Logitech K750 Wireless Solar Keyboard For Mac – ‘Book Mystique Review
You usually can’t do any better than Swiss-based computer peripherals maker Logitech when it comes to reliable expectation of intelligently-designed products made from top-quality materials to a high standard of finish with excellent workmanship. One of the most eagerly anticipated products from Logitech has been a Mac version of the K750 Wireless Solar Keyboard, rumored to be in the works since a PC version of this ‘board debuted last fall. The Mac variant finally touched down in August, and I’ve been testing it for the past week.
The Mac solar ‘board incorporates the same award-winning design and feature set as the Windows version, letting you say goodbye to battery hassles thanks to onboard solar cells that power the keyboard using ambient light. However, it’s now available with Apple key-mapping and and labeling in five Apple-complimentary color themes exclusively for Mac users. The PC version of the K-750 comes only in Piano Black (which is also one of the five colors offered for the Mac version, the others being white on silver, or blue, red, or green on white. Our tester was a blue one, which I found quite attractive, being an aficionado of white keyboards, and my favorite color is blue. The Piano Black model wound be my second choice.
“I’m proud to say we’ve listened, and are excited to offer one of our most innovative keyboards designed specifically for Mac users,” says Logitech senior vice president and general manager of the Control Devices business unit Rory Dooley. “We hear from consumers all the time that they want to see more Mac products from us, said,. I’m proud to say we’ve listened, and are excited to offer one of our most innovative keyboards designed specifically for Mac users.”
Like its Windows counterpart, the Logitech Wireless Solar Keyboard K750 for Mac is powered by light — even indoors. Ambient light in the room is usually sufficient (although I find light from fluorescent or CCFL bulbs less efficient at powering solar devices than light from incandescents), so there’s no need for direct sunlight. The fact that the fully charged keyboard has a reserve capacity of up to three months in total darkness means you’ll never have to hassle with changing batteries.
While the Windows version K750 itself worked fine with Macs, its support software didn’t, and now Mac users will also for the first time be able to download Logitech’s Solar Power App that features a lux meter to provide a visual check on available light falling on the K750. Whether you’re getting the full power of a high-watt desk lamp or just the faint light of the moon, the lux meter will let you know how much power your light source is providing at any time. The Solar App also keeps track of how much energy is currently stored, and evaluates current light level for charging purposes, plus at-a-glance information about battery levels, and alerts you when you need more light. You can configure the battery check key on the keyboard to summon the Solar App. when clicked. You do have to download the Solar App from the Apple Mac Apps Store, as there is no bundled software CD in the box with the keyboard:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/solar-app/id450545814?ls=1&mt=12
With its PVC-free construction and fully recyclable box, this keyboard is “green” — designed to minimize its environmental footprint, and was named Green Gadget of the Week by ZDNet last month. I would venture that Logitech has perhaps taken the green theme a bit to extremes by not including any freestanding documentation at all with the K750 — not so much as a QuickStart pamphlet or CD (they do throw in a polishing cloth, which will prove handy for keeping the ‘board’s high-gloss surface clear of dust and finger smears). You can access some documentation on the Logitech Website, and there are minimalist instructional diagrams printed on the inside of the recyclable shipping box, so it might not be a good idea to be in a big hurry about schlepping that off to the recycling depot until you’re up to speed at least. In general, though, using this ‘board is pretty intuitive.
A full-size wireless keyboard, the Logitech Wireless Solar Keyboard K750 for Mac includes a number pad and features a fairly standard Mac keymapping layout, so most everything is where you expect it to be with a few exceptions.
The keyboard ships with an initial battery charge, and Logitech says the rechargeable internal battery, which deviates from the Apple way of doing things by being user-replaceable, can hold a charge sufficient for roughly 3 months use in the unlikely event of it being away from a light source for that long. I had no problem getting the test unit up and running – basically just a matter of inserting the USB receiver dongle in a USB port and turning on the keyboard’s power switch. There’s also a handy pushbutton indicator to inform you whether current ambient light conditions are adequate to power the K750, or not, in which latter case you’ll be running on its internal backup battery.
With no necessity to accommodate a battery compartment the housing has exceptionally sleek lines and a profile even thinner than Apple’s current keyboards. At 1/3 inch (7.5 mm) in section, the K750 is claimed by Logitech to be the thinnest freestanding computer keyboard ever made.
Logitech has gone with chiclet-type keycaps for the K750, making it even more laptop keyboard-like, and with an even shorter key travel than their diNovo keyboards. Dubbed “Incurve,” the keys have a concave keycap design that supports the shape of your fingertips, while helping guide your fingers to the right keys, and soft, rounded edges that make it easier for fingers to glide from key to key. The quiet membrane keyswitches have reasonably light action, with just a bit more &”over-center” and harder landing feel than I consider ideal, but I still like them better than average for desktop computer keyboards, and I find they even speed up my typing, which can use all the help it can get. This ‘board has no palm rest surface, with the keyboard’s keypads shifted down from the top three-fifths of the unit’s surface area to the bottom three-quarters, the balance occupied by two 7-element solar panel clusters (which have a projected service lifespan of 15 years before there is any substantial degradation in performance) to power the charger.
Because the K750 is so thin, the lack of a wrist rest area shouldn’t be much of an issue. You can just rest your wrists on the supporting table or desktop. However, I’ve been using the K750 board with a Contour RollerMouse Free, which has an excellent padded wrist rest built in. Since the K750 is completely flat in profile elevation, its nearside is actually tilted slightly up when sitting on the Rollermouse’s support pads, which gives me a bit of the reverse keyboard inclination that ergonomic specialists say is ideal, even though it looks “wrong.” The ‘board also has a couple of fold-down feet that can give it a conventional tilted toward you rake orientation if you prefer.
The Logitech Wireless Solar Keyboard K750 for Mac comes with Logitech’s advanced 2.4 GHz wireless connectivity that virtually eliminates delays or dropouts (and with none of the tedious pairing necessary with Bluetooth ‘board). A plug-and-forget USB Unifying receiver dongle is so small it stays in your laptop, so the keyboard is always ready to use. Interestingly, I discovered that the USB receiver dongles for the PC and Mac versions of the K750 boards respectively are not interchangeable, at least on my MacBook, even thought they are identical in appearance and supposed to be “Unifying” receivers. The Mac ‘Board won’t work with the PC ‘board’s dongle and vice versa. You also won’t be able to use The Solar Keyboard K750 with an iPad, thanks to Apple’s obstinacy about including a USB port on its tablets.
One of my few negative criticisms of the K750 for PC was that its little power on/off switch has a stiffer and cruder feel than I’ve come to expect in a Logitech product’s switchgear. Possibly that was an early production issue, because the K750 for Mac’s on/off switch has a noticeably lighter and smoother action. This keyboard. which is manufactured in China, is definitely up to Logitech’s traditionally high standards of fit, finish and materials.
Unfortunately, there’s still no Caps Lock warning light, an omission that I consider more than a minor inconvenience, since I’m not a touch typist and tend to watch my fingers more than the screen when typing.
However, even more problematical for me is the F-Key mapping on the Mac ‘board. To wit: someone at Logitech decided that Mac users would prefer that the F-Keys’ secondary hardware control functions should be mapped as the defaults. This means that the F1 key, for example, on a simple press, dims the backlight brightness. In order to get the standard function, which is to bring up the Spaces Exposé window, which I do dozens of times a day, requires pressing the fn modifier key, which resides in an oddball location to the right of the Delete key where one would expect and prefer to find the Forward Delete key. I also have nearly all the F-Keys programmed to toggle AppleScripts for text formatting and HTML markup tasks, and that requires the fn key as well, making it a clumsy, two-handed exercise. The major irony here is that the with the PC version, the F-Keys behave normally on the Mac. Go figure.
I’m giving the Logitech Wireless Solar Keyboard K750 for Mac a 4 out of 5 rating, the unfortunate F-Key configuration and lack of a Caps Lock warning LED preventing it from possibly being rated a full 5.
The Logitech Wireless Solar Keyboard K750 for Mac is expected to be available in the U.S. and Europe beginning this month, for a suggested retail price of $59.99 (U.S.) (20 bucks cheaper than the Windows version debuted at last year).
For more information, visit:
http://www.logitech.com
