Logitech MK235 Keyboard and Mouse Combo

Excellent inexpensive wireless mouse and keyboard combination – I’m a nerd, and I love my computers and gadgets. Now that Bluetooth has become ubiquitous with electronic equipment, it is an obvious move to use wireless data-entry equipment in place of the traditional wired variety, namely as a keyboard and mouse. But in the past my attempts with Bluetooth versions have not been all that successful. I have a shelf stuffed with old Bluetooth keyboards and mouses, which I have abandoned. They never really operated properly - they would lose their connection, or when I was typing they would lag behind, generate 100 repetitions of the letter ‘k’, or else the pointer on the screen would head for outerspace for no reason.

Now that I’m retired, I am doing a lot more writing and therefore typing. It’s important to change sitting positions and my stance to avoid sitting in one spot for long periods, I find. So I decided to try to get a Bluetooth system that permits more freedom of movement. Having been stung in the past, I decided to try out an economical version, and the Logitech MK235 wireless mouse and keyboard (~$40)was right in the sweet spot for that. I’ve found that Logitech stuff is usually of above-average quality, which is partly why I chose it. Quite by accident, I ended up with an excellent set of equipment that turned out to be a lot better than I expected.

This equipment is inexpensive so I did not have too high hopes, but it turned out to be an excellent choice. It connects by a specialised dongle that goes into a USB port on my laptop. So you do lose one USB port, which might be an issue for some users. Nevertheless this arrangement seems to overcome the problem of Bluetooth lag and dropouts; since I’ve used it none have occurred.

The keyboard does not have a power switch; it needs two AAA batteries, which supposedly last around 3 years. I’ve been using it for over a year now with the original batteries. The mouse takes a single AA battery, which is supposed to last a year, but does have an off/on switch on its base, which I use. I’m still on the original battery, although I do usually power it off when I’m not using it for a time.

Importantly, the keyboard ‘feel’ is okay. The keys do have a lot of play, and its a trifle noisy, but I find it is comfortable and works well. It has the full set of keys, including the numeric section at the right hand end of the fairly large footprint. (It also works with a Chromebook to provide the ‘missing’ keys from the Chromebook keyboard like Delete and Caps Lock). The mouse is small, but a comfortable fit in my hand. Because it’s at the cheaper end for this equipment, you don’t expect a brilliant performance, but I have been impressed by how well it works. Recommended.