Every now and then, I wish had a physical keyboard for my iPhone or iPad, usually so that I can type into some app that doesn’t have a good desktop web browser equivalent. You can of course pair any Bluetooth keyboard, including Apple’s, but I don’t always have one handy.

However, someone’s written a cool piece of software that lets me type using my Mac’s keyboard. It’s fun stuff.

It’s called KeyWi, and it takes advantage of the fact that third-party developers can offer alternative software keyboards for iPhone and iPad. So if you install KeyWi Keyboard from the App Store, it shows up as an alternate keyboard.

To activate it, you follow its instructions to add a new keyboard to your iPhone or iPad.

Once you’ve done that, any time you’re typing, click on the “Globe” icon at the lower left of your keyboard. Then go to the URL shown on your iPhone or iPad screen, using your Mac. It’s a private direct connection over your local network, so it’s not like your typing goes out over the internet.

Then, just type away on your Mac and you’ll see it show up on your iPhone or iPad.

Image by alisdair, courtesy Flickr Creative Commons.