Logitech K480 – Bluetooth Multi-Device Keyboard | Hacker News Reader

Logitech K480 – Bluetooth Multi-Device Keyboard

logitech.com

339 pointsnreece179 comments

I've been using the K810 [1] for some time for all my computers. I find it absolutely brilliant to type on (being mostly in vim, the awkward home/end, page up/down, arrows etc don't matter very much), and it also has the ability to switch between 3 paired bluetooth devices. There is also the Lenovo Thinkpad Compact Bluetooth [2], which I haven't tried, but allegedly "features a simplified pairing with the system through Near Field Communication (NFC) tag. Simply tap and pair with an NFC-enabled system." It also has a TrackPoint nipple. Of course, neither of these have the slot for phones/tablets.

[1] http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/bluetooth-illuminated-... [2] http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/itemdetails/0B47189/460/60AC6A0...

The K810 is quite a nice keyboard, IMO better than the Apple bluetooth keyboard in terms of feel. It appears to be functionally identical to this new K480 and would appear to have the exact same physical keyboard.

additionally the K810 is backlit, which this does not appear to be, the backlit function is fantastic.

Really surprised it is not backlit, it seems like all the other keyboard options are.

Coming from a keyboard geek, their TK820 is by far the nicest keyboard they do in terms of actual keys and switches and the trackpad. It isn't backlit though, that's the only box it doesn't tick. I've got a K830 for the livingroom and it's nowhere near as good.

I know this is maybe nichey for certain people but lack of a print screen key on the TK820 is an issue for me. I loved it otherwise. Just got the 810 spoken of above and despite being a smaller unit, has the printscrn key.

The K480 is listed as half the price of the K810.

Touch typing skill is worth at least 50 bucks, apparently :)

yup, just picked up a k810, quite hapyy with it for my surface pro 3. Added my android phone as a 2nd device to pair to. Key strokes are good, connection has been very reliable, no latency. The apple keyboards have this bodily twang when typing on it (it cheapens the feel) that the k10 thankfully does not have. it feels more solid. I can't say it's the perfect keyboard, but it's great, worth the price. I even overpayed at my local big box store and I don't mind that much.

The only gripe I have with using bluetooth keyboards for my desktop is that batteries seem to drain much faster than the models using proprietary dongles.

What is your experience with the K810 ?

This is why I love my K750 with integrated solar panels. No batteries to worry about; it just works, always. And it's great to type on.

I tried the K750 and found the keys spaced out wider than I was used to. Did you get used to it?

I switch between a Macbook Pro and a Windows ultrabook (long story) and the keys are spaced slightly different on both. After couple days of finger-confusion, my hands just adjust to them easily. The mind/body is amazing that way.

I've got K760 (Mac one) and it's simply amazing. I think it's died on me once (when it didn't get enough indoor lighting) in like 1.5 years.

I've been using this K750 with the solar panels for a while now... no issues whatsoever.

The battery time is probably my biggest gripe with it as well. I keep the backlight continuously on at the lowest setting (it turns off when inactive), and I think I get around 3-4 days of heavy usage (note: ballpark estimate!). The battery is also not (easily) replaceable. So while it's no problem from day to day (and you could keep the USB cable connected at all times if you wanted too), it's quite poor compared to regular wireless keyboards. The USB cable is only for charging btw, so I've played with the thought of gluing one of those superthin Qi pads to the back of the keyboard :)

Yikes, that' abysmal. I have an iMac and use the apple wireless keyboard that comes with it and I can't even remember the last time I changed the batteries.

I may be mistaken about the battery time, so don't take my word for it. The Logitech site says about 10 days with backlight on (12 months(!) without it)[1]. And while I get the Ubuntu keyboard battery warning after 3-4 days, there still may be a few days left in it.

[1] http://logitech-en-amr.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/...

It's worth noting that the K810 is rechargeable, however. You can leave it plugged in over USB while it's at your desk, and unplug as needed. I carry mine around with a tablet as a laptop replacement and charge both every few days. I can handle 2 or 3 days of life if it means I don't need to stock AA batteries.

Yes, actually I like the idea of an internal chargeable battery through USB much more than replaceable AA batteries, since nowadays I´m very likely to have one (or two) USB chargers around when I´m travelling.

Of course, there are quite a few stands for a mobile device, so this shouldn't be a problem. I am not sure I would want to have the "monitor" so close to my eyes anyway...

I'm not sure how close you're imaging sitting to it, but it's about as close to you as a laptop display would be.

Yes - that's too close for me, at least for daily usage.

What are the physical dimensions of K810? It is strange that Logitech does not specify them as it did for K480.

Logitech specifies them, just scroll down

Height 20 mm (0.79 inches) Width 299 mm (11.77 inches) Depth 195 mm (7.68 inches) Weight 820 g (1.81 pounds)

The K810 requires a touch more to track down, but: Width 287 mm (11.30 inch) Depth/Length 127 mm (5.0 inch) Height 5 - 10 mm (0.20 - 0.39 inch) Weight 337 g (11.89 ounce)

The only con to the K810 is it does not incline.

I'm really glad you pointed out the lenovo, that might be just the media center keyboard I've been looking for.

Logitech never bothered to fix the driver problem on the similar/previous OSX Bluetooth keyboard K811 where switching between Cmd-Tab and Cmd-Shift-Tab does not work correctly (you can not change direction while the app selector is open). If this is important to you (it is to most devs at least), make sure you check/verify that this bug has actually been fixed in the driver they ship with K480.

Ordinarily, Cmd+` switches between windows, but when you're Cmd+Tabbing (when the switcher is active), Cmd+` is essentially the same as Cmd+Shift+Tab (i.e., it selects the previous application). It's actually much more convenient to press Cmd+`, if you get used to it :)

That's possibly a valid workaround (can't test - my K811 keyboard is at the office) which on my international keyboard is not nearly as convenient as just depressing shift with my pinky, but it does not change the fact that the K811 keyboard is not able to do what the standard Macbook keyboard does. And the fact that Logitech is aware of the obvious bug but is not interested in fixing it.

Well, the good news is that at least the alternative method you mention works fine, even on the K811.

I'm a longtime Logitech peripheral user and it's fairly disappointing that they always have some shortcomings that keeps me from loving their products. For instance, I write this article on a K760. It's similar to the Apple wireless keyboard but it's solar-powered and has multi-device capabilities. Unfortunately, its build quality is mediocre. I'd rather pay 20-30 bucks more and have a keyboard that feels better. Also, they removed the previous/next track buttons from the top row for no specific reason.

With this keyboard, the build quality seems even cheaper. They missed the chance to go solar (though that's debatable) and the fn key is in a different position than my current Logitech keyboards (they don't seem to have a guideline for this).

Very much agree on build quality. I mostly use their mouses and their rubber side always wears out after a couple of months and if I'm lucky with that, I get the common double clicking problem with left click. Thankfully their customer support is amazing and they send replacements without too much hassle. (They even sent me a new mouse once even though it was out of warranty.)

Currently dealing with that double-clicking issue. Is there any work-around, or is replacement the only solution?

I believe that's fixable, but I don't know how hard the fix is. I wouldn't advise you to try to fix it on your own unless you know what you're doing, or you've already contacted their customer support. Don't hesitate to contact their customer support even if your mouse is no longer under warranty.

I've been using the same Logitech mouse for about 6 years with zero build quality issues. ymmv?

I've just been unlucky, I guess. The longest Logitech mouse that lasted me was Logitech MX500 (around 3 years), which is funny because I also had top of the line Logitech mouses (MX Revolution, Mouse MX etc.). They were usually the least durable ones.

Same here.

Also, once I broke my mouse, gave them a call and said "We are sorry that mouse is not in production anymore... So I will send you the newest version for free (80 euro price tag)."

I've had quality issues with some of their previous keyboard mouse combos, particularly bluetooth mice and perishing rubber.

However currently I use a M325 wireless mouse and its very tough. Carry it in my dusty laptop bag, dropped it a few times - no problems at all. No issues with rubber degradation. Highly recommended and works with unifying receivers.

Wow! That's actually rather innovative!

As a replacement for a "main" desktop keyboard, it looks a bit on the too-optimized-for-mobility side of things with chiclet-style small keys and so on.

I bet it will appear in many people's living rooms though, since seems very well designed (I love the device-selection knob!) for in-couch computing environments to control pads, phones, consoles or perhaps set-top boxes.

"Wow! That's actually rather innovative!" Am I missing something here? To me it's just a bluetooth keyboard, I have one already. People are going gaga over the rotary switch, which is a nice touch but it's not that much quicker over pairing.

Downvoting me without commenting suggests I hit a raw nerve. To me it's sad that the meaning of 'innovation' has become so watered down.

I think it's because you have misunderstood the convenience of having three separate bluetooth profiles that can be switched with a simple toggle i.e. I bet I can switch from device A to device B faster than you can repair.

I don't doubt that the switching is quicker, but it's not that much quicker, and considering the frequency that the switch is needed whilst it's a nice feature it's not much of an advantage. How often are you going to be typing on a tablet and a PC at roughly the same time? Perhaps it's for people to get around the Internet firewalls in their workplace, but if the workplace rules are super draconian I doubt you'll be allowed your own gear anyway.

I am glad that Logitech are thinking of new features to add to their devices, but I resent such small improvements being seen as innovative and worthy of the HN front page. Is that really what innovation has come to, a bluetooth toggle switch? Are we really prepared to set the bar that low?

> How often are you going to be typing on a tablet and a PC at roughly the same time?

Very frequently.

A lot of my social communication happens through my phone, SMS and a plethora of mobile only communication platforms means that I am very frequently switching between my laptop and phone all day long.

> I don't doubt that the switching is quicker, but it's not that much quicker

Turning a knob is much faster than going into the settings menu on a phone (or on a computer!) and re-pairing. Repairing on a laptop can easily take 10+ seconds end to end from opening up the proper setting screen to BT scanning to actually finishing the pairing process.

Compare that to less than a second for turning a knob.

And again, this is something that I might be doing multiple times per minute.

I wish there was some kind of dongle I could plug my das keyboard into that would give me the multi-device feature without sacrificing on the actual keyboard part.

I'm with you.

I also have a Das mechanical keyboard, and would love to have the convenience of Bluetooth, as well as using it wiht my phone, but with the same nice mechanical feel.

Here ya go: http://www.aten.com/products/productItem.php?model_no=cs533

I haven't used it, but I have looked at it for the same reason.

Any idea if the opposite exists: a dongle that appears to the host as a USB keyboard/mouse, but actually pairs with a bluetooth keyboard/mouse? That way you could use a bluetooth keyboard with dumb KVM switches (or other USB hosts) that don't support bluetooth themselves.

You just plug the USB dongle for the keyboard/mouse into a KVM. Works for the Logitech unifying receivers and the Logitech Bluetooth receivers.

You have too high thoughts of my kvms :) It's a Blackbox KVMoE system which seemingly only understands standard USB keyboard/mouse. I guess it depends on the USB stack in the actual switches. I will have to try with a pre-paired Unifying receiver though, perhaps that works.

I think what you're describing is called a "USB switch". https://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=101&cp_id=10111&cs_id...

Am I the only one who barely has enough time to interact with one PC after work (if I even feel like turning it on after a full day of programming), that the thought of interacting with multiple devices at once is overwhelming?

I don't think that is really the point. The point is that it can store the settings for 3x devices and you can switch between each one of them individually as needed.

For example, if you had an iPad and iPhone you can have them both configured as the 1 and 2 positions, and switch the switch as the relevant device was docked.

With a lot of existing Bluetooth keyboards you would need to re-sync it each and every time you switched devices.

First thing I thought was that having both my PC and my Mac Mini on the same keyboard would be cool (and this is a fair bit cleaner than a KVM)

Check out http://synergy-project.org/ you can share your keyboard and mouse between the computers. Just move your mouse to a screen edge and it jumps over to the other computer.

I use it for work, OSX on my left Windows on my right, single keyboard and mouse. It will even let you copy-paste text between computers.

Shame that this has no back-light; One of the most common setup I can imagine, is a laptop on some kind of riser (with IDE open), A propped up iPad (to watch tutorials / documentation). Often this kind of setup will be situated in a dark room where user will greatly benefit from a backlit keyboard. :(

I think the majority of the users of this probably won't be looking at the keys as they type...

Hmm.. but I feel because of the non standard layout and the size, most touch typists will still take some time before they can adapt.

Fair point. The keys have quite a different shape to regular keys though, that might actually make it easier for the brain to distinguish it from regular keyboards.

Only available for pre-order and only shipping to the US it seems. They got me interested enough to order one, but..

By the time it arrives in shops that deliver to DE every single supplier will certainly make sure to offer a localized qwertz layout only. Shopping keyboards is hard here.

I had the opposite, ordered a LT bluetooth keyboard in NL and it was a German version.

If you go to the bottom of the page and select "Change location", you might find that it's available in your country. I can pre-order for the UK (however unfortunately it's £49.99, a fair bit pricier than $49.99).

I've also just found that Currys (our last major high street electrical/electronics retailer that isn't part of a department store and is ubiquitous in most cities) has it available for next day delivery - http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing-accessories/accessori... - only the white version, sadly, and it's also £49.99.

Edit: Also, when pre-ordering on the Logitech UK website, it asks me to select my layout and color.UK layout is available (thankfully - a lot of Logitech portable Bluetooth keyboards available on Amazon are US layout only).

Whoa, I totally missed that link. Thanks!

Now .. I can order it in various languages, the only English one being the UK layout. ;-)

I'm reasonably sure I want the US layout, trying to compare them now to spot the differences.

Edit: Yeah. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_and_American_keyboards - I am used to/want the US one. So still no luck unfortunately.

For most users the changes aren't too troublesome (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_and_American_keyboards) but I'm so used to coding on on the UK one I find it difficult to switch. The \, #, " and £ are the ones that cause my most difficulty. And to me, the little US enter key just strange (it's double-height on UK keyboards).

Yeah, I'm both a Linux user/enthusiast (I need `~\|# in the Right™ places) and a developer (Switched from DE to US mostly for []{};: etc - the UK difference would be smaller here: A moved \ and @" would be most annoying).

The tiny enter key is actually a requirement for me (to have \| in the right place). Hrm. So maybe I'll shoot one of these keyboards with the US layout on eBay in the future or something.

Full circle: Shopping keyboards is hard..

Not available in India

Learn to touchtype, never worry about what's printed on the keys ever again :)

Seriously though, if you work with computers it's definitely worth your while to take a few weeks to learn how to touchtype properly in the layout of your choice.

Your assumption is flawed.

I can touch type (although I've to admit that I'm not using the 'right' system. It works, both for text and code snippets and is quite fast, but .. well.. not the typical home row thing).

That doesn't help me here: The keys are physically in different places on these layouts. Look at a US keyboard and compare it with UK (or DE). Enter key, backslash, left shift key: Even if you remove the labels or just ignore them, keys are 'missing'.

Ah, that's a good point, I've had that issue before.

My alternative choice: http://kbtalkingusa.com/

I purchased a KBTalking Pro and it is the best keyboard I've owned, I like it better than my Das. Similar to the keyboard being discussed, it allows you to pair with 10 different bluetooth devices and switch between them via keyboard shortcuts.

I wish they could just keep this keyboard in stock. the feature of bluetooth isn't so obvious on the site is it?

Awesome, thanks for the share. How's the battery life?

At least 1.5 years for 2 AA battery, not yet change since deliveried.

As a developer, this setup just brings all the distractions right in front of me :) What's going on my phone is not that important during the day, it can most probably wait an hour or so until I check it. A tablet is a pure entertainment device for me, it belongs to couch, toilet or bed, not to my desktop (otherwise that FTL icon will bug me all day).

On the other hand, this might be a good gadget for, say, sales people using tablets on the go and sync at the office. I'm most probably out of target audience for this device.

well, im a developer and can see how I'd use this. It'll actually save a lil time when I'm coding and my gf's IMing me and I cant tell her to go away :D. She wouldn't even know I'm doing something else with the fast replies.

Did you know there are IM clients for the desktop? Also, there are girlfriends who respect the space for concentration and work, but I understand that switching girlfriend is not as easy as downloading adium…

Yes, I tried getting pigdin for whatsapp client on linux to work, but for some reason it doesn't work anymore because the OTP hack thing isnt working. :-/ I'll have another go at it maybe .. Windows and Mac there are plenty.. And its also about the fact that switching between another handheld device back and forth is a pain. I don't want to let go off my keyboard.

IM is way worse than 10 years ago. Everybody is on proprietary, locked down systems - Skype, Facebook, WhatsApp and whatnot. Adium was great back in the day but now it's incompatible with most of the chats I need to be in.

I don't know how it's over on the iOS devices, but with my Macbook/android setup I use mysms for texts, WiFi keyboard for long passwords and couple.me for texting with my girlfriend. Back when msn live still was a thing I used Adium but I can't bear to have skype open all the time since it's impossible to make the window smaller, at least now I can use Fluidapp and use couple.me as a sort-of native app and resize it to my liking. And my girlfriend likes couple.me since it has all these neat little things such as thumbkiss, stickers, easy photo sharing... etc.

A long time i've been thinking about getting an external keyboard for my phone since I don't really like a touchscreen when it comes to typing. But this keyboard over a mechanical keyboard isn't really an upgrade if you ask me. Better get a good coding keyboard! And if you really are thinking about self-improvement when it comes to coding and working behind your pc, I'd always suggest Steve Losh his article: http://stevelosh.com/blog/2012/10/a-modern-space-cadet/

MySMS: http://www.mysms.com/

WiFikeyboard: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.volosyukiv...

Couple.me: https://couple.me/

> A long time i've been thinking about getting an external keyboard for my phone

I really like this one: http://www.amazon.com/ZAGG-FOLZKFLEXSLV-Zagg-ZAGGkeys-FLEX/d...

I keep it in my pocket. Goes a few months on a single charge. It has made my phones entirely more useful to me. That said, a rotary switch would be pretty nice on this thing...

Very cool and useful product. I can't help but feel like I'm in some kind of cycle though, because I felt the same way about a KVM Switch 20 years ago.

It looks cool, but that round switch isn't as useful as it seems. It would've been better if they simply put three buttons up there - switching between devices would be easier (push of a button instead having to move your hand to the far left and turn a knob) and faster (switching from device 3 to device 1).

Funny, I felt the same way about RS-232 switches ~40 years ago.

For example, http://tinyurl.com/poo777c

Hey, KVM switches are still magic.

The K760 is awesome for typing, and solar powered. The K480 switches between devices and can mount a mobile device. The K810 has a backlight.

Can these three things be conveniently combined? Make it the size of the k760, but with the backlit keys and a longer mobile device mount. The result might not be pretty, but would definitely be something I'd use for my multiple mobile devices + development use case.

Edit: typo

Plus it needs mechanical switches. Otherwise it is just a low-end device.

I see that they never fail to ignore Linux.

It made me sad to see that too. I'm just hoping it will work like any other bluetooth keyboard for linux because there doesn't seem to be any reason it shouldn't.

The similar K810 works brilliantly in Linux. Mario Scholz has written a small tool to switch between media and function keys[1], I wouldn't be surprised if it works for K840 too.

[1] http://www.trial-n-error.de/posts/2012/12/31/logitech-k810-k...

This looks good and would definitely make typing long email responses more efficient. But other than that, something I don't do very often on my mobile devices, I don't really see the need. If I was to install a full Linux distro on my Nexus 10 and attempt to use it for development, I'd definitely want to use a 'proper' keyboard. Perhaps something like the Enebrick[0] would be a better fit for me.

I can totally see how this could appeal to people who don't need/want a separate notebook machine, keyboard etc and can get by with just a tablet.

[0] http://www.pfu.fujitsu.com/direct/hhkb/detail_enebrick.html ; http://enebrick.cerevo.com/en/

Um, ¥ 13,800 ?? That's 130 USD! I have researched this because the keyboards I love & use are wired (I have a veritcal Kinesis Freestyle and a ThinkPad USB Keyboard with TrackPoint): http://handheldsci.com/kb is only $59. The Aten CS533 http://www.amazon.com/Aten-Technologies-Bluetooth-Switch-CS5... is $67.

People spend all day on the keyboard. They're pretty important pieces of kit. $130 is nothing when you spread the cost over how long you use it.

Absolutely -- but I listed functional equivalents for less than half the price.

I think most people here are in a very firm or serious relationship with their keyboard. (I know I am with my Corsair mechanical). Would love to see this as a usb device that the keyboard plugs into. Would think monitoring key presses on the middle man device would not be to hard?

I wonder what the power drain would be. That keyboard can probably operate on a couple of AA batteries - would running a USB hub take more?

In any case, I don't see this as a main keyboard replacement. But I do have a crappy computer that sits under my TV to play video/Netflix/etc. - this would be ideal for it.

>would running a USB hub take more?

Well, USB spec (pre USB 3.0 anyway) is 5v @ 100mA per port.

Yeah, it's a neat idea, but my fingers wouldn't thank the switch from the Ducky.

  > I think most people here are in a very firm or serious relationship with their keyboard.

Some of us are more polyamorous!

http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/multi-device-keyboard-... (removing the querystring param, for people who can not view the link)

Certainly a cool product to have a KBM (minus the m) for multiple devices but I see limited potential. rd.

For iOS / OS X users, if you're using using an iOS device + OS X computer, you're able to carry over conversations and even e-mail between devices in iOS8 + OS X 10.10. It sorta eliminates some of the necessity of having a keyboard for your touch screens.

This may be useful for testing but even when I'm doing development, (and we have a fistful of devices) I'm rarely using the keyboards and with the limit of 3, it wouldn't really be enough.

I've been using the Filco Minila Air for a while now.

It's /kinda/ the same, in that it allows you to pair it with 3 devices. It fails in regards to having a physical switch for selecting devices. Instead it'll connect to the highest 'ranked' device that's on. It works fine for switching between home/office, but not so much for phone/computer.

https://www.diatec.co.jp/en/det.php?prod_c=1471

Great idea, problem with a lot of the logitech keyboards is because of their low cost construction the keys wear within a year in most cases, I've been through 3 in the past 3 years.

Another anecdotal evidence, I am typing on a Logitech Deluxe 250 keyboard from 2008, which has been used every workday for the past 6 years.

So, they can make long lasting keyboards or at least used to.

The BT switch part is great. I wish I could integrate my existing Synergy setup with it.

http://synergy-project.org/

Has anyone used the Kanex Multi-sync keyboard [1]? Feature-wise it looks much better, just not sure about the reliability.

Turning a knob to switch devices seems terrible.

[1] http://www.amazon.com/Kanex-Multi-Sync-Bluetooth-Keyboard-QW...

"Turning a knob to switch devices seems terrible."

I was thinking it was kind of brilliant. Easy to do, easy to see which device you're talking to at a glance (especially if you have it labelled.)

I guess I am envisioning frequent switching. If I had to turn a knob to Cmd+Tab between apps it would be terrible.

I loved that thing all the way up until I saw that ctrl and fn were swapped from the standard layout =-(

Otherwise, I know of quite a few people who could really use this thing!

They are correct for me. I stopped using my cheap bluetooth keyboard because Fn is in the corner and I can't remap it. There's no "standard" that dictates where Fn is, and I prefer Ctrl to be always in the same place.

I hate having the FN key in the bottom left corner. Hate hate hate. I remap it back to CTRL. I instinctually reach for the last key when aiming for control, and it not being there really throws off my typing, and really really throws off my gaming.

What I find strange is that touch typing with the remapped "CTRL in the corner" works great, but when I look at the keyboard and try the same combination (usually for strange combinations), I press the "wrong" (Fn) key.

Welcome to the world of this particular dvorak user. If I don't look at the keyboard, I get dvorak; if I look at the keyboard, I get qwerty. Doesn't seem to matter what's printed on the keys.

Logitech has other multi bluetooth keyboards. Ever since I broke my apple one I changed over to this one (http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/illuminated-keyboard-f...) Logitech Model #K811. To change device, I hit fn + f1,f2,f3 and it takes about 5-10 seconds to pair to the other device. I believe I have to hit fn since I changed it to use the standard F keys by default.

It is worth noting that the MSRP is $100 vs the K480's $50.

Actually, this is standard layout.

There is no standard.

Lenovo and Apple place the Fn key to the left of the Control key. Most others place them the other way around.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fn_key#Fn_and_Control_key_place...

Different laptops have different layouts. My work laptop (UK HP EliteBook) has them in the same order as this one.

Nice but keys are so tiny -- why dont anyone get inspired by IBM/Lenovo non-chicklet keyboards ??? sometimes OLD is GOLD and Simplicity is blessings :)

I don't get why this is so newsworthy and "innovative". Matias makes a good line of keyboards[0] (even a mechanical one!) based on the same concept, just with 1 wireless and 1 wired connection. Wired is a lot less of a hassle for me anyway, and you don't even have to change the batteries.

[0]: http://matias.ca/onekeyboard/

Matias has some unpleasant keyboard patent stuff in their history, relating to half-keyboards.

http://ask.slashdot.org/story/12/08/23/1229240/ask-slashdot-...

(Search for Patent)

just with 1 wireless and 1 wired connection

That's the innovation part. 1 wireless + 1 wired doesn't help you much if you want to use it with multiple mobile devices (tablet + phone, for example) besides laptops.

Personally, your keyboard would be useless to me; when I want to use laptop + tablet, I just use a regular keyboard and the Remote Keyboard app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.onyxbits.re...

I like this, I just think it's a shame the keyboard quality had to suffer for the device interoperability.

Can someone offer a couple of real-world use cases for the masses?

I have all the Apple devices I need (MBA, iPhone, iPad[* 1], iMac) synced through iCloud. Why would I wanna switch between them, to add a notification or send an iMessage?!

[1] That's kind false. I don't need an iPad, it's just a perk :-P

I suppose not everyone has devices across an uniform platform. I have a Windows laptop, an Android phone and an iPad. And I hate having to switch between devices to type (say Whatsapping on the phone and coding on the Laptop) As a layman I really like the premise of this Keyboard.

Nice! Seems like this should come standard with all wireless peripherals.

I wonder if it maintains a connection with all paired devices or if there is a delay when you switch between them. I find that some of my devices take a while to connect/pair when I turn them on.

Or you could turn your existing computer keyboard into a bluetooth keyboard for other peripheral devices for a fraction of the cost: http://www.eyalw.com/1keyboard

"fraction of the cost" - assuming you already own a Mac. For us non-OSX users, it is much cheaper to consider the Logitech :)

You don't have to own a Mac to own an Apple keyboard - they're compatible with Windows, OSX and many flavors of nix

But the app only runs on OSX.

Maybe I am just confused then. The link you provided is to an app available on the Mac App Store.

EDIT: dialed down the snark

1. It's not my link

2. Running OSX on standard hardware, Apple OEM or not, is not very hard...

1. I never said it was yours, I said you provided it.

2. I am not a non-OSX user because I can't afford to buy a Mac. I am a non-OSX user because I don't like OSX.

I didn't provide the link...Try reading usernames

Ah, my mistake.

>Running OSX on standard hardware, Apple OEM or not, is not very hard...

So... instead of just buying a portable bluetooth keyboard I need to build a hackintosh? Oh okay.

The Apple fans here never cease to amuse me with their asinine suggestions.

The link has nothing to do with the physical hardware. It's an application that shares the keyboard connected to a Macintosh out over Bluetooth.

That's hardly a replacement for a portable keyboard.

>> You don't have to own a Mac to own an Apple keyboard - they're compatible with Windows, OSX and many flavors of nix

On the surface, that's true, but there can be little annoyances related to function key behavior, etc. on non-Mac OSes. Apple provides a Windows driver, but they don't appear to offer the keyboard configurator in Boot Camp to non-Mac owners.

What's special about this Logitech keyboard is the switch to select the pairing with 3 devices so you don't have to pair and repair all the time to use the device with your phone and then your tablet and computer.

Yes! And also you can take it with you to take notes efficiently with your phone/tablet at school/conference! One keyboard for all you devices, so you don't have to buy multiple ones or get used to each keyboard. This is brilliant! All of this just with a switch, without any re-pairing!

Same with 1keyboard - it does not need re-pairing. Assign a shortcut once to any device you want to switch between devices you want to send to and it's just as convenient and fast as that dial-switch of the Logitech should be.

I'm using 1Keyboard both with a Moto G and iPad mini Retina on a MBP 15'' Retina.

Existing mac keyboard. Interesting alternative though.

Or a slightly cheaper alternative that works fine, too: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/type2phone/id472717129?mt=12

I really like the idea of the product but the idea of looking at three screens gives me anxiety. I know the product can be used for a single device but the video scared me off by showing its potential. I'll stick with what I got.

That rotary knob looks awfully easy to break.

There has to be a better interface than physically moving your hand up to the knob to change which device has focus.

Also if this could also charge your devices that would be awesome also.

Rotary knobs are much more rugged than almost any other common switch type if they are well made. They are commonly specified on military and industrial gear for this reason (and a few others).

Also honestly given the location and the likelihood of multitasking (say typing something on an HDTV, switching to a phone to type out a lengthy text message, and then back to a tv) I can't see an automated solution working well. You could do some NFC so that the slot would recognize a new thing being placed, but you'd still need an a way to switch away from it.

Charging would be a useful feature though.

How is that easy to break? It protrudes like a quarter inch from the surface of the keyboard, and that's only the top third or so of the knob. I guess you could turn it too hard, but you're switching between three options, you really shouldn't be torquing it hard at all.

The switching button might not be that convenient and comfortable. Why not just a press button and 3 LEDs? You press one, it switches the LEDs?

Add a solar cell to power it, and I'm in. The K760 and K750 are amazing, simply because I never have to worry about cords or batteries.

I'd take batteries over a keyboard which might not work in low or no light. Seems like a gimmick.

Reviews are actually pretty good with regards to that. The complaints I have seen is that the battery dies after a couple of years and is not easily replaceable. This would mean a new keyboard every couple of years.

The K750[1], which I've been using for a month now, works in very low light, and on a full charge the internal batteries should last without light for "up to 2 months". It's impressive. And a really nice keyboard to boot!

[1]http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/k750-keyboard

Too gimicky for my taste. I have the Logigech K760 (the solar one) and it's awesome. I prefer it to the default MBA keyboard.

I would prefer a switch-key than the knob..

Love the idea though!

can anyone recommend a smaller, tablet sized BT keyboard that would have this kind of a "slot" for making either a phone or tablet stand on it?

I just need something super lightweight that works as both a stand and a keyboard with my phone or tablet (hate phone touch keyboards)

"Type in comfort"... and then ... "11.7 Inches"

Those 2 things can't happen at the same time.

Yet it still uses AAA batteries...

Cool, when can we see a mechanical switch version of this?

Stupid question: what's the encryption used on this?

If they are using it they have the option for AES as stated by the BlueTooth 4 protocol.

Any easy way to check?

Hate the yellow stripe but still... take my money.

They have a black and white version: http://www.logitech.com/assets/52362/14/bluetooth-multi-devi...

Seems interesting for dual boot environments also.

When dual booting you usually use the same bluetooth receiver, with the same MAC address. For me any bluetooth device work out of the box when switching OS once they're paired on both.

How did you get this to work? I did a quick search on the topic and the best resource I could find was this: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1479056 I will try it out when I get home.

Exactly my thought. I'd buy it for that use case alone. Also, I like the modern chiclet keyboards.

Fastest way to drain my phone's bluetooth

It doesn't mention whether it runs on MX reds??? Is it easy to change the switches, are they soldered on?

Is it easy to change the controller?

Wut? Dude, this isn't a mechanical keyboard. It'll be a membrane board or scissor switches.

I know :(... just figured, you know, it's on HN... maybe it comes with PBT keycaps or something

I expect the keyboards price is high and its build quality low so it will hopefully break within 2 years. Mechanical switches and durability will very unlikely fit in their business model for this product. The target is $$$ and not a great and lasting product for the consumer (as usual...).

Multitasking in a single screen is not a good idea. Multitasking in three screens can only make it worse.

Very nice productivity killer though.

Personally, I wouldn't use this to switch between three screens at the same time, but rather using it to not have to pair it every single time I use the keyboard on a different device. That's quite frustrating.

That would be also my plan, but once I have this setup, it would be impossible for me not to constantly switch between devices.

Pairing every single time is actually a plus for me: It acts as a barrier to avoid multitasking in different devices.

K760 is a better choice.

So simple, yet so wonderful.

YESSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

shut up and take my money!!!

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