Technologies

Soon You Can Give Your iPhone a Physical Keyboard With Real Buttons

A new Clicks case with a hardware keyboard for recent iPhone Pro models is launching at CES 2024.

When the original iPhone launched back in 2007, it marked the ascendance of on-screen keyboards, but some folks still miss the full physical keyboards that were popular on BlackBerry devices and other mobile phones earlier this century. For those iPhone texters who wish they had real buttons to press, a new physical keyboard iPhone case is debuting at CES 2024 — and prominent phone industry YouTubers contributed to the design.

New company Clicks Technology is debuting its eponymous Clicks keyboard as its first product for $139, which will be compatible with the most recent iPhones to start. Available with either Lightning (for iPhone 14 Pro) or USB-C (for iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max) connectors, the keyboard is actually integrated into a wraparound case. Just slide your iPhone into the device and start typing. The keys are backlit for night typing, and it runs off the phone’s battery, so no charging required.

Read more: Best iPhone Camera Accessories for Pro Photos and Videos

«We use keyboards on our desktops, laptops and tablets every day — so it’s kind of odd that we abandoned physical buttons on the smartphone,» Michael Fisher, known as Mr. Mobile on YouTube and co-founder of Clicks Technology, said in a press release. Fisher’s channel includes contemporary reviews and throwback profiles of phones from yesteryear, when screens where smaller and designs were weirder in the days where manufacturers gave phones bold and bizarre looks to entice buyers.

The Clicks keyboard brings some of this energy back in its bright banana yellow color, which wouldn’t look out of place on a Nintendo N64 controller. It’s also available in a more svelte gray hue for this early Founders Edition round of the product; other colors may be available in the future.

Having a physical keyboard below the phone elongates the whole package, so you might not be able to fit it in your pocket, and it’s hard to tell if the extra length will make it a bit tougher to hold while typing. But there are definite advantages to a dedicated keyboard, most notably faster and more accurate typing than on a digital keypad, as well as a command button to allow for shortcuts to the home screen or search bar. A less obvious benefit: Without a digital keyboard popping up, you keep your full screen when typing.

Read more: Best iPhone 15 and 15 Pro Cases

«We labored over every decision from exactly how the buttons should feel to the keyboard layout, ensuring it would be intuitive for iPhone users,» said Kevin Michaluk, known as CrackBerry Kevin on YouTube and co-founder at Clicks Technology. He joined Fisher and a team with mobile experience from companies like Apple, BlackBerry and Google to design the keyboard.

The Clicks keyboard is available to order now and will begin shipping on Feb. 1 for the iPhone 14 models, with the iPhone 15 shipping at some point in Spring. The keyboard runs on a partner app that will soon be downloadable from the Apple App Store and will «bring new functionality to the keyboard over time,» according to a press release.

Though smartphones have transitioned to full front screens and users have gotten the hang of digital keyboards, there still remains a contingent of phone fans wistful for their physical keyboards. A startup co-founded by Ryan Seacrest feuded with BlackBerry in court over an iPhone keyboard back in 2014, but even today’s phone owners find digital keyboards lacking — like this Redditor asking if there was a case for last year’s iPhone 14 with a physical keyboard that slid out like T-Mobile’s Sidekick phone from yesteryear.

I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites

+31 more

See all photos

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Oct. 23 #599

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Oct. 23, No. 599.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle might be Halloween-themed, as the answers are all rather dangerous. Some of them are a bit tough to unscramble, so if you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: Please don’t eat me!

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Remember Mr. Yuk?

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

POND, NOON, NODE, BALE, SOCK, LOVE, LOCK, MOCK, LEER, REEL, GLOVE, DAIS, LEAN, LEAD, REEL

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

AZALEA, HEMLOCK, FOXGLOVE, OLEANDER, BELLADONNA

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is POISONOUS. To find it, look for the P that is the first letter on the far left of the top row, and wind down and across.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Oct. 23, #395

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Oct. 23, No. 395.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition has one of those crazy purple categories, where you wonder if anyone saw the connection, or if people just put that grouping together because only those four words were left. If you’re struggling but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Fan noise.

Green group hint: Strategies for hoops.

Blue group hint: Minor league.

Purple group hint: Look for a connection to hoops.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Sounds from the crowd.

Green group: Basketball offenses.

Blue group: Triple-A baseball teams.

Purple group: Ends with a basketball stat.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is sounds from the crowd. The four answers are boo, cheer, clap and whistle.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is basketball offenses. The four answers are motion, pick and roll, Princeton and triangle.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is triple-A baseball teams. The four answers are Aces, Jumbo Shrimp, Sounds and Storm Chasers.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is ends with a basketball stat. The four answers are afoul, bassist, counterpoint and sunblock.

Technologies

Amazon’s Delivery Drivers Will Soon Wear AI Smart Glasses to Work

The goal is to streamline the delivery process while keeping drivers safe.

Amazon announced on Wednesday that it is developing new AI-powered smart glasses to simplify the delivery experience for its drivers. CNET smart glasses expert Scott Stein mentioned this wearable rollout last month, and now the plan is in its final testing stages.

The goal is to simplify package delivery by reducing the need for drivers to look at their phones, the label on the package they’re delivering and their surroundings to find the correct address.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

A heads-up display will activate as soon as the driver parks, pointing out potential hazards and tasks that must be completed. From there, drivers can locate and scan packages, follow turn-by-turn directions and snap a photograph to prove delivery completion without needing to take out their phone.

The company is testing the glasses in select North American markets.

Watch: See our Instagram post with a video showing the glasses

A representative for Amazon didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

To fight battery drain, the glasses pair with a controller attached to the employee’s delivery vest, allowing them to replace depleted batteries and access operational controls. The glasses will support an employee’s eyeglass prescription. An emergency button will be within reach to ensure the driver’s safety.

Amazon is already planning future versions of the glasses, which will feature «real-time defect detection,» notifying the driver if a package was delivered to the incorrect address. They plan to add features to the glasses to detect if pets are in the yard and adjust to low light.