You use it every day without a second thought, but if you think about it for just a second, QWERTY is really, really weird. Where did something so strangely unintuitive come from? The popular story is that it has to do with typewriter mechanics and jamming prevention, and although that explanation sure is tidy, it's also probably bullshit. Read More >>

Swype has finally dropped its Beta tag and gone official — which means it's now in the Play store, easy to install, and no longer free. Read More >>

Targeted at gamers, developers, and anyone who spends a lot of time pounding on a keyboard, Cooler Master's new CM Storm QuickFire Stealth features mechanical switches for that old-school feeling, and black keys that are only labeled on the front side. Read More >>

Back in the day, typing was something of a specialised skill. Or so I am led to believe. Frankly, it's hard to imagine. Now typing up a document isn't a task for some army of receptionists, but rather something we all do every day, at work, at home, on our phones (but that's different). Read More >>

Relying on your tablet's on-screen keyboard saves you from having to carry clunky accessories, but it also gobbles up a good chunk of usable screen real estate. So Fujitsu researchers are working on a happy medium that uses the tablet's camera to track your finger movements on a desk, as if you were typing away on an invisible keyboard. Read More >>

Everybody knows someone who's a walking disaster. Hand over a tablet and, oh hey, here's a new port in the middle of the screen. Let 'em near the TV and, congrats, now you've got a piece of modern art. You might not be able to save all gadgets from the klutzes in your lives—or even save them from themselves—but with these durable gifts you can at least offer a little protection. Read More >>

The clever SwiftKey Android keyboard, which analyses your writing history to suggest the next word you might be about to type, has been updated. A new beta release adds line-drawing input to the mix, helping it challenge the popular Swype for the position as number one Android text input tool. And the beta's free to try. It has changed many lives. [SwiftKey] Read More >>

Die-hard first person shooter fans might swear by the accuracy and precision of their PC keyboards. But those digital keys don't provide as much finesse as the analogue joysticks on console controllers. So Ben Heck levels the playing field with this analog keyboard hack. Read More >>

Whether you're sick of looking at the same silver letters on your keyboard every day or you're just a fan of an all-natural look, Lazerwood's keys for your Mac are pretty awesome. Read More >>

Not a fan of typing on a touchscreen but don't want to have to carry around a bluetooth keyboard just for your phone or tablet? There might be a new option on the table soon, so to speak. This prototype software tracks keystrokes by using the accelerometer to track vibration, turning all kinds of things into keyboards. Read More >>

If tablets had one Achilles heel preventing them from personal computing dominance, it would be their awkward touchscreen keyboards. But the makers of the ASETNIOP keyboard think they've found a better alternative. An on-screen keyboard with just ten keys that lets you access every letter of the alphabet with multiple keypresses, like playing chords on a piano. Read More >>

There's apparently been some breakthrough in miniaturisation, since compact wireless keyboards are coming out of the woodwork these days. The latest to tempt you away from your smartphone or tablet's on-screen layout is this little number which manages to squeeze an optical touchpad and full QWERTY into a form factor that looks smaller than an iPhone. Read More >>

Between yesterday's expanding iPad keyboard case and this smaller collapsing alternative for smartphones, Elecom seems to have its sights on conquering the portable Bluetooth keyboard market. But victory will depend on whether or not the Japanese company can price its products a little more affordably. Read More >>

Despite what Microsoft wants you to think, keyboard-packing tablet cases aren't a new idea. It's just that typically you have to settle for a cramped set of keys that are only a marginal step up from an on-screen layout. So borrowing an idea from IBM's old butterfly ThinkPad keyboards, Elecom has created a transforming iPad 3 case that doesn't leave touch typists feeling cramped. Read More >>

If you're using a touchscreen device for any kind of serious work, a physical keyboard is a must-have accessory. It's no different for the new iPad mini, although at just 7.78-inches wide when used in landscape mode, this new Bluetooth keyboard case from Zagg is probably going to feel a little cramped. Read More >>