Logitech has announced the Craft wireless keyboard
with the Creative Input Dial. Also called the Crown, the dial is almost like
having the Surface Dial built into your keyboard.
The Crown is compatible with a handful of
applications and basic Windows functions by default. In Photoshop and
Illustrator, for example, users can control functions like zoom, brush size,
hardness, opacity, brightness, contrast, saturation, object size and more by
just turning the dial. In Excel you can navigate the tables, zoom into them,
quickly create charts by marking the tables, and more. In Spotify, you can
navigate through your playlists and control playback. Using the SDK, more
developers can add support for the Crown for their apps.
The Logitech software shows on screen options for
the currently open application and you can switch between the options by
tapping the dial and then turning it to adjust that value. Apart from the
built-in list of applications, the dial can also control other things like media
playback and volume.
The keyboard is a standard membrane style with
backlight that senses motion and can automatically turn on and off. The
keyboard has keycaps with both, Windows and macOS key legends. The keyboard can
connect using the Logitech wireless receiver or Bluetooth and can be connected
to three devices simultaneously and switched between them with the touch of a
button.
The Logitech Craft keyboard is priced at US$ 199 and
will be available in October.
