Logitech
K750

Wireless Solar Keyboard

  The solar-powered wireless keyboard that makes battery hassles a thing of the past in a streamlined, comfortable design.

The moment you remove the K750 from it's box you understand what thin means, at just 7.5mm thick, this is truly a slim keyboard (very Apple-esk). Build quality is generally excellent, and considering its trim proportions the device still manages to feels reassuringly weighty in your hands. After removing the protective plastic sheet that covers the main keyboard surround and the tab that engages the coin cell (which provides a 3 month backup guarantee should the keyboard be used in very low/no light conditions for extended periods), it was just a case of flicking the ON switch, plugging in the tiny 2.4Ghz wireless receiver in a spare USB port and bang you're up and running...simple!

Green credentials are obviously important these days and the K750 goes further than most other products out there. Apart from the obvious solar feature, it uses as little packaging as possible, it has no software disks in the box, the packaging is almost 100% recycled and even the instructions are printed on the inside of the box rather than using additional paper.

The keys are quite different to a standard keyboard, they are quite well spaced and have little travel making them very shallow but easy to press. It has taken me a couple of days to get used to them, but now I actual think I'm able to type faster and more accurately using them.  Another thing to note is the keyboard has no LED indicators for things like 'Caps Lock' and 'Num Lock' (no doubt to conserve power), but Logitech have super-imposed a screen overlay graphic that briefly pops up at the bottom of the screen when these and media keys are pressed. The interesting thing is that I actual prefer this to the normal LED light on the keyboard simply because I don't have to take my eyes off the screen to know when things like the 'Caps Lock' are enabled!

Gamers should be satisfied with this keyboard as key response times seem good, saying this I could imagine that anyone with small hands might find the slightly spaced keys make key combinations more difficult to reach, but I have personally not found any real issues.

One last thing to note is that the right-hand Windows keys has been replaced with a Function key <FN>, this allows all 12 standard function keys to have additional uses, such as email and volume controls, the inclusion of the <FN> key has ensured the keyboard does not miss out on useful media keys, at the expense of keeping the keyboards dimensions down.

The K750 seems to work pretty well without any installed software as standard, but should you decided to take a quick look at the Logitech website you will find a couple of useful utilities to download. Logitech's famous 'SetPoint' software gives you the on screen display and a little more control over your keyboard (and Logitech mouse, if you have a compatible one), and a special 'Solar App' works along side the 'Solar' key on the keyboard, which when pressed shows you a very nice graphic of exactly how much light is being received by your keyboard and how much energy reserve you have!

The amount of light in the room you are working in is obviously now a fresh consideration, but its not as important as you might think. For example:
My office uses low energy light bulbs, which are not the brightest of lights, thus the K750 was showing a Lux reading of only 36, just outside the very poor range. But even after an number of evenings worth of use, at this level, The keyboard remained at 100% reserve. So I have to conclude that even a relatively low Lux rating is generally enough for the K750 to maintain a full charge...which is pretty impressive!

There is no doubt this is a great keyboard, but it's not perfect, the keyboard's surface (not the keys) is made from a type of super polished plastic and it seems to be prone to very fine scratches, and although finger prints can be removed with the supplied cleaning cloth, what can't be removed are these scratches which are evident after a very short period of use (like those you see on most car bonnets in bright sunshine after a couple of years of cleaning) I admit its very subtle and you really don't notice them in everyday use, but it is a shame Logitech used a material that is so susceptible to cosmetic damage in this way.

One final reservation is to do with the very small legs; they seem a little on the weedy side and look like they would not take too much abuse. But I have to admit my doubts seem totally unfounded, as they have not caused any issues thus far.

Advantages:

Solar powered (No batteries required)
Very thin (7.5mm)
Super light/quiet keys
3 month backup charge if no light
Tiny 2.4GHz Wireless receiver
Well thought out software

Disadvantages:

A little susceptible to very fine scratches
Shallow keys take time to get use to

Conclusion: This is a beautiful keyboard, it's a pleasure to use and I am sure I am typing faster, due to the super light keys. But it's not a perfect keyboard, I might be nitpicking a little, and the very fine cosmetic scratches really are a small thing, in fact this is often the way with a very good product, it is easier to see the small number of faults rather than concentrate on all the things it actually does well. Let me put it another way...its a keeper!

The Glitch Five Star Award

Overall Score

88%

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