14 DAY TRIAL // Optical and laser mice can usually be used on fabric just fine, and most other surfaces, so they can be used on a couch or bed sheet, but it's not exactly the most comfortable of ways to control a PC from afar, so Logitech launched the Illuminated Living-Room Keyboard K830.
You might wonder why a keyboard could solve the issues normally posed by a mouse. The answer is that the K830 integrated mouse capabilities.
Or, rather, it integrated the capabilities of touchpads, otherwise known as trackpads. Those touch-sensitive areas on a laptop with click buttons underneath.
The Swiss peripheral maker decided that it should be an easy thing to lay on a couch or stay in bed while still using a PC or web-connected Smart TV.
Especially if your PC uses a large and maybe wall-mounted TV instead of monitor, one that actually needs you to keep your distance. It wouldn't do not to fit the entire screen in your field of view after all.
The Logitech Illuminated Living-Room Keyboard K830 has soft-feel keys optimized for media and entertainment.
Some of them even have two labels, as it were. A single key allows you to switch between the standard functions and the multimedia controls.
It's not just the F1-F12 buttons that got dual roles either. The arrow keys, for example, double as page up / page down and home / end.
All the keys are backlit too, making sure you can see what you're doing in the dark. Maybe you're watching a movie or playing a game at night, for example.
Furthermore, the Logitech Illuminated Living-Room Keyboard is pretty compact, which is surprising considering that it has to integrate both wireless communication support and a rechargeable battery.
Speaking of which, 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi technology is used to establish a link with a PC, whose range is of 33 feet / 10 meters.
The peripheral has rounded edges and is colored mostly a dark grey, with the keys and touchpad being charcoal black.
Finally, the backlighting is intelligent, being capable of automatically brightening or dimming based on ambient light.
All this for a price of $99.99 / €99.99. Sales of the Logitech Illuminated Living-Room Keyboard K830 should begin this month (April 2014) in the US and Europe.
"More and more consumers want an easy way to access movies, TV programs, music and photos with their PC connected to a TV," said Charlotte Johs, global vice president of brand development for PC accessories at Logitech.
"Our new Illuminated Living-Room Keyboard K830 is designed with this setup in mind. Backlit keys and a premium aesthetic that blends into the living room make it a stand-out choice for people with connected TVs."