Logitech Keys to Go Review: The ultimate portable bluetooth keyboard

Posted:
in iPad edited May 2015
For those wanting an ultra-portable keyboard to use with your iPhone or iPad, but don't want the bulk and weight of a keyboard case should consider the Logitech Keys to Go.




Released earlier this year, Logitech's new bluetooth keyboard is one of the thinnest and lightest keyboards available. Most options for iPad are full case-style keyboards, adding significant bulk to the device and requiring the user to completely remove the case when not wanting to use the keyboard.




The Logitech Keys to Go caters to iPad users who have a case they already enjoy and occasionally want to use a full keyboard. Personally preferring Apple's Smart Case for iPad Air 2, one of the few options for non-keyboard cases is the Incase Origami Workstation.

Incase Origami Workstation
Incase Origami Workstation


After several months with the Origami workstation, we decided it was unwieldy and awkward to carry around regularly. In contrast, the Keys to Go keyboard is extremely light and portable, weighing in at 180 grams and just 6.1mm thick. It feels as light as my iPhone 6 Plus given its larger footprint.

Left: iPhone 6 Plus Right: Logitech Keys to Go
Left: iPhone 6 Plus Right: Logitech Keys to Go


At many points the keyboard is as thin as an iPhone 6 as well. That thinness does not allow for regular, tactile keys though. The buttons are fairly "mushy", and if you prefer solid, clicky style keys this might not be for you.

We adapted quickly and found typing to be very accurate. In addition to the standard keyboard commands there are iOS dedicated buttons as well, including Home, multitask, Spotlight, and international keyboard shortcuts.

The rubberized "FabricSkin" that surrounds the keyboard resists dirt, crumbs and even liquid spills. Using it in a local coffee house, we were not worried about some drops landing between the keys. Simply wetting a napkin or cloth and wiping the entire surface down was a nice change from fretting over liquid dripping through the keyboard.

Spending a week with the Keys to Go, we found numerous situations where it was well suited. Any desk to tabletop will work great, and it's ideal for when there's not enough room for both your iPad and keyboard on the same surface.




We did find that typing without a solid working area, such as on your lap, did not work as well. The combination of soft keys, small surface area and no connection to the iPad made for a poor experience.

To charge the device there is a micro USB port on the right side. While it comes with a micro USB cable, there is no charger or wall wart included. After a week of daily use (about 1-2 hours per day), it has yet to require a charge out of the box. According to Logitech, the Keys to Go should last several months on a single charge with two hours of daily use.

The Logitech Keys to Go comes in three colors, black, red and teal and is available from Logitech for $69.95.

Score: 4.5 out of 5
image

Pros:

Extremely light and portable
Great battery life
Durable, rubber skin
Quiet operation
Use with any case
Works with iPhone, iPad and Apple TV

Cons:

Slighty expensive
Not very tactile
Ill suited for lap-typing
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 28
    Not a fan of rubberized plastics myself. After a few years they become tacky/sticky. Or worse: they melt into a sticky goop. The rubberized footpads on my old Sony VAIO turned to goop, while various old PC mice with "soft touch" rubberized plastic became tacky after a few years. Not sure if it's the air, humidity or what.
  • Reply 2 of 28
    Even better than this Logitech keyboard is the Perixx PERIBOARD-805L W. http://perixx.com/en/products/perixx-pro-4.html

    This is a folding full-sized key bluetooth keyboard. It has REAL keys. They have great key travel and feel. I can rapidly touch type with it. It folds to the size of an iPhone 6 Plus. You can keep it in your pocket. It lasts months on a charge.

    It is far better than the Logitech Keyboard described in this article. And at $29.95 it is cheaper too.
  • Reply 3 of 28

     

     

    I would like to see this come back.

  • Reply 4 of 28
    stephenroblesstephenrobles Posts: 91member, moderator, editor
    jameskatt2 wrote: »
    Even better than this Logitech keyboard is the Perixx PERIBOARD-805L W. http://perixx.com/en/products/perixx-pro-4.html

    This is a folding full-sized key bluetooth keyboard. It has REAL keys. They have great key travel and feel. I can rapidly touch type with it. It folds to the size of an iPhone 6 Plus. You can keep it in your pocket. It lasts months on a charge.

    It is far better than the Logitech Keyboard described in this article. And at $29.95 it is cheaper too.

    Looks interesting. I see a Windows start menu key, does it have iOS specific keys as well? Have you personally used it? May try and get one to compare.
  • Reply 5 of 28
    stephenroblesstephenrobles Posts: 91member, moderator, editor
    Not a fan of rubberized plastics myself. After a few years they become tacky/sticky. Or worse: they melt into a sticky goop. The rubberized footpads on my old Sony VAIO turned to goop, while various old PC mice with "soft touch" rubberized plastic became tacky after a few years. Not sure if it's the air, humidity or what.

    After using it for a few months, if I notice that kind of degrade in quality we'll update the post.
  • Reply 6 of 28
    After using it for a few months, if I notice that kind of degrade in quality we'll update the post.

    I started to notice it after about 2-3 years on my mice, and it's in an air conditioned office.
  • Reply 7 of 28
    I've had the Logitech keys to go for a couple of months now and found it fits in great with my workflow and my job.

    Basically I spend most of my time either in meetings or at clients with my iPad as I can access my corporate email and proprietary software on there, and I carry large libraries of documents in good reader. The challenge was if I needed to take notes or edit a document or presentation then it would be quite cumbersome to do this.

    The thin and light keyboard work great as they fit in my small a5 compendium with my iPad air 2 and a thin notepad with pen - I don't need to carry a large a4 folder or a bag as I run around town and instead can try and look a bit smarter with just my small leather compendium. That's the marvel of having a super thin keyboard which essentially is able to fit in the same space where I might've once had a lot of a4 pages folded in half. Whilst i took some time to get used to it, for incidents or on the go typing needs it's greet. Best of all, unlike a keyboard case (I also have the Logitech type cover+) where the view is fixed for the person typing, I can always put my iPad in a position where the other person can have a better view whilst I stay in control of navigating and editing with the keyboard.

    The keys to go can start to develop a white fading look over time but after consulting with logitech support on FB I got a wet cloth and just wiped the marks away!

    There is some learning curve with this keyboard but in less than a week I was typing at 120wpm with 99% accuracy according to typing test (ie close to my top speed already of 145).

    Here's what the fade looked like:
    [IMG]http://forums.appleinsider.com/content/type/61/id/55902/width/200/height/400[/IMG]

    On another note I have a Logitech k480 at my desk at work- this was cheap ($55 SGD) and means I can just sit my iPad in the slot when I'm there, and easily switch between my laptop and iPad (and iPhone) for my typing needs without changing my keyboard device or hand position.

    Hope this helps. If anyone wants more detail or photos of how it fits into things happy to share. I know it wasn't cheap but it's been amazingly useful in meetings and clients have been impressed by my ability to update a document or presentation on the fly. No bulky laptop required. I also might note that I bought an office 365 subscription after this because with a portable keyboard like this I have a great way to avoid using a laptop now.
  • Reply 8 of 28
    jace88jace88 Posts: 36member
    jameskatt2 wrote: »
    Even better than this Logitech keyboard is the Perixx PERIBOARD-805L W. http://perixx.com/en/products/perixx-pro-4.html

    This is a folding full-sized key bluetooth keyboard. It has REAL keys. They have great key travel and feel. I can rapidly touch type with it. It folds to the size of an iPhone 6 Plus. You can keep it in your pocket. It lasts months on a charge.

    It is far better than the Logitech Keyboard described in this article. And at $29.95 it is cheaper too.

    I think you're comparing something very different here because I aso looked into the small and or foldable Bluetooth keyboards as well but the thing with these is they may offer an improved typing experience but they are thicker/heavier making them harder to carry or just simply noticeable which can be a deal breaker for some (I needed something super light which I could throw in my folder or small bag so that it was there for me if I needed it). Whilst I haventnphysically held the one you linked in real life, I don't think I would be carrying it in my suit pockets not wouldn't fit in a thin compendium. It would be ideal for someone who had a bit more luggage space and presumably was going to be typing a lot.
  • Reply 9 of 28
    The keybord gets 90% quality points although:
    - you cant use it on your lap. Therefor you need an extra table or whatsoever
    - the typing haptics seems to be of low quality. But what do i buy then?
    - therefore it is expensive

    It seems that only thinness and maybe size matters. Everything else forget about. So whats it for?

    Not even that someone would recommend such thing for a specific use case.
  • Reply 10 of 28
    appexappex Posts: 687member
    Just get a real computer: MacBook Air. No jail, true USB ports, decent fully accesible file system, no need to send you files by eMail to get them on other Mac, no application sandboxing, open and work with any file from any source, full compatibility with the world (Windows, Linux, etc), run also other operating systems via Boot Camp or VMware Fusion, much powerful, and much, much much more...
  • Reply 11 of 28
    jace88jace88 Posts: 36member
    gestalter wrote: »
    The keybord gets 90% quality points although:
    - you cant use it on your lap. Therefor you need an extra table or whatsoever
    - the typing haptics seems to be of low quality. But what do i buy then?
    - therefore it is expensive

    It seems that only thinness and maybe size matters. Everything else forget about. So whats it for?

    Not even that someone would recommend such thing for a specific use case.

    What do you mean you can't use it on your lap? I've done it before? I think that missing out on the click you get from a normal keyboard means it takes some time to get used to but it's better than touch screen or typing on either the thin fabric rolling keyboards or the projection ones. For me at the start the challenge was learning to type heavy again- in recent years I've tried to deliberately type lighter so it doesn't make so much noise.

    I think the use case is there as long as it's not your main keyboard or input device.

    I wasn't convinced of the Logitech keys to go when I first touched it but after trying it a while, I'm very happy I went with this and left the keyboard type case for my partner (who subsequently has taken it off as she didn't use it that often but it made the iPad air 2 significantly heavier).
  • Reply 12 of 28
    waltgwaltg Posts: 90member
    Years ago when I had my handspring,,, I had a folding keyboard for it that worked really well and folded up quite small.. This doesn't look much different than carrying around a full size keyboard other than it is thin....
  • Reply 13 of 28
    anantksundaramanantksundaram Posts: 20,403member
    Is it me, or do some of the posts here sound a tad 'sponsored'?
  • Reply 14 of 28
    jace88jace88 Posts: 36member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by anantksundaram View Post



    Is it me, or do some of the posts here sound a tad 'sponsored'?

     

    Unsure if you're referring to me or the AppleInsider review, or the guy who linked to a random Bluetooth keyboard lol.

     

    I'm just someone who put in a lot of thought and effort into finding the right keyboard for my usage needs, and was pleasantly surprised by how well the Keys To Go turned out given the reviews online weren't great, it wasn't cheap, and it didn't feel that great to type on in the store.

  • Reply 15 of 28
    stephenroblesstephenrobles Posts: 91member, moderator, editor
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by anantksundaram View Post



    Is it me, or do some of the posts here sound a tad 'sponsored'?



    I can assure you this was not. I personally bought this and had been looking for something portable that was not a keyboard case. Liked this enough to write about it  

  • Reply 16 of 28
    stephenroblesstephenrobles Posts: 91member, moderator, editor
    gestalter wrote: »
    The keybord gets 90% quality points although:
    - you cant use it on your lap. Therefor you need an extra table or whatsoever
    - the typing haptics seems to be of low quality. But what do i buy then?
    - therefore it is expensive

    It seems that only thinness and maybe size matters. Everything else forget about. So whats it for?

    Not even that someone would recommend such thing for a specific use case.

    I found it not ideal on a lap, but actually like the tactile response. That's a personal preference and not everyone will agree. For a non-keyboard case option, compared to the alternatives, I highly suggest it.
  • Reply 17 of 28
    roakeroake Posts: 809member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by AppeX View Post



    Just get a real computer: MacBook Air. No Jail, true USB ports, decent fully accesible file system, no need to send you files by eMail to get them on other Mac, no application sandboxing, much powerful, etc.

     

    This is rapidly headed toward being untrue.  Required application sandboxing is coming soon.

  • Reply 18 of 28
    nolamacguynolamacguy Posts: 4,758member
    appex wrote: »
    Just get a real computer: MacBook Air. No Jail, true USB ports, decent fully accesible file system, no need to send you files by eMail to get them on other Mac, no application sandboxing, much powerful, etc.

    If you're still emailing files to yourself from an iPad to your Mac, you're doing it wrong.
  • Reply 19 of 28
    nolamacguynolamacguy Posts: 4,758member
    roake wrote: »
    This is rapidly headed toward being untrue.  Required application sandboxing is coming soon.

    What on earth are you talking about? What rubbish. On the Mac sandbox is limited to MAS purchases, and there is nothing indicating that will change. Nothing. You're free to install whatever you want.
  • Reply 20 of 28
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by NolaMacGuy View Post





    If you're still emailing files to yourself from an iPad to your Mac, you're doing it wrong.



    Pretty much. The CloudTM exists for a reason.

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