Logitech K400r Review

[flibberdipper]

 

 

INTRO

I just got this over the weekend, so I haven't used it for a super long time, but I have used it enough to get a review going of it that I feel will be worth it.

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

I was originally going to get the K800, but then I realized it was out of my price range, and this was the next best option, since I needed to have something with a touchpad and a close to full sized keyboard. I got it at Best Buy for $31 and some change (including tax), and I was expecting it to be worse than it actually is. And it is a really small device too, so I can see why Logitech really markets it as an HTPC keyboard.

 

KEYBOARD

The keyboard is pretty nice to type on. The keys are a little on the louder side if you type like what I do, but other than that, the keyboard is pretty nice. It's fairly comfortable to type on (you don't have to mash the keys to make them work), and there is a pretty short travel distance, which is pretty nice. But there are a few things that annoy the hell out of me. In order to save space, Logitech squished the arrow keys into the rest of the keyboard, and because of this, the right shift key is really small. Due to this, I tend to hit both it and the up arrow which selects a bunch of text, causing you to delete it and type over it. Not only that, but it is pretty uncomfortable to hit since it is so damn small. The enter and backspace keys are also smaller than normal, but they're okay. And for some reason, Logitech decided that the media controls and Windows 8-exclusive features were more important than the F key functions, so most of the time you have to hit the FN key and the function button in order to do what you want. Alt+F4 seems to be unaffected thank god. For some reason, next to the "media controls" (buttons on the top left of the keyboard), there is a fairly pointless button for the touchpad that basically just left clicks...

 

TOUCHPAD

The touchpad is pretty nice. It seems to have no problem doing what I tell it to, and two finger scrolling works pretty well all of the time. It seems to have some problems with the two-finger right click, but that might be due to my OS being Windows XP. The touchpad buttons are quiet when you decide to use them, other than when you wiggle them. Then there is some noise. But this is a cheap keyboard, so that's fine. And I don't know if it's just because I haven't gotten the keyboard "broken in" yet, but when I use the touchpad, my finger kinda skips along. But I had the same issue with my Chromebook, but once I started to use it more I didn't have the problem any more.

 

LOOKS

Since this is supposed to be a media center keyboard, it looks pretty damn nice if I do say so myself. I got the black version (there is a white version), and as the one picture shows, it is a pretty clean looking keyboard. Thre is a little line design thing on the touchpad as the other picture shows, which I kind of like for some reason. And just to point it out, the Logitech logo above the touchpad is kinda silver, but unless you stare at it in person, you wouldn't know. As for the lines on the touchpad, they are light and dark grey. The bottom of the keyboard is white, so there is a small white strip going around the keyboard.

 

BATTERY LIFE

I haven't had it for very long, but if my MK270 combo is any indication, it will probably last a pretty long time. It uses 2 AA batteries, and it does have an on/off switch on the front? (side of the keyboard that would be facing your computer, I guess) right in front of the touchpad.

 

QUALITY

For a $30 keyboard, I feel that it is reasonably well built. During my "flex test", it felt like it flexed less than my K270, which isn't bad. Everything feels really solid about it, whether you're using the keyboard or using the touchpad to play Plants vs Zombies. The soft rubber feet on the bottom of the keyboard do a pretty nice job holding it in place on your desk, and they don't leave any marks on your desk (I have had a problem with a keyboard doing that before).

 

CONCLUSION

For the price, I feel that this is a pretty nice little keyboard. It does have its flaws, but if you were using this for an HTPC like it was designed to be used with, the little flaws would probably be a lot lower on your list than what they are for me.

 

IS IT WORTH IT?

Yes. For an HTPC or even light usage for a laptop or desktop, I can say that this is a pretty good choice. You won't really want to type on it a ton if you use the right shift key all the time like I do, since it is so small and is a bit of a reach, but other than that, this is a pretty solid keyboard for the price.

[Zeke]

Speaking of HTPC keyboards, I wish they hadn't discontinued their DiNovo mini...

[flibberdipper]

Speaking of HTPC keyboards, I wish they hadn't discontinued their DiNovo mini...

Why? What made it so nice (I honestly don't know)?

[LarsReviews]

I have that keyboard too. The build quality is really great, like you mentioned. Best HTPC keyboard.

[flibberdipper]

I have that keyboard too. The build quality is really great, like you mentioned. Best HTPC keyboard.

Small shift key is still annoying as all hell though.

[Ayo99]

Do you prefer the keypad over a physical mouse when it comes to hardcore gaming 

[Zeke]

Why? What made it so nice (I honestly don't know)?

Really compact yet functional.

[flibberdipper]

Do you prefer the keypad over a physical mouse when it comes to hardcore gaming 

Definetly not. Even when I play Space Hack (look it up on Steam), I use my M40 which is right next to this. Plants vs Zombies is pretty good with it, as is Minecraft. Really handy in Euro Truck Simulator 2 when you have to use the menus.

 

Really compact yet functional.

I see.

[LarsReviews]

You should do a range test, because I can stand in my yard and that thing will still be connected to the PC.

[flibberdipper]

You should do a range test, because I can stand in my yard and that thing will still be connected to the PC.

They go a long way.

[flibberdipper]

where are numpad keys in this?

There aren't any.