iLoungeiLounge
    Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedIn RSS
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms Of Use
    Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedIn RSS
    iLoungeiLounge
    • News
      • Apple
        • AirPlay
        • iCloud
        • iTunes
        • HealthKit
        • HomeKit
        • HomePod
        • iOS 13
        • Apple Pay
        • Apple TV
        • Siri
      • AirPods Pro
      • Apps
        • Apple Music
      • Rumors
      • Humor
      • Technology
        • CES
      • Articles
      • Web Stories
    • iPhone
      • iPhone Accessories
    • iPad
    • iPod
      • iPod Accessories
    • Apple Watch
      • Apple Watch Accessories
    • Mac
      • MacBook Air
      • MacBook Pro
    • Reviews
      • App Reviews
    • How-to
      • Ask iLounge
    • Daily Deals
    iLoungeiLounge

    Review: ThinkGeek TK-421 Mobile Keyboard Case

    By Jeremy HorwitzMay 15, 2021 8:16 am UTC

    Companies have been making iPhone accessories for three years now, so it’s somewhat telling that — at least for now — no major manufacturer has stepped up to the task of developing a slide- or swivel-out keyboard accessory for an iPhone. While the necessary Bluetooth and keyboard software support was added to iOS only months ago, there’s little doubt in our minds that designers were sketching out keyboards as soon as the original iPhone was announced, and though the increasingly controlling Apple may have quietly put the kibosh on earlier options, the floodgates are open now. Yet only two companies, both all but unknown in the iPhone accessory market, have actually marketed pocket-sized keyboards to iOS users: Pyramid Distribution with its ProMini, and now ThinkGeek with the TK-421 Mobile Keyboard Case ($50).

    Review: ThinkGeek TK-421 Mobile Keyboard Case

    For sure, TK-421 has a few major advantages over ProMini. starting with a $20 lower price tag, continuing with larger Chiclet-style keys that are physically separate from one another, and ending with a design that not only fits directly into the iPhone 4’s footprint, but actually encases the phone while swiveling out from underneath it. TK-421 nearly doubles the iPhone’s thickness, but it’s much smaller than ProMini and dispenses with most of the unnecessary features Pyramid included, such as a trackpad for use with computers, and a laser pointer that added nothing to the product. ThinkGeek’s keyboard rotates open with a satisfying click and closes using a magnet, the latter feature somewhat impacting the device’s compass. Unlike ProMini, TK-421 isn’t device-agnostic: the model we tested works only with the iPhone 4, while a separate version is made to fit the iPhone 3GS. If you’re a frequent device upgrader, this mightn’t be the keyboard for you.

     

    Review: ThinkGeek TK-421 Mobile Keyboard Case

    Before discussing the unit’s other and potentially more serious issues, it’s worth mentioning that this accessory works pretty much as expected when it’s working. You get a full QWERTY keyboard to tap on, each key clicking reassuringly as you depress it, and there’s a function key to let you access secondary key features such as navigation arrows, volume controls, and play/pause/track buttons. While using the keyboard requires relearning of key positions such as shift, control, and enter, all of which are not only small but moved downwards from where they would be found on larger input devices, it’s eventually possible to become familiar enough with the key layout to compose real—though imperfect—text on the iPhone’s screen. Given the choice to cram more keys into a smaller space or use keys that are right-sized for big fingers, ThinkGeek chose the latter route, and some users will be better off for that decision. The unit also feels respectably built, rather than flimsy; the matte black plastic shell will likely stand up reasonably well to normal use, while we’d only worry about the swiveling hinge in situations of abuse. In other words, open the keyboard when you need it, close it when you don’t, and it should be fine.

     

    Review: ThinkGeek TK-421 Mobile Keyboard Case

    The issues with TK-421 are, however, non-trivial. Start with the case, which was clearly not designed by a company familiar with the problems of iPhone cases in general or the iPhone 4 in specific: it’s a slider design with uncomfortably tailored button holes that make simple volume and Sleep/Wake depression more difficult, and use of the headphone port a problem for anything save Apple-thin connectors. It even blocks the top noise-canceling microphone hole entirely. While TK-421 does work in docks, and provides fine access to the bottom speaker and microphone, you’ll need to swivel the keyboard out, first; some accessories may require the removal of its bottom piece, too. To be clear, this isn’t a bad case, but it will unnecessarily cause a number of problems for different types of users.

     

    Review: ThinkGeek TK-421 Mobile Keyboard Case

    Though its importance will vary from user to user, one of TK-421’s issues strikes us as impossible to ignore in a device-specific keyboard: the fact that its function keys weren’t optimized for the iPhone 4, or more broadly, iOS. The presence of a Mac-like Expose function key is odd enough, but then there’s an IME key, a print screen key, brightness keys, and menu and home keys, none of which work. PC- or Mac-ready keyboards such as Pyramid’s ProMini can get away with some of this incompatibility on the grounds that other devices may be able to use these features, but when a keyboard’s made for the iPhone specifically and yet doesn’t offer full access to its own suite of keys, and includes some that don’t work properly when they should, that’s a problem. At least, it will be for certain users; others mightn’t mind.

     

    Review: ThinkGeek TK-421 Mobile Keyboard Case

    Review: ThinkGeek TK-421 Mobile Keyboard Case

    ThinkGeek’s battery management implementation has some compromises, too. On one hand, initial pairing was easy, and once you learn the re-pairing trick—just hit a key—resuming use of the keyboard when it has automatically powered itself down isn’t that difficult. As TK-421 turns off after several minutes to conserve battery life, you may find yourself doing this often. TK-421 includes a micro-USB to USB cable for recharging and uses an internal battery that has no stated longevity but should last most users for weeks between charges. On the other hand, TK-421’s use of a stiff, recessed power switch and a thin pairing button lead to a little more frustration than better-designed power and pairing controls would have. Accidentally tap the pairing button and you’ll need to go through the pairing process with your iPhone again manually, even if you turn the keyboard off and on again. Actually turning the keyboard on and off required us to use a nail rather than a fingertip. These issues aren’t fatal, but they’re annoyances nonetheless, and we experienced them a few times during testing.

     

    Review: ThinkGeek TK-421 Mobile Keyboard Case

    As iPhone accessories go, TK-421 is the rare product that we’ve literally been waiting to use for years, but ultimately felt less than totally enthusiastic about during testing. We view it as more of a proof of concept than a completely finished product, coming far enough that ThinkGeek clearly has accomplished a significant milestone just by bringing it to market, but not to the point where we’d actually want to keep it on an iPhone and actually use it on a daily basis for typing. At this point, we’d hold off for a more polished sequel or alternative, but if you’re dying for an easily carried physical keyboard and willing to adapt to TK-421’s idiosyncrasies, the price is certainly right, and it does generally what it’s supposed to do. It’s worthy of our limited recommendation, which is to say that’s it’s not yet ready for prime time, but a niche of accommodating users such as early adopters may find its functionality sufficient to merit the purchase.

    Our Rating

    B-
    Limited Recommendation

    Company and Price

    Company: ThinkGeek

    Website: www.Thinkgeek.com

    Model: TK-421

    Price: $50

    Compatible: iPhone 3G/3GS, iPhone 4

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Jeremy Horwitz
    Jeremy Horwitz
    • Twitter

    Jeremy Horwitz was the Editor-in-Chief at iLounge. He has written over 5,000 articles and reviews for the website and is one of the most respected members of the Apple media. Horwitz has been following Apple since the release of the original iPod in 2001. He was one of the first reviewers to receive a pre-release unit of the device, and his review helped put iLounge on the map as a go-to source for Apple news.

    Latest News
    Stores That Accept Apple Pay in 2023 (Complete List)
    How to Turn Off Voicemail on iPhone (2023)
    Does Walmart take Apple Pay?
    ViewSonic’s Portable M1+ LED Projector is $40 Off
    ‘No Man’s Sky’ game now on Mac
    Apple unveils global store remodeling plan
    Battersea Power Station to open June 15
    The Spigen OneTap Pro 3 MagFit Dashboard Car Mount is 20% Off
    Table of Contents
    • Our Rating
    • Company and Price

    iLounge logo

    iLounge is an independent resource for all things iPod, iPhone, iPad, and beyond. iPod, iPhone, iPad, iTunes, Apple TV, and the Apple logo are trademarks of Apple Inc.

    Contact Us: [email protected]

    Tel: +1302-208-9669

    iLounge, 2810 North Church Street, Wilmington, Delaware, 19802, United States.

    • Contact Us
    • Submit News
    • About Us
    • Forums
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms Of Use
    This website is not affiliated with Apple Inc.
    iLounge © 2001 - 2023. All Rights Reserved.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.