Spike is a flipping keyboard for iPhone. It is a case combo that adds a flip-out physical keyboard to an iPhone 4/4S. There have been many physical keyboard options recently for iPhone users who are not happy with touch screen typing. The options have ranged from full-sized Bluetooth like the Jorno folding keyboard to cases with integrated keyboards like Nuu Minikey. The Spike keyboard case combo of SoloMatrix has a hinged physical keyboard which flips up to give easier access to the full touch screen.
There have been rumors of Apple presenting an iPhone with a physical keyboard over the past few years. The prototypes never turned into reality as the keyboards were found to be bulky and a waste of screen presence.
Spike comes in two varieties. The first type has the bottom half of the case containing the mini QWERTY keyboard. This has to be removed physically and rotated half circle to reveal the keyboard. The second type of keyboard can be flipped out from the rear of the phone without the need of pulling the case apart.
SoloMatrix has taken care in designing the Spike keyboards as it wanted to complement the design of the iPhone rather than a design to stick out like a sore thumb in the same way as the other keyboards have looked up to now. The solution was in coming up with the keyboard as a part of the protective case itself.
Both varieties of the keyboard keep clear the iPhone’s home buttons and the volume controls and they do not require a Bluetooth connection or any other external power source. With this combination of a protective case and an attractive price, SoloMatrix will make the Spike appeal to people with thicker thumbs and who are looking out for a keyboard experience like the one provided by BlackBerry.