Earlier this month, the Consumer Electronic Association presented the latest innovations in the smartphone’s most important peripheral accessory: the lasted and greatest in cases. But these babies do much more than just protect your phone from the inevitable fumble, toss, or spill from your shoulder bag. A popular one is the Typo case (left) for iPhone 5 and 5S, a $99 indigo copy of the BlackBerry keyboard founded by Ryan Seacrest; this case comes with a backlit physical keyboard at the bottom of the iPhone. It’s a niche product that doesn’t require too much of an effort to use it: at the first use it has to be paired with the iPhone and once set up it takes over from the iPhone’s keyboard software anywhere text can be inserted. A special key allows switching through the keyboard’s languages. It also has a key that mimics the function of the home button as the case covers the one of the iPhone. Of course, on the iPhone 5S the fingerprint-recognition function is lost; Siri is still present by holding down Typo’s home key. The keyboard has its own battery that the company claims will last one to two weeks between charges. This four-row replica triggered BlackBerry’s reaction and sued Typo for patent infringements. What will happen in court remains to be seen, but until then the Typo is available for sale and might be a much needed accessory for former BlackBerry users who are thumb-typing experts. No version has been announced for Android users. Mophie presented its new battery case for iPhone 5 and 5S and it doesn’t look too different from the previous Juice Pack Air, it’s just a bit taller. However, the way they used the extra height is what made it be the...