Foldable keyboard using NFC is cool, but would you buy it for $240?
This is probably one of the coolest ideas we’ve seen involving NFC. It’s a keyboard that can fold up and fit into a pouch. When unfolded the keyboard is split down the middle with space for a smartphone to nestle up on.
Beneath that space is an NFC chip. Can you guess where this is going? The NFC chip will gather your keystrokes and transmit them to your phone.
This wireless keyboard method may not be ideal due to the need to have the phone on the pad at all times, but if you’re not comfortable with the drain of Bluetooth and don’t mind having to keep your phone in one spot the entire time then this works just fine.
I can’t say I’d ever need to use a physical keyboard with a phone — you might as well just get a tablet at that point because you’re missing the point of a smartphone.
If the practicality (or lack thereof) of this arrangement wasn’t enough to deter you, perhaps the price tag will: $240 is the asking price for this thing, and a quick product search on Google tells me that I can get a Bluetooth keyboard much cheaper.
But if you’re the type who loves this geeky sort of stuff and want to see about importing one (these come from Japan) had to Elecom.co.jp. [via Gizmodo]