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The return of the physical keyboard?

Plus we now know when Samsung will unveil the Galaxy S24, and big changes are coming... I mean big.

The return of the physical keyboard?
Image courtesy of Clicks

Whoa boy. I didn't think I'd ever see anyone try to make a physical keyboard for the iPhone again, but here we are.

Clicks.tech is a physical keyboard for your iPhone.

Not only does this look sweet (if not a little bulky), but it uses a direct connection to your iPhone via the Lightning or USB-C port, forgoing any flaky Bluetooth connectivity, which is also sure to drain the battery of your phone. However, it's yet to be seen how much that direct connection and built-in backlight will drain the phone's battery anyway.

My tech journalism career started by covering BlackBerry. There's a soft spot in my heart for keyboards on phones. I'll never forget how efficient I felt when using keyboard shortcuts to bounce between apps, send messages, or countless other tasks. Yes, Clicks will support some keyboard shortcuts.

I'm beyond intrigued by the Clicks, while also skeptical that it won't make my iPhone 15 Pro Max too top-heavy when I inevitably need to reach up and touch the screen.

Clicks is taking preorders right now for iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro Max. Priced at $139 for both Pro models, or $159 for the Pro Max. Shipping starts Feb. 1 for the iPhone 14 Pro and mid-March shipping for the iPhone 15 models.

So, I gotta know: Price aside, if you use an iPhone, would you use Clicks? Do you miss a physical keyboard on your phone? Just reply to this email and let me know why or why not.

Image courtesy of Samsung

We'll see Samsung's new phones and Galaxy AI this month

Samsung announced its next Galaxy Unpacked event will be Jan. 17 in San Jose, CA. I expect Samsung will unveil the Galaxy S24 lineup during the event. The tagline on the official invite is "Opening a new era of AI." I'm not at all surprised AI is part of the event; it's all every tech company, except Apple, wants to talk about right now. The event kicks off at 10 am PT and will be live-streamed on YouTube.

As usual, if you place a digital reservation for Samsung's next phone, you'll get a $50 discount on the price, more or less, in exchange for giving the company your email address. No credit card is required. You're not locked into buying the phone if you decide you don't like it. You can make a reservation to get the discount $50 up until the event starts on Jan 17. If nothing else, visit the link to check out the quick videos Samsung included to show off "Zoom with Galaxy AI." Reserve your S24 here.

What I had published this week

I feel like every week I say I've been working on a lot of stuff that just hasn't gone live yet, and that's why I don't have a lot of links to share. And boy does that statement feel even more accurate for this past week.

This week, instead of leaving you in the dark, I'm going to pull the curtain back a little bit and give you a glimpse of some of the projects I've been working on.

I've been working on updating two best-of lists for Wirecutter – my first stories for them – Best USB Hubs and Best Thunderbolt Hubs. It took a couple of months alone to narrow down the new devices we wanted to test, then for them to arrive, and, finally, actual testing (not to mention coming up with the testing methods). Testing has been done for a few weeks now, and I've submitted both final drafts to my editor.

I also completed a couple of stories for Tom's Guide this week. One was a review of Blink's latest Wired Floodlight Camera that I started working on in May, but software issues prevented me from finishing it. Another was a roundup of all the different security cameras Wyze offers, since I've reviewed pretty much every camera in their lineup in the last 6 months.

I also wrote a review of the HP Envy Move for Forbes Vetted, also my first time working with them. That review should be live next week, smack in the middle of CES.

But what did I actually have published this week? A couple of Fitbit-related stories for Pocket-lint.

Oh! One more thing. Over the last week, I was asked many times about the process I followed in moving my blog and newsletter from Substack to a self-hosted and fully independent Ghost blog. Well, I took a few minutes the other night to round up the guides I used and lessons I learned along the way and wrote about it Cip's Clips – without sending out an email. If you're thinking about making the jump as well, here you go.

What's up next and other tidbits

  • You may have noticed Apple is selling the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2, once again. Apple appealed the ban and won. For now.
  • It's been 9 years since I've gone to CES, and knowing that combined with the fact that the largest technology show in the world kicks off next week, I kind of feel like I should go back. Maybe next year.
  • Next week is going to be bittersweet. I'll have more news to share soon, but... it's almost time for me to make the biggest change in my freelance career. Yikes.

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