Logitech brings out Wireless Desktop MK710 with a claimed three-year battery life
By Vlad Savov 
posted February 10th 2010 7:31AM
posted February 10th 2010 7:31AM
posted February 10th 2010 7:31AM
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I wish a world where the battery life wasn't a problem. For example :
-"hey, do you charge your cellphone?"
-"yes, i charged it just a year ago".
^____^
@magallanes please let them make a bluetooth set... and while you're at it... can you just make a bluetooth mouse with a qwerty (cell phone style) text pad under the scroll wheel? tyvm
Touche. My Bold 9700 lasts 3/4 of one day. My old 9000 lasted half a day. My Touch HD lasts about half a day as well lol.
With the exception of those top media buttons, how is this thing too large? It's the average size you'd get with a full-size desktop keyboard with a numberpad installed.
@Prevacator I don't get it either. This is the layout I prefer. I had the vertical layed out home/end/pageup/down button and much prefer this horizontal layout as well as the dedicated number pad. For my desktop this seems to be the keyboard I've been waiting for. The mouse seems to be what I like as well (back/forward buttons for the thumb are a must), so I'll probably go pick this up right away. I only hope it is constructed properly internally and can keep up with a very fast typing rate, unlike some of their cheaper ones.
@jonyah It doesn't look like the wrist rest pops off like it usually would. Maybe they're referring to that.
@Prevacator Agree, I have the MK700 and I have to say it's a lot smaller than people think, the integrated palm rest actually saves space, and I prefer the more angular shape over round ones. The keyboard itself is pretty thin, and the new flat style keys are huge. One thing I don't like is the status icons are extremely dim, the passive LCD screen is recessed so it's really hard to see what's on there, but then again, nothing to see there neither.
Nice nice, could you make the Fxx keys any smaller with a gap between F8 and F9 the size of Kansas perhaps? I'm getting tired of having any kind of control over them. Perhaps omit the Esc key entirely? And what about not making an L shaped Enter key, who needs that, right?
@vVv
HHAHA, made me LOL!
@vVv
I've always understood the small enter key to be a normal American thing, they move the "|\" key from next to the left shift to have that full sized in exchange for the smaller enter key. You can tell it's an American layout by the switched @ and ". The other points still stand, no need for that massive gap between F8 and F9.
@vVv WHy do you need L shape enter key? And people do use the Esc key. I use it, mostly it is used for backing out of menus, such as in games.
@vVv
I'm perfectly happy with the enter key and the escape key the way they are on this (and the horizontally-oriented cluster above the arrow keys) but yeah, I really did not need all that space between F8 and F9. Hell, their logo isn't even that big, so why waste all that room?
@Old fogie late bloomer
I guess so you can easily hit it from any angle when you are writing.
i've been using the lx710 set for quite a while and the batteries on that mouse already go on for over a year, easy, plus a lot longer for the keyboard
tbh, i don't see much practical difference in replacing batteries every year or every 3 years - call me when they don't need batteries at all
@mrqs
My Logitech S510 keyboard is nearly 4 years old and only had 2 pairs of AAA batteries.
@pesh56
No - the Logitech unifying receiver uses their proprietary RF protocol. My understanding is that bluetooth is a bit rubbish in terms of latency for wireless mice - you can buy them, but they wouldn't be suitable for gaming for example.
Wow...that's odd. I saw this exact combo at my local Dick Smith electronic store about a week ago. I was bemused that I had'nt heard of any release or reviews. Since when was Aus the leading capital of tech releases? I guess it must be our lucky day.
with a battery life like this, batteries could be sealed. When the time to recharge comes, you'll will be throwing it away already.
@Verythrax Ummm...I've been using my MX700 combo on my primary computer for 7 years now, and they are still going strong for gaming and work! Why would I throw it out and get something else like this that essentially offers nothing over the 8-year old MX700, as long as my old one keeps working, I'll use it!
@Verythrax
It's almost like that on my diNovo Edge keyboard from Logitech. One charge lasts a month or more of daily use. Sometimes I wonder WTH just happened when it dies, and I'm like "Oh yeah, I haven't charged it in 2 months."
@pesh56 Nope. It uses Logitech's proprietary "Unifying receiver". Althought it does take a USB port, it's so tiny you can leave it there, and it lets you use pair it with up to six compatible Logitech devices (they must be Unifying-compatible).
That's quite a nice keyboard. I'll probably be buying it when it hits DubLi, and like Verythrax says, 3 years is a good life for a keyboard. Woo!
Even 3 years is too short if it dies in the middle of doing something.
@Endadget
i suspect there might be a feature to let the user know the batteries are running low before that happens, but what do i know
@mrqs
What if you go on vacation for a week and come back, want to use the PC quickly, but the batteries have died in the mean time?
I've used a wireless mouse. Never again. (Unless I need to use it from the couch or something and cable is just not possible.)
Besides, it's heavier than a corded mouse, so the advantage of not having a clumsy cable is moot.
@Endadget it has an lcd display with the battery life indicated (per the specs on logitech's website)
Ive been using the mx5000 for years now. This one disconnects a lot, and even more if you install the logitech software.
Does this mean we would experience even more disconnects from this new keyboard/mouse? (saving energy)
Did you know that my wifi 802.11g/n interferes with my bt mouse/keyboard? It is even more pronounced when transferring large files over wifi.
Re the comment about the keyboard being slightly on the podgy side of slim - I have very happily been using a Logitech S510M keyboard/mouse combo for a couple of years now, but when I received one of those compact Apple bluetooth keyboards with my new iMac 27 I decided to just give it a quick go. To cut a long story short, I haven't switched back. I love the fact that I've got much more free space on my desk, and the action of the keyboard is great. I don't miss the slightly greater functionality (the Apple keyboard does most of the things I want besides typing anyway) at all.
PLease OH PLEASE tell me that the function keys defaults are FUNCTION KEYS not open word document etc. I hate that I have to remember to press the function button before the function keys do what I would want them to or reprogram F2 so that it does what F2 should. I'd like to know percentage wise how many people use the function keys to open word or excel.
I'm all for the Unifying thing because it reduces the number of USB ports you need for your peripherals. I've got a VX Nano around here someplace for my laptop that uses a very similar receiver and you'd be hard pressed to know it was even there when plugged in.
If they did this in a Mac edition I'd be all over it.
This wireless keyboard has display for CAPS lock!!! WANT.
well 3 years based on 2 million keystrokes per year, 5500 odd per day, 450-500 per hour....not a lot so expect it to last a year or less.
not bad i suppose.
@pesh56 I was really hoping it my be BT 3.0 or 4.0. I'll wait until there is a new BT model. Some say there is a lag with BT - I have a 2.0 BT keyboard and mouse - I type about 40WPM and I don't suffer any delay. Maybe if I could type 80WPM I would notice, but I don't know too many people who type that fast.
@boe Actually, for gaming, BT mice (in my experience) are much laggier and have more glitches than regular 2.4Ghz RF mice. I have both and I much prefer the RF set for gaming, whereas the BT ones are decent enough for work/typing/internet stuff.
Jesus Christ!! A Logitech keyboard with properly sized Delete key in Insert/Delete/Home/End/Page Up/Page Down cluster. I just might buy it.
This was reported in "Business Wire"? I would think that some businesses might be a bit concerned about transmitting their keystrokes to anyone with a high gain antenna.
Oh for the love of...
Bought a new wireless keyboard/mouse on Sunday. Logitech MK300. It's nice, but this would've been better. The palm rest is too big though.
this or the mx5500? that has a nicer mouse and my hp envy has internal bluetooth for it. and only 10 pounds more in the uk.
once again... logitech bypasses mac support. i dont care if it has a stupid windows logo on the key... just make a driver for it. its not that hard.
@Microdot If there's any consolation, there's more left-handed people (like me) than Mac users, and this set is useless to us too.
3 year omg...but I have a keyboard in which the battery life last over a year if not more. Plus I use a wired mouse for gaming and a wireless rechargeable mouse for media. All my mice are Logitech I admit.
I'm getting it. I have two Logitech desktop sets with wireless optical mouse/keyboard combos that have lasted for many years and work flawlessly, except that the old optical mouse does not work on my wife's ikea red tabletop. This looks like the perfect replacement, and the unifying receiver is a nice touch.
Dear Logitech,
I like having my Windows and Application Menu keys on the right as well. Please stop mucking around with the keyboard layout. Thank you.