Just because a keyboard folds up doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s easy to drag around with us while traveling. If it can’t fit in a pocket, one can make a case that a keyboard still isn’t much more portable than a traditional keyboard that doesn’t fold up.
Wekey Pocket is a wireless, foldable keyboard with a QWERTY keyboard and a thickness of just under .24 inches, allowing it to easily slip inside a pocket. Its makers claim Wekey is the world’s thinnest and lightest keyboard, pointing out that existing foldable keyboards are more than .39 inches thick when folded.
Wekey is also the only keyboard to feature a wearable printed circuit board. When opened, it measures more than 12 inches, making it more than 80 percent the length of a standard keyboard. It works with computers, smartphones and tablets and the campaign claims the battery will last for months. The product ships in September. Future pricing isn’t provided. But early bird Indiegogo backers have been able to get one for a pledge starting at $68. Its makers hope to raise $10,000 by May 5.
Previous examples of folding keyboards include the impressive Flyshark. The ultra-thin design of Wekey is a huge selling advantage. But of course, a big part of the appeal for such products is the sense of using a real keyboard that’s absent from typing on glass. While the campaign states there are signs t nearly identical to typing on a standard PC keyboard,” that is mostly in reference to the key layout and not necessarily the feel..
Indeed, the campaign notes that the keyboard offers a typing sound (rather than actual tactile feedback) to indicate that a key has been pressed. In addition, while the Wekey’s water-resistance is a plus, such keyboards are generally sealed and don’t offer a great typing experience. If the Wekey does little more than transfer the glass typing experience to another surface, its extra thinness won’t be worth the sacrifices.