In a market where few vendors make dedicated Mac keyboards, much less good ones, Logitech has released its second premium Mac keyboard of the past year. Announced back in May, the company’s $80 Wireless Solar Keyboard K760 (officially called the Wireless Solar Keyboard K760 for Mac, iPad, iPhone, but which I’ll just refer to as the K760) is based on last fall’s Wireless Solar Keyboard K750 for Mac (), but offers a more-compact design, much-requested Bluetooth support, and the capability to pair with three devices.
Powered by ambienceAt just 11.5 inches wide, the K760 rivals Apple’s Wireless and standard desktop keyboards in compactness. In fact, the K760 actually has a lower overall profile than Apple’s Wireless Keyboard, at just over a half an inch thick at its thickest point, and with less of an incline. (Although a flat or sloping-away orientation is often the best ergonomic setup, the K760’s rear feet raise the back edge about a third of an inch.) However, the K760 is quite a bit deeper—at 6.5 inches—than Apple’s Wireless Keyboard thanks to a large strip of solar cells at the top.
Like the K750, the K760 uses the light in your office or home to charge the keyboard’s internal, rechargeable battery. In fact, in a well-lit room, the battery’s charge will rarely dip below full, as even dim ambient light is enough to maintain a full battery charge. (Pressing the battery-check button—the F8 key—lets you quickly determine if the keyboard’s battery needs charging.) Logitech claims a fully charged battery will let you use the keyboard for three months of eight-hour days in total darkness. Obviously, I didn’t test this, but I can tell you that over a month of use, I never experienced a low battery.
As with the K750, one potential challenge to using the K760 is that if you have a slide-out keyboard drawer, you may find that the drawer doesn’t pull out far enough to completely expose the solar cells to light. In that case, you may need to occasionally put the keyboard on your desk when you head out for lunch so the solar cells can catch some rays. Unlike the K750, the K760 doesn’t have a Check Light button to determine if the solar cells are getting enough light, and Logitech’s Solar App for Mac, which displays detailed information about the K750’s battery and charging status, doesn’t work with the K760. The company’s Control Center software, discussed below, gives you a simple battery-level display.
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