Logitech K600 TV Keyboard

THE MASTER OF THE LOUNGE-ROOM KEYBOARD REFINES ITS DESIGN.

LOGITECH’S NO STRANGER to creating keyboards for lounge room use — its K400r is widely considered to be the current go-to for entertainment setups that require a lot of typing — but the K600 TV is the first model that’s being specifically pitched at smart televisions. It’s officially compatible with a select range of newer-model TVs (released in the last two or so years) from Samsung, LG, Sony and Philips, but should in theory also work on any set or streaming device that’s running the Android TV OS — we tested it with an Nvidia Shield TV for this review.

Cutting straight to the punch, without a doubt this is the best lounge room keyboard Logitech has ever produced. Keyboards are always going to be somewhat clunky in this environment, but the K600 tackles this more elegantly than we’ve seen before. It essentially has two modes; you can, traditionally, set it down on your lap for when you want to mouse and type or, alternatively, pick it up with two hands and use it like a giant gamepad, gripping each side while employing your thumbs to access the various buttons and controls on its curved (and palm-friendly) edges. On the right, there’s both a D-pad and trackpad for general menu navigation, with buttons for left- and right-clicking, opening up a search window (where supported) or going home, back or switching apps.

On a standard TV interface, it all works remarkably well in use and its 12-month battery life – provided by two AAA batteries – mean you shouldn’t suddenly be caught with a dead keyboard when you need it most. (You can also manually switch it off when not in use using a button on the top-right edge.)

It’s not particularly well-suited to gaming (but trackpads never are) and we do wish it were backlit for better use in a darkened room (although that would come at the cost of battery life), but in every other area the K600 TV genuinely shines — and it even feels like it’s built tough enough to be able to withstand the occasional tumble off the couch.

[ DAN GARDINER ]