Ion iType Bluetooth keyboard for phones and tablets

People with nimble thumbs and hawk eyes may be mystified as to why anyone would buy the iType keyboard. There is indeed no point in getting one if you write only short text messages on your mobile device and can cope easily with a keypad or your phone's on-screen keyboard.

But phones are increasingly used to write longer emails, which can be a challenge even for dextrous teenagers. Many people can barely read the tiny phone keys and thumbing them can be painful and even inadvisable for anyone suffering from some forms of keyboard-induced repetitive strain injury (RSI).

We found that the iType was far easier and more comfortable to use, though at 12cm x 6cm it is too small for touch-typing.

It weighs next to nothing (51g) and is small enough to fit into a shirt pocket, yet it has keys big enough to take a thumb without overlap. They also mean you can hold your thumbs flatter, which can be better ergonomically.

An additional benefit is that punctuation marks and navigation keys are more accessible, which is particularly helpful when using products from companies (Apple is a big offender) that pretend people can easily do without cursor keys.

Connecting to a phone using Bluetooth was straightforward and the iType comes with a phone stand, so you can see the screen as you type. In fact, it's perfectly possible to leave this at home to save on clutter in the pocket, as you can always find something to prop up the phone.

You will need a computer with a USB port to charge the keyboard, something that is implied but not spelled out on the packaging.

This will affect people whose only computer is an iPad or other tablet device: they will either have to buy a charger or plug the supplied USB cable into the tablet's own mains charger, which means they can't charge both at the same time.

Despite its name, the iType is not restricted to iPhones. The box says it is compatible with Windows Mobile phones and we found it also worked with a Nokia using the Symbian operating system. However, support for Android devices is more patchy.

The iType is available from Red5