Logitech releases the MX Keypad to keep idle fingers busy

Logitech has released the MX Keypad, a developer-focused keypad derived from its MX Creative Console, and something that triggers a distinct sense of déjà vu.

Do you remember Stack Overflow's "The Key" Joke? Three keys to copy and paste code from the developer's former best friend (until AI tools began to eat its lunch).

Logitech took the keypad from its MX Creative Console product and made something similar to Stack Overflow's joke-that-became-a-thing, though considerably more extensible.

The company sent us one to look at, and it's an interesting, if perhaps slightly expensive, bit of kit.

At its heart, the MX Keypad is a set of nine keys that can trigger commands.

Out of the box, it all looks a bit bland – there are monochrome images on the keys for playback, volume, screenshot taking, and even something to bring up an emoji panel when attached to a Windows device.

However, things get a good deal more colorful and interesting when the device is connected to the Logi Options+ application.

Then the device moves from being a curiosity to something that threatens to be indispensable, depending on your workflow.

Using Word to knock out some writing? The MX Keypad will show a bunch of commonly used commands, or you can customize it to suit your workflow.

How about Visual Studio Code? It's the same again – the keys light up with some default commands that you can easily make your own.

According to Logitech, the device is a "Multi-App AI Control Center for Developers" and was developed in conjunction with keyboard jockeys.

We'd call it a surprisingly useful bit of kit which has rapidly become part of our workflow, both for productivity and when diving into VS Code for some source wrangling.

There are, of course, downsides.

Although the price is relatively competitive, it is a little on the high side for what is ultimately a smart macro keypad.