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Logitech Cordless Desktop Pro
by Cirrus
Modern life contains a number of frustrations; automated call centres, road cones and of course, all the wires that seem to breed and tangle around electronic devices!!! Computers are no exception, but traditionally the keyboard and mouse wires cannot get stuffed behind the desk, they are there in view and generally get in the ... way.
I purchased this product, which comes with a stylish cordless mouse, about a year ago and have been using it ever since. I choose it because I liked the design of the keyboard and I had heard good reviews about other Logitech products.
It would be true to say that having no wires is fantastic. The magic is a simple little receiver which just plugs into the back of the PC (Very easy, as easy as unplugging your current keyboard and mouse cables!!!) There is a limit to the range which your keyboard and PC stay in contact and this varies a bit depending where you place the receiver, but this shouldn't be a problem for most users. Certainly a lot further than my old cables would stretch!!
There is a CD that contains the drivers to allow your PC to understand what is going on which loaded up without problem. However I make a valuable point here. If you ever reformatt yor PC you will need a "plug in Keyboard" as until you load the drivers you cannot use the keyboard!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sensible but it didn't cross my mind until recently when I did just that! Thank goodness I hadn't thrown my old cable keyboard away!!!!!!!!!!
The Logitech keyboard looks a little different to most standard keyboards that are supplied with PC's, but I find it much more comfortable to use. It looks and feels good and the keys offer a pleasent touch sensation. No cheap plastic feel here. No key clicks either, although there is some key noise.
The keyboard has a number of user and multimedia "shortcut" keys but I have never used them. Unlike most keyboards there is no keyboard indication of CAPS
and NUM lock, however indications do appear on your PC tool bar in the bottom right hand corner.
Fitting your palm comfortably, the mouse is pleasing to use and doesn't seem to require constant cleaning. It is responsive and has a left and right button, and a useful side mounted (thumb) button which signals a double left click to your PC. A little wheel is provided for scrolling up and down. All in all a very useful mouse.
A couple of small AA batteries in the keyboard and mouse provide the energy to send the signals to your PC and I have only replaced mine once so far. A screen message advises that the battery power is getting low a short time before they "run out"
There are many cordless keyboard and mouse products on the market and I haven't tested any others as I have been very happy with this product. This offering from Logitech is pleasent to use, reliable and stylish. Of all the upgrades you may make to your PC, this will be one of the best. After removing the traditional cords you will never go back (except during reformatting!!) and you will wonder why it has taken so long to purchase a cordless keyboard and mouse.
The cost of this product is about eighty pounds, but it is worth having a hunt around the web sites for deals.
Thanks for Reading
Cirrus
Revised July 2003
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Logitech Cordless Desktop Pro
by pc-tech
Surely the keyboard and mouse have to be one of the most, if not the most important part of a system. So when one of my relatives bought me this keyboard and mouse, I thought I would give it a shot. At first I was unsure of the unusual design of the keyboard and mouse; the keyboard is a 'natural' one, and the mouse is also an ... unusual shape.
Here's what I thought of it:
Connecting and installing
The first thing I noticed was that the receiver box could be connected to the computer in one of two ways; either by USB or PS/2. In the manual it recommends connecting by PS/2 if you have one available (the little round standard keyboard and mouse ports), but I decided to use the USB port since I have 8 of them on my computer/monitor!
Connecting was not hard, and was done within a minute. Then came a tricky task; trying to position the receiver box 8 inches away from anything electrical. That rules out obvious positions such as on top of the computer tower itself, or next to the monitor. Luckily, it doesn't matter if anything electrical is in between the mouse and keyboard and receiver box, so I eventually found a position for it.
Then I had to install the batteries into the device. The keyboard uses 2xAA batteries and 2xAAA, which I think are included, but I'm unsure as this product had already been opened by the person that bought it for me. They're not very expensive anyway, and you'll probably have a few lying around.
The installation of the keyboard and mouse was also a little tricky, as I use Windows XP and so I have to use the keyboard to press CTRL-ALT-DEL before I have chance to install any hardware.
At first it didn't work, the mouse wouldn't move and the keyboard did nothing. I was immediately a little bit concerned that maybe it wasn't compatible with Windows XP, but a quick look in the manual revealed a red note: COMPATIBLE WITH WINDOWS XP. Phew....
So then I read the manua
l. I don't usually read the manual before installing a piece of hardware, but I admit that in this case my 6 years of PC experience didn't prepare me for the installation of this. The manual solved my problem, I had to press a little 'connect' button on the underside of the keyboard and mouse which told them to communicate with the computer.
Once I'd done that it worked fine without any extra software required. However, there is some 'iTouch' software provided which can be installed to improve the experience, and set what certain shortcut keys do, such as a small 'thumb-button' on the side of the mouse.
The cordless experience: Good points
I must say, my original doubts about this hardware were not existent. The range of these devices is outstanding; the mouse will work from in a different room, although why you would ever want to use it from this distance is a mystery to me.
The layout of the basic keys on the keyboard also seems to be quite good, although it did take a bit of getting used to. I have noticed that I make less typos with this keyboard, as where my hands would normally get in a bit of a tangle in the middle of the keyboard, they no longer do as each hand has its keys clearly assigned; left hand on the left side of the keyboard and right hand on right side.
Having the freedom to move both the keyboard and mouse out of the way when not in use is also very useful. This means that desk space normally taken up by keyboard and mouse can now be reclaimed when they are not in use, they can simply be picked up and moved to anywhere you like, for example to be stored in a cupboard.
The shortcut keys on the keyboard are also relatively useful and cover most basic but handy functions: Internet, email, search, mute, volume, play/stop/previous/next (for Media Player and a standby button.
There is also a 'Logitech' button, which probably launches the Logitech software if installed, b
ut since it is not installed on mine it launches Calculator (not exactly useful for me but not a big loss).
The mouse is very large but should be suitable for all ages. In my house there are children of as young as 8 who although have commented that the mouse and keyboard are a 'funny shape' can easily use it.
The cordless experience: Bad points
As can be expected with any new design for a product, it has its down sides. The keyboard layout around the other keys is not very good at all. The Home, Insert etc. key bank is now in 2 columns and three rows, why they have done this is a mystery to me as it seems much harder to use. Also the Print Screen, Scroll Lock etc. keybank have been moved and are now above the number keypad. Although this is not a major downside, it can sometimes be hard to re-adjust to these.
One of the biggest downsides for me is the lack of a light to show when the Scroll Lock, Caps Lock or Num Lock are turned on. It seems as if they literally forgot to add them, there are no lights on the keys themselves or on the rest of the keyboard, or on the screen. Very unusual.
Another downside is the size of the keyboard. It is much larger backwards than any of my previous keyboards, and although this is not a problem for me I can imagine that it would be a problem for some people.
Should YOU buy it?
Whether you should buy it or not depends on your needs and usage.
If you use the keyboard and mouse for hours on end, you should certainly consider it, but firstly check that you can re-adjust to the new keyboard layout and mouse design.
If you would like to reclaim some desk space, then this product is for you. When you have finished with your computer you can easily move this keyboard and mouse to one side (or another part of your house/office if you like), and use the desk for something else.
If you only use your computer occasionally and have a dedicated workstation for your computer and
a separate desk, you wont really see the advantage of having this keyboard.
UPDATE!
I have just installed the proper iTouch software and it does provide a tasktray display of whether Caps Lock and Num Lock are on (can also be set to show whether scroll lock is on). However, they arent exactly nice icons and hardware indications would have been better.
Also in the iTouch software, the individual shortcut buttons on the keyboard/mouse can be programmed to do a number of things (virtually anything actually!)
There is also a very handy configuration screen which shows how good the battery life is, although I obviously don't know how reliable this indicator is yet.
Will report back when I've had this keyboard a bit longer if anything changes.
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