The American company Lasered Pics is now making keyguards available for the iPad. Keyguards are available which conform to the shape of the standard iPad keyboard and special-purpose keyguards for Proloquo2Go, TapSpeak Choice and Speak It! are also available. All iPad keyguards are made from 1/8″ (0.3cm) thick clear acrylic and come with optional 1/16″ (0.15cm) bumpers which can raise the keyguard above the screen to prevent accidental touches.
Standard iPad keyboard guards come in both landscape and portrait orientations and will suit QWERTY, AZERTY and QWERTZ keyboard layouts.
Proloquo2Go keyguards are also available for both portrait and landscape orientations and keyguards can be ordered that suit all current Proloquo2Go options including standard and large toolbar sizes, and optionally “wide” mode. Tap Speak keyguards can be made to suit 2-56 items and also come in portrait and landscape orientations. Speak It doesn’t have any layout options available at the moment. Lasered Pics report they will be designing a keyguard to suit Proloquo2Go’s word prediction mode keyboard, and are also working on keyguards for additional AAC apps.
Keyguard for Proloquo2Go in landscape mode
Lasered Pics keyguards can be used with the standard Apple iPad case, with no case, or with any other case that does not obstruct the front of the iPad. The website advises that the current keyguards will not fit properly when used with the OtterBox iPad case.
Keyguards are smaller than the iPad’s full size so they should fit both the original iPad and iPad 2 with no problems.
The iPad keyguard covers the home button and fits inside some cases
Current keyguards also cover the “home” button but this may be optional in the future. I can imagine it would be a bonus for some users, as preventing access to the “home” button has been a problem for some.
Steve from Lasered Pics has advised me that anybody wanting a keyguard for a different iPad application should contact him via the website. He couldn’t give me a price for a custom keyguard as it depends on too many factors, but it can certainly be done.
Standard iPad keyguards cost US$19.95 each, but until 31 March 2011 you can get a 10% discount for ordering 2 or more TapSpeak keyguards – use the promo code TAPSPEAK when checking out!
- Ricky Buchanan
Esther Medina March 25, 2011 at 5:25 am
I am interested in learning more about how the Keyguard for the iPad works. My son only has limited and weak use of left hand. A friend has written an iPad app (still in beta) for using morse code. ( http://www.learnmorsecode.info) However we can’t seem to figure out how to stop the wiggle of the screen. There is a video (under Phillip and Morse Code) that shows him trying to use the program.
I am hoping a key guard type overlay would help.
Thanks,
Esther Medina
Steve March 30, 2011 at 2:28 am
Feel free to contact us at laseredpics.biz with any questions.
Jeannie May 23, 2011 at 9:52 am
We have some new products at Lasered Pics that we would like to share with you. We have added an option to have suction cups on the keyguards. This will work well for Apple’s iPad case, for iPads that use no case, and
for the iPad 2 with the magnetic case. We are also now offering colored acrylic as an option with all keyguards. We have added several more apps. Thank you all for your support and feedback! Check out the new options at: http://www.laseredpics.biz
Keyguards are under the adaptive technologies tab.
jose smits December 13, 2011 at 8:33 pm
using a keyguard on Ipad1 is difficult because we do not know how to keep it in place. Suction caps sound interesting but does it raise the keyguard above the screen? In our case it shoud not be raides to much
please let me know how much the keyguard raises abive the screen with the suction cups.
thank
yuou
j. smits
netherlands
Patti Drui December 20, 2011 at 1:47 am
I wish someone would please make a strong grid like the Go-Talk has which distinctly separates each picture. The keyguard will help if a child does not have saliva control but not for fine motor.
Joy Nordlander January 12, 2012 at 7:19 am
Hello,
do you have a keyguard that will work with an Otterbox?
How about a Gumdrop or Griffin case?
Thank you!
I’m sharing this info tonight on our website.
Joy