Targus, a well-known computer accessories manufacturer, based in the United States, has given a lot of high-quality products in the past with affordable price tags. With over 45 offices worldwide and direct distribution in over 100 countries, this California based corporation is known for its mobile computing accessories. Recently I came across one of their products, which in my opinion was one of their coolest yet, and something which I've been wanting since long, the Targus KB55 Multi-Platform Bluetooth Keyboard.
I was looking for a Bluetooth keyboard for my laptop but couldn't find anything suitable in the budget which I was willing to spend until I came across Targus KB55. The KB55 seemed perfect for my taste, it was slim, light-weight, in my budget and also supported multiple platforms including my Android phone. I've been using KB55 Bluetooth keyboard since two weeks now and finally decided to review it.
Design
The design of Targus KB55 is very minimalistic, compact & reminds of Apple Mac keyboard, it is very slim, light weight and easy to carry around. The keyboard is made up of plastic and weighs around 300 grams with batteries. On the bottom, you get rubber grippers which will prevent the keyboard from slipping & help in keeping the keyboard stable.
The keyboard is slightly angled, making your fingers rest naturally on it when typing, the bottom section also contains the ON/OFF switch button, the Bluetooth pairing button and the battery housing. The Targus KB55 requires 2 x AAA batteries in order to work.
Targus KB55 Bluetooth keyboard comes with 78 keys overall and does not include the number pad on the right side. It does come with a battery indicator which is located just before the Targus logo on the top-right side of the keyboard. Overall the design & build of KB55 is amazing, the material used for the body (even though plastic) feels premium & presentable. I would've really appreciated a Caps Lock indicator light but there is no such thing present, also I wish it had back-lighting keys.
The design of Targus KB55 is very minimalistic, compact & reminds of Apple Mac keyboard, it is very slim, light weight and easy to carry around. The keyboard is made up of plastic and weighs around 300 grams with batteries. On the bottom, you get rubber grippers which will prevent the keyboard from slipping & help in keeping the keyboard stable.
The keyboard is slightly angled, making your fingers rest naturally on it when typing, the bottom section also contains the ON/OFF switch button, the Bluetooth pairing button and the battery housing. The Targus KB55 requires 2 x AAA batteries in order to work.
Targus KB55 Bluetooth keyboard comes with 78 keys overall and does not include the number pad on the right side. It does come with a battery indicator which is located just before the Targus logo on the top-right side of the keyboard. Overall the design & build of KB55 is amazing, the material used for the body (even though plastic) feels premium & presentable. I would've really appreciated a Caps Lock indicator light but there is no such thing present, also I wish it had back-lighting keys.
Performance
The best thing about Targus KB55 Bluetooth keyboard is that it supports multiple-platforms & probably all of them. Targus KB55 can be used with Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Linux etc. Although it uses Bluetooth 3.0 technology which is kind of old these days, but still connects flawlessly and performs well. The keyboard comes with all keys which a windows or mac user might require, the ALT key is also labeled as Option and the Windows key is labeled as Command, the Backspace key is labeled as Delete and the Enter key is also labeled as Return. so the mac users will be able to use the keyboard without any problem. One problem which I came across on the keys layout is that the positions of Fn key & CTRL key were interchanged, this was annoying at first and required getting used to.
The KB55 keyboard uses scissors-key mechanism and the key pressing feels great, the feedback you receive on pressing the keys is very similar to what you feel when using the laptop keyboard. The key travel is also good and feels natural. The red light battery indicator on the top-right side will start to blink when the battery level is low, so always keep a pair of AAA batteries spare with you in case you run out of juice.
The keyboard can be connected to your Android/iOS smartphone as well as your tablet, all you have to do is pair it as you would normally do with any other Bluetooth device. I spent considerable amount of time using the KB55 keyboard for writing articles and other daily activities. For a little while, I even used it for gaming but soon realized that it sucks big time for that particular usage. Overall it performs well when used for browsing, typing articles, assignments and other text related activities, it also proves to be a good wireless companion for your laptop/PC or mobile device like smartphone & tablet.
Minimum System Requirements
Here are the minimum system requirements as mentioned on the retail box of Targus KB55 Multi-platform Bluetooth keyboard.
The best thing about Targus KB55 Bluetooth keyboard is that it supports multiple-platforms & probably all of them. Targus KB55 can be used with Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Linux etc. Although it uses Bluetooth 3.0 technology which is kind of old these days, but still connects flawlessly and performs well. The keyboard comes with all keys which a windows or mac user might require, the ALT key is also labeled as Option and the Windows key is labeled as Command, the Backspace key is labeled as Delete and the Enter key is also labeled as Return. so the mac users will be able to use the keyboard without any problem. One problem which I came across on the keys layout is that the positions of Fn key & CTRL key were interchanged, this was annoying at first and required getting used to.
The KB55 keyboard uses scissors-key mechanism and the key pressing feels great, the feedback you receive on pressing the keys is very similar to what you feel when using the laptop keyboard. The key travel is also good and feels natural. The red light battery indicator on the top-right side will start to blink when the battery level is low, so always keep a pair of AAA batteries spare with you in case you run out of juice.
The keyboard can be connected to your Android/iOS smartphone as well as your tablet, all you have to do is pair it as you would normally do with any other Bluetooth device. I spent considerable amount of time using the KB55 keyboard for writing articles and other daily activities. For a little while, I even used it for gaming but soon realized that it sucks big time for that particular usage. Overall it performs well when used for browsing, typing articles, assignments and other text related activities, it also proves to be a good wireless companion for your laptop/PC or mobile device like smartphone & tablet.
Minimum System Requirements
Here are the minimum system requirements as mentioned on the retail box of Targus KB55 Multi-platform Bluetooth keyboard.
- Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP & 2000.
- Mac OSX 10.6 - 10.12.4 or Higher.
- Android 4.4 or Higher.
- iOS 10.3.2 or Higher.
Pairing Process
Pairing Targus KB55 is very simple, all you have to turn on Bluetooth and click on Pair option, out of all the detected devices, select Multi-Platform Bluetooth Keyboard and connect with it. The keyboard uses Bluetooth 3.0 which is quite out-dated since Bluetooth 5.0 is the standard nowadays, but there wont't be any issues in connectivity. Once connected, you can used the below mentioned key combinations for unlocking device specific functionalities of the OS at hand.
We tested the keyboard on multiple devices and it paired & worked flawlessly with no issues whatsoever. However the keyboard can only be paired with one device at a time, so if you are using it with your smartphone, you'll have to pair again to use it with your computer.
Pairing Targus KB55 is very simple, all you have to turn on Bluetooth and click on Pair option, out of all the detected devices, select Multi-Platform Bluetooth Keyboard and connect with it. The keyboard uses Bluetooth 3.0 which is quite out-dated since Bluetooth 5.0 is the standard nowadays, but there wont't be any issues in connectivity. Once connected, you can used the below mentioned key combinations for unlocking device specific functionalities of the OS at hand.
For Windows - Fn + E
For Android - Fn + W
For iOS - Fn + Q
We tested the keyboard on multiple devices and it paired & worked flawlessly with no issues whatsoever. However the keyboard can only be paired with one device at a time, so if you are using it with your smartphone, you'll have to pair again to use it with your computer.
Verdict
Targus KB55 Bluetooth keyboard is overall a great product for the price, it is very light in weight and has a very slim design which makes it easy to carry around. You can easily fit it in your backpack or briefcase and take it along on your travels. The keyboard connects almost immediately as it is turned on and ready to go. Since it comes with Multi-Platform tag, you can easily connect it with every possible device like your PC, Laptop, smartphone, tablet etc. It supports almost all platforms like; Windows, Linux, Mac OS, Android, iOS etc. so you can seamlessly connect with any device as you wish. However since it uses Bluetooth 3.0, you can only connect it with one device at a time, also the range of this keyboard is limited as compared to the ones which come with newer Bluetooth version, but still the range is decent.Other things which left me slightly disappointed were the absence of back-lit keys and LED indicator for Caps lock, other than that everything was on point.
The KB55 keyboard comes with three year warranty and is available via Amazon India at the price of Rs.1400 INR - If you are looking for a reliable multi-platform wireless Bluetooth keyboard for under Rs.2000 then you should definitely go for Targus KB55 Bluetooth keyboard.
Targus KB55 Bluetooth keyboard is overall a great product for the price, it is very light in weight and has a very slim design which makes it easy to carry around. You can easily fit it in your backpack or briefcase and take it along on your travels. The keyboard connects almost immediately as it is turned on and ready to go. Since it comes with Multi-Platform tag, you can easily connect it with every possible device like your PC, Laptop, smartphone, tablet etc. It supports almost all platforms like; Windows, Linux, Mac OS, Android, iOS etc. so you can seamlessly connect with any device as you wish. However since it uses Bluetooth 3.0, you can only connect it with one device at a time, also the range of this keyboard is limited as compared to the ones which come with newer Bluetooth version, but still the range is decent.Other things which left me slightly disappointed were the absence of back-lit keys and LED indicator for Caps lock, other than that everything was on point.
The KB55 keyboard comes with three year warranty and is available via Amazon India at the price of Rs.1400 INR - If you are looking for a reliable multi-platform wireless Bluetooth keyboard for under Rs.2000 then you should definitely go for Targus KB55 Bluetooth keyboard.
About Jimmie Luthra
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