LG Introduces A New Kind Of Non-Squishy, Folding Travel Keyboard

Since the ancient days of Palm Pilots (ask your great-grandfather what those were), we've seen all manner of "full-size" travel keyboards. The first ones had hard keys and folded either in half or in thirds, making for relatively compact and fairly laptop-like typing. The squishy kind rolled up more compactly and was more durable, but didn't feel quite right when typing. A more recent take on the squishy theme laid right on your iPad's screen, making it the most compact keyboard to date (if you don't count the laser projection one, which was innovative but not real practical for more than jotting quickie notes).

That was the state of mobile keyboards up until earlier this month, when LG announced their upcoming Rolly keyboard at the IFA show in Berlin. As you can see in this video, it mixes the typing experience of a hard keyboard with the rollability of the squishy kind: Supposedly, a single AAA battery will power this Bluetooth accessory for three months. During that time, you can whip it out (the keyboard, guys, just the keyboard), prop up your 10-inch or smaller tablet and bang away on close to laptop-sized keys. We'll see how much of a convenience/compromise the typing experience is when it rolls out (ahem) in the coming weeks here in the United States, for around $100.