Thursday, August 23, 2012
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Logitech has released the K310, its first washable keyboard.
We’re not just talking about “splash proof” either — you can take the K310, immerse it in up to 30cm of water (12in), and give it a good scrub. The only limitation is you can only use standard washing up liquid — oh, and Logitech says you should try to keep the USB connector out of the water, too. Once you’ve washed the keyboard, simply leave it to dry. The user guide says it takes eight hours to air dry, and that you shouldn’t use a hair dryer. There are actually drainage holes on the backside of the K310, to help speed things along.
Beyond being washable, the K310 is a standard 104/105-key USB PC keyboard, with soggy rubber dome switches (boo). The switches are rated at five million cycles (yay), and the keys are laser cut so that the letters don’t fade — if only washing clothes was so easy. The specs don’t list Mac OS X as a supported OS, but in all likelihood the K310 works just fine. Don’t try putting your Mac in the sink, though — if it’s been at least 9 months, you’re probably better off just buying a new one.
Logitech is actually fairly late to the washable keyboard party. HP, Kensington, and Unotron have all had washable keyboards on the market for a while — but in general, these are dull, black, clunky units that seem more oriented towards industrial and medical settings. It also isn’t clear if these are open-air units (like normal keyboards), or if they’re sealed (like the keyboards you’ve seen in McDonald’s). The Logitech keyboard, on the other hand, is quite attractive and looks just like a normal, consumer-oriented keyboard.
So, there you have it — if you regularly spill Coke or other sticky and/or goopy fluids on your keyboard, or if you regularly shed a lot of body hair (like me), grab a Logitech K310. It goes on sale at the end of the month for $40. If you’ve never spilled Coke on your keyboard before, Logitech has provided a helpful, demonstrative video:
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