Jump back in time six or seven years ago and many home offices required large computer desks to store a computer, a large monitor, speaker system, wired keyboard and mouse, printers, faxes, copiers, and much more.
As with most things, time changes the way we do things. Most items become smaller, stylish, and more modern. Just recently I built a brand new custom computer for myself and during the process I took the time to unclutter my desk. I run two machines on one desk, so with two monitors already placed on the desk, I took the time to modernize the area.
Something that Apple does well is crafting beautiful All-In-One, AiO for short, systems that stay looking stylish and wonderful for many years. However, when it comes to the mouse and keyboard, you’re still stuck with having two items, a separate mouse and keyboard.
To fix this situation, Logitech has developed a new AiO system, one that combines the keyboard and mouse, which saves space, batteries, removes wires, and just offers an overall better look on your uncluttered desk. The style uses a large laptop-like touchpad with flat key caps to enable a nearly perfect experience.
Welcome to my review of the Logitech TK820 Wireless All-In-One keyboard. Throughout this in-depth review, I will be covering the following topics: the design, features, functionality, and my overall thoughts. I would like to thank Logitech for providing the TK820 for review.
The Design
When browsing the TK820 product page, the gallery shows the unit as having a blue hue on the face and rear of the unit. Contrary to this, the top face and back are a matte black colour with blue only appearing on the edges of the unit.
Built using an all plastic body, the TK820 weighes in at only 26.62 ounces or 783 grams. Even though the keyboard is plastic, it maintains a strong ruggedness with the unit not bending even under stress. Moreover, at a thickness of only 0.8 inches (21.7 mm), the TK820 is one of the thinnest keyboards on the market.
The top face of the keyboard contains 16.1 inches (409.5 mm) of keys and a large touchpad. The keys themselves use a flat design that are well raised, giving decent travel time before bottoming out. Key rows two through four use Logitech’s Incurve keys that are slightly concave to allow your fingers to glide from key to key as well as rest in the center of the key. After a few months of use, I find that it’s nice to have, but nothing particularly special. Lastly, Logitech make sure to use long enter, shift, and backspace keys.
Moving on, this AiO unit combines the standard QWERTY keyboard with a 4.17 x 4.17 inch (106 x 106mm) laptop style touchpad. More on the keys and touchpad later on.
Finally, the design of the keyboard fulfils the requirement of saving space on a computer desk and is a perfect size for both typing and using the touchpad. Unfortunately, the TK820 lacks any backlit keys or an attached number pad. The keyboard is wireless and powered by four AA batteries that claim can last up to six months with standard usage; my four Duracell ProCell batteries have yet to drain below high after multiple weeks of usage.
Features
Like any modern Logitech product, the TK820 supports the wireless capability of their Unifying receiver. One USB port can handle six Logitech products, but since the idea behind this keyboard is to save space, hopefully you don’t need all six connected products.
Returning to the keys, Logitech chose to incorporate their PerfectStroke key system, very similar to the K800 keyboard I reviewed here. They claim that every key is smooth and quiet and although the smooth keys is true, they are certainly not all that quiet. Key strokes are rated at 55 dBA which is a reasonable volume for a keyboard. However, the space bar is significantly louder compared to the other keys; the rest of the keys are well muted.
It doesn’t end there for the keys. With the Logitech SetPoint software, you can create customized settings that personalize your unit. Having Windows 8 in mind, you can enable custom keys to launch certain applications. The software also allows you to use Windows 8 commands such as swiping from the sides of the touchpad to open the Charms menu.
Last, but not least, is the touchpad used on the TK820. The large size of the touchpad is quite satisfying and enjoyable to use. It supports multi-finger touch and appears to have a palm rejection. The only downside to this keyboard would, unfortunately, be the touchpad. It uses a click anywhere design, meaning you can push the touchpad down to click in Windows, with the bottom right corner being right click. The downside is that the actuator of the touchpad is flimsy and somewhat cheap. After a long period of usage, I noticed that it was much easier to use the touchpad by utilizing the touch to click feature. I eventually got used to doing this, but it is still annoying as with a keyboard at this price should have a better touchpad click function.
One feature that I’ve come to like to that the keyboard supports a 5 million keystroke claim and even uses a spill-resistant design. The keyboard should last you a life time and will still work even after that accidental coffee spill.
Finally, for those who are setting up their own personal home theater, the TK820 offers a far range of signal strength. I walked nearly ten feet away from my PC in a straight line and still have the keyboard function without lag.
Functionality
Over the course of a few weeks, I’ve come to enjoy typing on the TK820. Typing on the keyboard is pleasant and feels no different than my Dell laptop that I also use on a daily basis.
The touchpad, although finicky, is still nice and large and allows me to browse the internet easily and relaxed. If you’re a gamer, then you may want to think twice about the touchpad. Some, including myself, dislike a touchpad for gaming and with the TK820 having a strange click, it can make it even more difficult.
All in all, the TK820 fulfilled my needs of a sleek, stylish, and space-saving keyboard to modernize my desk. I’ve chosen to keep this keyboard as my main daily driver on my brand new desktop.
My Overall Thoughts
I would be happy paying around $50 – $70 for this sleek keyboard; however, Logitech priced this unit at $99.99 and at that price it’s a stretch for those who seek an AiO keyboard. Luckily at the point of writing this, Amazon has this keyboard for $69.99 which is an outstanding price. The build quality is unmatched by other brands and I would still recommend this unit for those who seek the design. Just like the photo above, a user running Windows 8 and an AiO system is what this unit is all about.
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