Latest news with #keyboard
Gizmodo
2 days ago
- Gizmodo
Logitech Keyboard and Mouse Combo Goes for Peanuts at Best Buy, Better Than Amazon's Offer Right Now
A desk feels more inviting when the keyboard gives a gentle click under each letter and the mouse glides without a tangle of cords draped across the surface. The Logitech MK540 Full‑size Advanced Wireless Membrane Keyboard and Mouse Combo checks both boxes, pairing a comfortable key layout with a sculpted mouse that shares a single tiny receiver. Whether you bounce between spreadsheets and chat windows all day or just need a reliable setup that tucks away in seconds, this bundle keeps the workspace neat without sacrificing familiar desktop comfort. Head over to Best Buy to get the Logitech MK540 Full‑size Advanced Wireless Membrane Keyboard and Mouse Combo for just $50, down from its usual price of $60. That is a discount of $10 and 17% off. See at Best Buy The keyboard arrives ready for long typing sessions. Standard full‑size keys sit in the expected spots, so muscle memory transfers instantly from an office desktop. Logitech adds gentle concave shaping on the key tops to guide fingertips and a soft rubber palm rest that eases pressure during marathon note taking. Three tilt settings flip down from the rear, offering flat, low, or higher angles based on wrist preference. Spill‑resistant construction means an accidental splash of morning coffee wipes up without an anxious sprint for paper towels. Battery life is the quiet hero. Two pre‑installed AA batteries power the keyboard for up to three years, while the mouse runs about two years on a single AA. Both units enter low‑power sleep when idle, then wake with the light tap of a key or wheel. The included USB receiver uses Logitech's 2.4 GHz wireless link, keeping response times snappy and freeing every USB port on a laptop dock except one. If you switch between devices, the receiver can move without re‑pairing, and the combo is plug and play on Windows, macOS, and ChromeOS. The mouse fits a range of hand sizes with its gentle curves and soft side grips. An accurate optical sensor tracks smoothly on desks, couch cushions, or a quick paper backdrop during travel. Side buttons default to forward and back in browsers and file explorers, and Logitech's optional software lets you remap functions if creative shortcuts are more useful. Little touches add polish. Media keys line the top row for instant volume tweaks or play and pause taps, while the ten‑key number pad speeds data entry. Caps Lock and battery indicators sit in clear view, so surprises stay minimal. With one receiver handling two peripherals, packing up for a hot‑desk shift or sliding everything into a bag for a café work session takes seconds. The Logitech MK540 Full‑size Advanced Wireless Membrane Keyboard and Mouse Combo remains available for $50 at Best Buy, a tidy savings from the regular $60 price and an easy way to declutter any workstation. See at Best Buy
CNET
6 days ago
- CNET
This Nearly Perfect Gaming Keyboard Is Held Back by a Few Big Compromises
Finding the perfect keyboard can often feel like looking for a needle in a haystack. There's no shortage of mechanical keyboards offering a whole range of features and hardware options. While the "perfect keyboard" likely doesn't exist, there are certainly some good ones to be found. Finding a solid balance between hardware, features and price can be daunting. While Cherry's MX 8.2 TKL keyboard delivers fantastic hardware, there are compromises as well. I spent several weeks typing and gaming on it to see if it's worth it. What I like about the Cherry MX 8.2 keyboard CNET/Jason Cockerham There's not much to make this TKL (or "tenkeyless" aka no number pad) keyboard stand out, but that's a good thing here. The design is understated but well-built. It's not a full-metal build, but the plastic doesn't feel cheap and the metal base board allows for a very solid typing surface. In order to keep it compact, Cherry put the power switch and connection indicators on the back, which might get a bit confusing if you change inputs frequently. It's also pretty compact, even for a TKL keyboard. There's not much space around the sides or even between the keys and rows. I like it, but some might prefer things a bit more spread out, especially if you have larger hands. The MX 8.2 comes in white or black with ABS keycaps, which are actually nicer than I thought they'd be. I normally prefer PBT keycaps, but these don't feel as thin as other ABS keycaps I've used so they didn't bother me as much. And, of course, the keycaps are swappable. So if you have a preference or want to try a different type, they're easy to change. CNET/Jason Cockerham No gaming keyboard would be complete without RGB lighting, and that's one place the MX 8.2 shines (pun intended). You can customize the backlight for every key and there are several different lighting effects to choose from. In the Cherry software you can create up to 10 profiles so you can have one for each game (or, you know, for work stuff). Not every gaming keyboard supports wireless connectivity, but thankfully, the MX 8.2 offers both Bluetooth and 2.4 GHz wireless dongle connectivity. If you're worried about latency, stick with the dongle, but in truth, Bluetooth was plenty fine for me during my usage. Great performance CNET / Jason Cockerham As expected from a keyboard sporting Cherry's MX switches, the typing experience on the MX 8.2 is wonderful. I've used dozens of other keyboards in my time, and every time I come back to Cherry switches I remember why I love them so much. They are clicky, tactile and responsive and give just the right amount of audible "thwack" as I type. I felt right at home on these switches as shown by my 100 wpm on MonkeyType, which is my typical speed. It helps that the version of the keyboard I reviewed came with Cherry's Brown switches, which I prefer, but you can get the linear Reds if you prefer. Sadly, they aren't hot-swappable, so you'll have to dance with the one who brung ya. The MX 8.2 is built for gamers and as such, has a few gaming-focused features that are helpful. For starters, if you get the Brown switches you already have a shorter actuation distance. This means you don't have to press as far down to trigger a command as compared to Red switches. This can help when speed and timing in a game really matters. It also supports full n-key rollover, which means every keypress is registered even when pressing multiple keys at once. It also has anti-ghosting to help avoid weird typos and such. In my time with the MX 8.2 it was extremely responsive while gaming. There were never any missed keystrokes, and most importantly, I didn't experience any hand strain during extended gaming sessions. that's not something I can say of every gaming keyboard I've used. What I don't like about the Cherry MX 8.2 keyboard CNET/Jason Cockerham There are a couple of hardware things that are annoying about the MX 8.2, the first being the lack of storage for the wireless dongle. This may not seem like a big deal, but with how small dongles are they're incredibly easy to lose and annoyingly expensive to replace, and that's if you can even find them anywhere. Additionally, you can't connect to more than one device via Bluetooth, so unless you re-pair it every time you switch devices, you'll want to use the dongle more. The other hardware annoyance has to do with the RGB lighting, specifically with the white key version. The LEDs are placed at the top of each switch housing, so the bottom two-thirds of the keys are shadowed by the switches. This means the lighting isn't uniform across the keys. But then again, I don't know how much time you spend looking at your keyboard so this may not bother you. Also, the white keycaps sort of make the lighting look a bit muted and washed out, but that's certainly quite subjective. I ended up leaving the lighting off during the day and turning it on at night and I was gaming. Frustrating software If you've read any of my (or most any other) reviews of Cherry keyboards, you might have seen that the software is one of the biggest frustrations with Cherry keyboards. Not only does Cherry have multiple apps for performing different – and even some of the same – customizations, not every product they have is supported by the software. It's mostly hit or miss as to which products get software support. On top of that, the apps the company does have are just bad. The UI looks like it's from 10 years ago, and the functionality is quite limited and confusing. There's no real guide, so generally you just have to figure it out by messing around with it. The only redeeming qualities about it are that you can customize the lighting effects pretty granularly, and you can program different functions for each key. But again, this process is tedious and frustrating, so I would avoid it if you can. Luckily, most of the basic functionality you should need is bound to a secondary layer behind the function keys, so you shouldn't have to mess with the software too much if you don't want to. Should you buy the Cherry MX 8.2 keyboard? The MX 8.2 has been out for a while now, and Cherry is asking $210 for it, although I've seen it for around $180 on Amazon. While it's certainly not the most expensive gaming keyboard around, that's still quite a lot for a keyboard, no matter how good it is. Especially considering how crowded the field is these days. There are quite a few really solid keyboards that can be had for around $150 or even less and Cherry doesn't really offer much to make it stand out. That being said, Cherry offers superb craftsmanship and a wonderful typing experience with the MX 8.2. The compact layout means it doesn't take up a lot of room on your desk while the per-key RGB lighting offers a lot of customization, as long as you're prepared for an annoying software experience. If you need a dedicated gaming keyboard that goes all-in on features and performance, there are better options. The same is true if you just need a good budget gaming keyboard. But if you're looking for a high-quality keyboard that works hard and plays hard, the MX 8.2 is worth considering.
CNET
22-07-2025
- CNET
This Corsair Gaming Keyboard Could Be Yours for a Cool $130
Gaming is an appealing hobby for a reason; it's accessible entertainment, on a console, portable gaming device or a PC. If the latter is your preference, the proper desktop and accessories can help you achieve a better PC gaming experience. For example, Corsair's K70 Pro TKL gaming keyboard is a great way to fine-tune your setup, and it's just $130 at Best Buy, a $50 savings. Amazon Prime members can also score this gaming keyboard for $130. The Corsair K70 Pro TKL keyboard has a sleek black colorway and includes gorgeous colorful backlights. It also has a wrist pad, so gameplay is comfortable. Aside from its good looks, Corsair's keyboard includes programmable keys and speedy response that can make a difference as you play your favorite PC games. This is all thanks to magnetic switches that power the K70 Pro's response times. Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money. The Corsair K70 Pro also has customizable per-key actuation, essentially allowing you to determine the touch sensitivity you'd like for each key. It's wired for direct connectivity to your PC and built to last through 150 million keystrokes. If this gaming keyboard isn't quite a fit for you, check out the best gaming keyboards list for other options. Why this deal matters This Corsair K70 Pro TKL gaming keyboard offers rapid response, customizable response times and an ergonomic design for comfortable gameplay. It's now $50 off at Best Buy, and Prime members can also score the same discount for a limited time.
Android Authority
22-07-2025
- Android Authority
This keyboard case made my Pixel 9 actively painful to use — but I can't stop typing on it anyway
Clicks Keyboard The Clicks case brings a full QWERTY keyboard with physical keys to selected phones, including the Pixel flagship series. It provides excellent tactile feedback and keyboard shortcuts to your typing experience, but makes the phone taller, a bit imbalanced, and cramped to hold or use. I lived through the early era of non-touch smartphones. My first 'smart' phone was a Nokia 3250 Xpress Music with a glorious T9 keypad, and my first QWERTY was an HTC Qtek 9100 running Windows Mobile. Physically pressing keys to type was in my DNA for years; I loved the tactile feedback of typing, and I relished the perk of typing without looking, especially during long college lectures. Over the years, I tried a couple of Blackberry phones, but my heart always brought me back to Nokia. The E71 was the best QWERTY phone I've ever used — nothing could even come close. When the era of all-touch smartphones began in the late 2000s, I was a refractory skeptic. I missed all the perks of typing on a physical keyboard, but the world was changing, and I had to adapt. It took a few years before on-screen touch keyboards became properly usable, but it wasn't until Gboard launched in 2016 that they finally convinced me. Now, nine years later, it's hard to remember a time when I physically pressed every letter I wanted to type. But the QWERTY dream on Android isn't dead yet. Clicks has made a keyboard case for the Google Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro that adds four rows of keys to the bottom of the phone. Obviously, I just had to try it to see whether physical keyboards still have a shot in 2025. An experience of early frustration Rita El Khoury / Android Authority The moment I slid my Pixel 9 Pro into the Clicks case, I knew I was in for a rollercoaster. Google's small, pocketable phone suddenly became too tall, too unwieldy. You don't think an extra 4cm (1.57 inches) will affect how you hold the Pixel until you have to actually hold the Pixel in this case. It becomes very unbalanced and top-heavy. For someone like me with Carpal Tunnel pain, it also physically hurt the first few days when I was testing it. A few minutes in, I had to put the phone down because my wrist was cramping up. My first typing experience wasn't any better. The buttons aren't any narrower than the touch keys on Gboard, but they're shorter. They also felt significantly smaller, like I was pecking on teensy, cramped targets and had to rethink the entire way I type on my phone. I kept hitting the wrong keys, pressing two letters instead of one, and adding a space after ev ery V or B b utton press. I kept hitting the wrong buttons, making typos, and adding spaces where there shouldn't be any. I had hoped that this would be like riding a bike, that I'd find my familiar QWERTY bearings and fly through text in a few minutes, but after more than an hour of on and off usage, I was still making more typos than ever and typing slower than ever. I wanted my touchscreen Gboard back! Rita El Khoury / Android Authority I found it even more frustrating that I had to reach up to the display to reposition the cursor each time I wanted to fix a mistake or rewrite something. I'm so used to swiping on the spacebar in Gboard to move the cursor that I found myself trying that on the Clicks keyboard and sighing when it wouldn't work. With no friendly arrow keys either, this made every cursor reposition an eyeroll moment. (Android does support a pointer/arrow mode, but it works with the keys 7, 8, 9, u, o, j, k, l, which aren't appropriately positioned on the Clicks keyboard: 7, 8, and 9 are to the bottom left, not the top right here.) This brings me to my most significant adjustment: the missing standalone number row. I'm used to keeping that on top of Gboard so I can easily reach the numbers — an essential feature if you type transliterated Arabic, where certain letters that don't have a phonetic equivalent in the Latin alphabet are replaced by numbers. The famous 'habibi,' for example, is written '7abibi' if you use transliteration, because 7 replaces the hard H (ح), which doesn't have a proper equivalent in Latin letters. Because of this, access to numbers is essential in my everyday communication with my Lebanese friends and family members, and having to tap the number symbol along with the number key on Clicks got old very quickly. Having those numbers in a T9 configuration right next to the number symbol, instead of in a row, was even more frustrating. Slowly relearning to type Rita El Khoury / Android Authority A couple of weeks in, things started looking up for the Clicks keyboard case. I wouldn't say I'm a pro at using it yet, nor that I'm faster typing on this keyboard than I am on my phone's touchscreen, but I do make fewer mistakes now, and I'm starting to appreciate its benefits more than its issues. The tactile feedback is fantastic. It is so satisfying to feel a button physically press beneath my finger every time I type a letter. And the click I hear is just right. The tactile feedback and audible click each time a key is pressed is fantastic. I'm also way more familiar with the button layout and the exact way I need to hit the keys to avoid typos. Each side of the keyboard slopes down outward, so it took a bit of practice to reconfigure my brain for that versus a perfectly flat touch keyboard. Don't get me wrong — the keys still feel cramped, but something clicked (ha!) for me after a few days, and I started typing faster, more efficiently, and I'm now at a stage where I can type without looking. Almost. Perhaps, with a few more months of practice, I could type blindfolded, but for now, I'll consider this a win. I've also gotten a bit more used to holding the super-mega-tall Pixel 9 Pro in this case. There's still an imbalance and a cramped-up feeling because I have to keep my hands on the bottom third of the contraption to type, but I do feel less wrist pain. I still can't do more than 10 minutes or so at a time, but someone with no wrist pain might not have this issue and find it a joy to type on. The perks that make this worth the trouble Rita El Khoury / Android Authority You might be wondering why I'm putting myself through this horrible experience if I can take off the Clicks case and use my Pixel 9 Pro like normal. The answer is two-fold. First, having a separate keyboard has freed up my entire screen. I no longer lose half of my display each time I want to type something; I can keep everything on the screen in front of me, and still type. This works wonderfully in apps like WhatsApp or Slack, where I can see more chat context before replying, or apps like JotterPad, where I can read more of my writing before adding to it. I can fill forms in Chrome without obscuring half the form, and reply to a comment on YouTube or an email in Gmail without hiding what I'm replying to. In many apps, this doesn't matter much, but in those examples, it really feels like I've gained double the screen estate by using a separate physical keyboard. Android's support for physical keyboards is amazing now. There are shortcuts for everything. Second, and most importantly, Clicks allowed me to discover — and enjoy — all of Android's keyboard shortcuts. I'd seen my Android Authority colleague Mishaal Rahman report changes in how newer versions of Android handle external keyboards, but I didn't have the chance to test these before getting this case. Now, I know. Physical keyboard language pop-up ...with clipboard ...or emoji picker ...or translate box. Android's compatibility with external keyboards has improved a lot since its early day barebones support. Now, there are shortcuts to trigger many features in Gboard (emoji, clipboard, translation), to interact with text (copy, paste), for multitasking and app switching, to launch apps no matter what you're doing, and more. I certainly like the option of opening the app list with one button or dropping down the notification shade with a shortcut. Having copy and paste be a quick shortcut away instead of a tap-and-hold process is also surprisingly handy. Plus, launching Gmail and my calendar from any app is a perk I didn't expect to enjoy this much, though I want Android to let me set custom shortcuts to launch any app, not just the few Google ones set by default. Android's external keyboard settings ...with customizable modifier keys ...and accessibility settings ...as well as a mouse feature. There's a bit of shortcut fatigue, though, I won't lie to you. It takes a while to memorize the important ones, and if you don't use the Clicks case for a couple of days, you have to relearn them again. My least favorite bit was having to memorize shortcuts to access Gboard's emoji and clipboard menus, which I use every day. Oh, and of course, my most-used shortcut ended up being the one that reveals all the shortcuts because I keep forgetting them! Clicks also has a dedicated Gemini key that launches Google's assistant without having to reach for the power button, as well as a Clicks logo key that acts a bit like the Tab key on your computer, switching selection between on-screen menus and buttons. Both of them are excellent additions that come in handy. QWERTY + Pixel 9 Pro: Romanticized vision versus harsh reality Rita El Khoury / Android Authority Part of me, the one who grew up in the 80s-90s and loved the early days of T9 and QWERTY Blackberry and Nokia smartphones, wants to love the Clicks keyboard case. In an ideal world, this is the most efficient way to type on any platform, and physical keys will always be superior to a touchscreen. The reality of using this case, though, opened my eyes to how much the current smartphone landscape has changed and how much more practical it is to quickly touch-type with chunky thumbs and let the software decide that I wanted to write 'Hello' and not 'Jello.' Add in the super tall form factor that Clicks creates with its imbalance, top-heaviness, small keys, and cramped wrist feeling, and you have an overall product that sounds way too good as an idea, but isn't all that practical to use. The Clicks Keyboard case is perfect on paper, but its usability is a victim of its form factor. I really love the Clicks keyboard's passthrough USB-C charging, MagSafe compatibility, tactile feedback, shortcut support, and the way it liberates my entire display from Gboard, but I just have to be honest with myself and admit I'm not faster, nor am I more accurate typing on it. And it's still painful for me to use for stretches of more than 10 minutes. Perhaps on a shorter phone with a different balance equation, like the Moto Razr, this would be a better bet. Or perhaps a different case option that slides from the side and turns the Pixel into an old-school Communicator-style phone would make more sense for Clicks to solve both the imbalance and small-key issues. Most buyers with a Pixel 9 Pro are better off sticking with their touchscreen, but if you really, really want a physical keyboard and you're ready to deal with the trade-offs I've mentioned, then by all means, this is the best option out there for Android. It's exceptionally well built, but its only fault is being a victim of what it's trying to achieve. Clicks Keyboard Full QWERTY keyboard • Impressive tactile feedback • Keyboard shortcut compatibility MSRP: $139.00 Want QWERTY? Get Clicks! The Clicks keyboard moves the physical keyboard off the screen, freeing up display space. It features backlit keys and supports app shortcuts, and for Pixels it provides AI interactions via a Gemini key. See price at AmazonSee price at Manufacturer siteSee price at Best Buy Positives Full QWERTY keyboard Full QWERTY keyboard Impressive tactile feedback Impressive tactile feedback Keyboard shortcut compatibility Keyboard shortcut compatibility MagSafe support Cons Cramped keys Cramped keys Causes phone imbalance Causes phone imbalance No arrows or standalone number row No arrows or standalone number row No tangible typing speed gain
The Verge
18-07-2025
- Business
- The Verge
Refine your own macrodata for the low, low price of $899.
See all Stories Posted Jul 18, 2025 at 11:21 AM UTC Refine your own macrodata for the low, low price of $899. That's how much Atomic Keyboard is charging for its MDR Dasher keyboard, based on Apple TV's Severance , though early adopters can save $300 with a $10 deposit. That gets you an aluminum keyboard with a trackball and swappable magnetic top sheet that enables three different layouts, depending on how show-accurate you feel like being. 1/4 Image: Atomic Keyboard
