Many of us use a Bluetooth keyboard with our Mac or our iPad, but using the same keyboard with multiple devices can be a real pain in the neck, since Bluetooth doesn’t elegantly let you pair one accessory with multiple devices.
For a little while now, Logitech has been trying to massage away that pain with a series of keyboards that can switch between being paired with a Mac and iOS device, but Logitech’s new Bluetooth Multi-Device Keyboard K480 makes it easier than ever. And it has a built-in stand for your iPad or iPhone to boot.
Multiple simultaneous pairings are not allowed under the Bluetooth spec, so the way Logitech seems to get around this is by including multiple Bluetooth radios inside their keyboards, which are then switched between by pressing the corresponding button.
The Bluetooth Multi-Device Keyboard K480 turns this button into a dial, making it much easier and more elegant to cycle through your pairings. And in addition, the clever keyboard design allows you to just slot your iPad or iPhone into your keyboard to prop it up and type.
The keyboard is available now for just $50, which seems quite reasonable for a decent keyboard that pairs with multiple devices simultaneously. You can purchase one here.
John Brownlee is a writer for Fast Company, and a contributing writer here at CoM. He has also written for Wired, Playboy, Boing Boing, Popular Mechanics, VentureBeat, and Gizmodo. He lives in Boston with his wife and two parakeets. You can follow him here on Twitter.
