A new gadget turns your iPhone into a BlackBerry (sort of)

Seattle-based tech company SoloMatrix has created a physical, fold-away keyboard for the iPhone and is more than halfway to its funding goal of $75,000 on Kickstarter. The retractable device, called Spike, fits directly onto the iPhone and provides a tactile typing experience in lieu of the phone’s virtual (and sometimes frustrating) keyboard. While not perfect—The Verge reports that the keyboard adds bulk to the phone when folded away—Spike is another draw to the iPhone for remaining BlackBerry users, many of whom have only stuck with Research in Motion’s smartphone because they like its physical keyboard. As if RIM didn’t already have enough to worry about. [The Verge]