Logitech MK540 Advanced – Coffee-proof keyboard
It’s probably a bit of an overstatement by Logitech to call this ‘Advanced’. You do get a few extra features to justify the label. As well as the usual set of function keys, there are four extra ones above the numeric keypad to launch the Calculator app, check your laptop battery level, go to the Windows lock screen or eject a disc, as well as four round buttons across the top to control playback and volume. Install Logitech’s Options software on your PC and you can customise many of these further.
A sensible design with comfortable keys, a wrist rest and the ability to shrug off a spilled coffee
An integrated wrist rest provides support for those who like to type with the heels of their hands pressed against the front of the keyboard and their fingers all scrunched up. And adjustable feet at the rear can tilt the whole setup by four or eight degrees; alternatively, you can leave it flat.
Advanced, though? Hardly. The MK540’s real selling point is that it’s designed to cope with spills. Of course, we tested this by chucking a cup of coffee over it. This may have looked, to the
SPECIFICATIONS
Wireless keyboard and mouse set • 2.4GHz USB receiver • Requires Windows 7, 8 or 10 or Chrome OS • Keyboard: 24x457x194mm (HxWxD), 850g (with batteries) • Mouse: 39x62x112mm (HxWxD), 98g • Two-year warranty
untrained eye, like an accident. Some of our colleagues may have made that mistake. But in fact it was carefully planned, just like all those other times we’ve spilled drinks on standard keyboards that couldn’t cope. As part of our scientific method, we then sprinted to the sink and rinsed the MK540 under the tap. After a few minutes it worked fine, and continued to do so.
The keys are nicely shaped and arranged as you’d expect, with medium travel and a bit of a click, but nothing too noisy. Included in the price is a matching mouse, which has a scroll wheel and a programmable third button and is shaped comfortably for both left and right- handed users. It felt skittishly lightweight at first, but we got used to it, and it’s neither too big to pack easily with a laptop nor too small for chunky’ hands.
Both the keyboard and the mouse connect wirelessly to the tiny Logitech Unified USB dongle (note that there are no wired or Bluetooth options), and their standard alkaline AA batteries should last three years for the keyboard or 18 months for the mouse.
VERDICT:
A sensibly designed keyboard and mouse with every element where you’d expect plus a few extras, so it’s a fair deal
ALTERNATIVE:
Logitech K375s
Sold alone, this comes with the same USB dongle but also works with Bluetooth devices, including Macs