Always Online
The Anqor itself is fairly straightforward, as a device. It's about the size of a novelty paperback you get as a gift, and relatively light, although that's just the prototype; the end goal device is roughly the size of an iPhone. And it works relatively simply, as well; it connects to a 3G or 4G network in the area you're in, connects to up to ten of the devices you have handy, and we're off to the races. It's how it connects that's more interesting.
SIMulated Card
As we all know, to access a local mobile network, you need a SIM card, which is profoundly annoying. What the Anqor does is determine where you are, riffle through the company's library of SIM cards, upload the profile, and you're done. The tradeoff, of course, is that this doesn't come cheap. Global travelers looking for this convenience will be paying roughly $52 a month for the library, although you can pause a subscription at any time, and for just one country, it'll be a more reasonable $16 a month.
Online Anywhere
If you're a world traveler, you know from experience that you'll be running around juggling SIM cards anyway, so you may as well clean some of the clutter out of your life. And, if you never leave the country but your job requires constant Internet access, this might be worth it as well. The device, without data plan, will start at around $270 if you get in early on the Kickstarter.
It's a truth as universal as it is annoying; if you want all your devices to work with a specific keyboard, well, you'll probably need either one for each, sign on for precisely one device ecosystem, or get used to swiping in words. Travelers in particular are driven insane by this problem, so Logitech decided, quite cleverly, to solve it with the K480.
Swiss Army Keyboard
There are two problems with modern portable keyboards. The first is, as we noted, device compatibility. Ask anybody who's had to install drivers just to get a basic keyboard to work, the various device ecosystems out there don't play well with each other and seemingly want to drive you insane.
Logitech solves this with some clever design. You can switch between three different places to send your words, so that regardless of whether you're all Apple, or a mix of Apple, Chrome, and Windows, you'll be able to use the keyboard and get the point across. Basically, if it uses Bluetooth, you're all set to type.
At The Trough
The second problem is keeping all your stuff organized; you've got your phone over here, your tablet over there, and your laptop in front of you… and many keyboards want to be docked solely at your tablet. How does Logitech solve this? Simple: It puts a trough at the top of the keyboard that can easily be used to stand up both your tablet and your phone, and to type away at both of them with ease.
A Keyboard For The Multitasker
Multitasking, or at least sorting through your various tasks properly, can be a profoundly annoying experience, and Logitech deserves credit for looking at how we actually use our gadgets and creating a keyboard that fits in with them. If that's something you need, it starts at just $50.
