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Mac Gems: Type2Phone pairs your Mac keyboard with your iOS devices
   



   

I recently wrote about finding the best iPad keyboard, with a focus on Bluetooth keyboards that work with iOS devices. I devoted a section of that article to desktop/tablet keyboards that can perform double duty: These models serve as your Mac’s primary keyboard, but they can also be used to type on your iPad or iPhone while you’re sitting at your desk.


The thing is, there’s a good chance that you’ve already got a Mac keyboard you like, so these $50 to $200 keyboards are really an option only if you’re (a) in the market for a keyboard for your iPad or iPhone; and (b) in the market for a new keyboard for your Mac.


A less expensive solution is Houdah Software’s $5 Type2Phone (Mac App Store link). This clever utility lets you use your Mac’s current keyboard with the iOS device of your choosing. In fact, you can even use your Mac’s keyboard with your Apple TV. Type2Phone requires iOS 3.2 or later, or Apple TV software 5.2 or later.

I didn’t expect Type2Phone to be so useful, but it works well and it means I have only one keyboard on my desk.

(Why might you use an iPad or iPhone when you’re already sitting in front of your Mac? I sometimes use my iPad for Twitter or sending quick emails while I’m doing “real” work on my Mac, and I know more than a few people who perform particular tasks—sending SMS messages, adding notes to Evernote, typing entries in Day One, browsing Facebook, using Drafts—only on their iPhone or iPad. Maybe you’ve got a Yahoo Mail account and you prefer iOS Mail to Yahoo’s Web interface; similarly, as TidBits’s Adam Engst pointed out, there are some iPhone-only apps that you may want to use a real keyboard with.)
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http://www.macworld.com/article/2031575/mac-gems-type2phone-pairs-your-mac-keyboard-with-your-ios-devices.html#tk.rss_all