The Clicks case won’t fit into the small bags where your iPhone used to fit comfortably. The clicks were also too big for the top pocket on my SwissGear backpack used for travel, where I often stash my phone in a hurry, like when I’m preparing my bags for a TSA screening. Your phone will also be heavier with the case, at 62 or 65 grams, depending on your phone model.
The case also doesn’t support MagSafe accessories, so there’s no hope of using some kind of PopSocket to hold it. (It would also be set too high to really help.)
Despite the challenges that come with Clicks, it’s hard to knock its sense of whimsy and gas. You certainly don’t need Clicks, but at $139 to $159, you might convince yourself you should give it a try. It’s like Chumby or Rabbit: quirky, fun and designed for a niche market of enthusiasts. It’s not a product you buy for its functionality; it’s the kind of art you support because you’re in tech… I think I’ll get another one in pink.
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