Logitech has been on a roll this month, first announcing a bunch of gaming hardware and following up with a batch of office headphones. The company’s Signature Slim Solar+ K980 keyboard is the next new product to enter the lineup and, as you might guess from the name, it’s solar powered. Sorta.
See, the keyboard uses light to charge its internal battery, but, much like Casio calculators from the days before we asked computers to think for us, the light needn’t come from the sun. The Signature Slim Solar+ is “powered by solar and artificial light sources for zero-hassle wireless typing and instant productivity.”
Logitech sees the light
There are slight terms and conditions, of course. A certain strength of artificial lighting is needed to recharge the keyboard — 200 lux, to be exact. We’re not about to give you the calculation in lumens, because it’s complicated and depends on surface area, but that’s how strong the ambient light must be. Logitech reckons that you’ll only need this once in a while, however. When fully charged, the Signature Slim Solar+ K980 will operate for up to four months at a time without needing any more light.
The keyboard’s internal battery is rated for ten years, but the company also reckons it’s easily replaceable on your own, should something untoward happen. Charging takes place via a solar cell strip above the function keys, while the Signature Slim Solar+’s typey bits utilise scissor switches. The full-sized keyboard includes a number pad, and Logitech’s hardware is compatible with multiple operating systems. Three different OSes may be linked and swapped between at a time. An action key can be programmed via the Logi Options+ app to launch a chosen AI assistant.
The Logitech Signature Slim Solar+ K980 keyboard is set to retail overseas for R1,750 ($100), with an upgraded model with USB-C charging in addition to solar going for R2,000. At present, the human interface device doesn’t appear on the brand’s local website, which is a pity. We’ve got plenty of ambient light in South Africa, and batteries (and electricity) are expensive.
