Review: TouchFire Keyboard accessory for iPad

One of the common knocks against Apple’s iPad is its keyboard. The entire premise of the iPad is its large, Multi-Touch keyboard, but some call the feature a roadblock to content creation. We previously profiled a slim, convenient Logitech keyboard that will “kickstart your your transition from consumption to creation” on the iPad. Over the last couple of weeks, we have been testing out an iPad accessory called the TouchFire, which for a decent price, will open up more doors for content creation on the iPad. Read on for our full review:

The TouchFire is a plastic cover for the iPad’s landscape keyboard, and it adds resistance and the feeling of a push that you get from a standard, physical keyboard. Those added features make it easy to type on an iPad’s landscape keyboard without actually looking at the display. This is the same effect that physical keyboards offer for most users. In our tests, accuracy and speed of typing on the iPad is much improved. Typing on the iPad is night and day with this TouchFire accessory.

The creators of the TouchFire leveraged the magnet system in the iPad 2 and third-generation iPad to automatically attach and align the accessory onto the iPad in landscape mode. Users can easily fold over the keyboard accessory when they want to use the full 9.7 inch iPad display. However, touch and swipes are still functional over the TouchFire. Apple sells an iPad 2/3 model with magnet support and a version for the first-generation iPad. The version for the original iPad folds into the first-generation iPad’s folio case.

For those who use Smart Covers on the iPad 2 and third-generation iPad, tools are provided to simply attach the TouchFire to your Smart Cover. Users can then leave the accessory in the Smart Cover, and apply it to the iPad display when necessary. The TouchFire also includes a carrying case.

We recommend the TouchFire for anyone who wants an easy and comprehensive solution for typing more reliably and quickly on the first-generation iPad, iPad 2, and third-generation iPad. The TouchFire costs $49.99 and can be ordered at the accessory’s official website.