Reviewed: The Logitech K800

Logitech are experts at making PC input devices, their keyboards and mice are always held in high regard due their amazing performance and great pricing. One of the best keyboards created by Logitech was the Illuminated version, which provided the much requested backlighting feature as well as a slim and sleek profile. Logitech, it seems, want to improve on that and have taken the keyboard back to the drawing board, resulting in the ‘K800’.

The K800 is a wireless backlit keyboard with really nifty features. It uses Logitech's Advanced 2.4 Ghz wireless technology, which allows for fast data transmission with virtually no interference, delay or dropouts. It also has ambient light sensors which detect when your hand is moving towards a certain key and instantly lights up that key and turns it off when your hands moves away, this helps in preserving the battery life and allows for a longer operating time.

Speaking of battery life, the K800 when charged via a micro USB cable can deliver upto 10 days of battery life on a single charge. Another great feature is the unifying receiver which allows you to add compatible wireless mice or keyboards without having to go through the hassle of setting up multiple USB receivers.

Design and First Impressions
The first thing that captures your attention when you look at the K800 is how slim it is. The sleek profile will enhance your workspace and is a great alternate to the drab and generic keyboard.  They keys are much quieter than a normal keyboard and will have a love/hate relationship with its owners. We on the other hand, have no qualms with it. The K800 also has an ‘Fn’ key which allows you to launch various utilities such as an email client, change the level of brightness and even play media files.

One thing that I didn’t like though was the wrist rest, which was a bit too small. I would have liked it to be a bit broader as I have big hands and ergo broader wrists. Also, the rechargeable batteries are held at the back with a tiny screw in place, which should ideally have had a snap on cover. It may be a small issue, but we still would have liked that.

Performance
Once you setup the K800, its performs just like a regular keyboard should, apart from the fact that it’s wireless and gives you the freedom to move around, albeit within a certain boundary. One thing worth mentioning is that it did take us sometime to get used to the keyboard, but once we settled in, using the K800 was a breeze and was quite fun.

In our tests the K800 gave us a battery life of six and a half days at 25% intensity for the backlights. The intensity can be changed via the nifty little toggle switch at the top right hand side of the keyboard. Let us also say that this keyboard is not meant for gamers or people who like to whack the keys when they type; it’s a delicate keyboard and requires you to be gentle with it.

Conclusion
The K800 is a great wireless keyboard for home or office use. The backlit keys are good enough for you to decipher the keys in pitch black, but at the same time aren’t bright enough to blind you.  The battery life is great for this type of product and add to it the superb styling, it's a good choice for those looking for a wireless keyboard. The only downside to this is the fragile bodywork, small wrist rest and at Rs. 6,995, it's a bit expensive.