Laugh if you want, but TREWGrip’s accordion-style tablet keyboard could be productivity heaven
The TREWGrip keyboard will catch your eye immediately. It’s definitely not slim or svelte. It’s somewhat large, has an accordion-like form factor, and looks unlike other products on the market. If you’re the type of person that theoretically likes tablets, but in reality prefers laptops at every turn, TREWGrip might win you over.
The TREWGrip is described as a “Rear-Type” keyboard, meaning the keys are actually on the back of the device.
On the front of the device you see indicators for what keys are on the flip side, and when pressing an actual key, the indicator on the front will illuminate to confirm (or deny) that you pressed the right button.
The middle area is where you dock your tablet, via suction. Hopefully they’ll improve this function before launch since it didn’t seem flawlessly sturdy and all it takes is one drop to break your device. It also would only fit a smaller tablet and not a larger, 10-inch tablet; incorporating a slide to increase or decrease the width of the tablet dock would be helpful (similar to the PhoneJoy gaming controller).
TREWGrip touts that the learning curve for their keyboard is very low, allowing you to achieve 80% typing speed of your normal QWERTY Keyboard after only 8 to 10 hours of use and familiarity. It’ll vary from person to person, but supposedly it typically allows more Words Per Minute typed than Swype and has even lower barriers to productivity.
The TREWGrip is cool, but would I actually buy it? I’m not sure. But I’m not sure that matters. I’m a typical consumer who works from home and sits in front of my keyboard, with dual monitors and a nice big QWERTY, 80% of my day. Where I can really see the TREWGrip making an impact is for field agents who need to be productive while standing and working.
- Retail employees in stores like Verizon Wireless or AT&T
- Nurses and doctors going from room to room, patient to patient, but who need portable productivty
- Comcast employees in the field or any other agents that make house calls
- And the list goes on
I may not have otherwise considered this “in the field” approach, but seeing our demonstrator dock the TREWGrip keyboard on his hip definitely flipped the light switch.
As with all startups and emerging tech companies, time will tell if it sticks and succeeds. Their chances will largely rely on a successful launch, which will occur in the coming months. The company is still considering the merits of either attracting investors or launching a KickStarter campaign. Whichever route they go, we wish them the best, and we’ll make sure to keep our readers up to date with their latest endeavors.
Check out the company and follow their latest news at TREWGrip.com.