Shame they cant make a cat proof keyboard... (Logitech Cordless Desktop MX)

Member Name: deets

Product:	Logitech Cordless Desktop MX
Date:	24/01/05 (876 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: no cords!!, lovely mouse, looks snazzy :|

Disadvantages: batteries for the keyboard, maybe not for hardcore gamers, cats still walk on it :(

Well I was sitting here trying to think up a title for this masterpiece and nothing was coming to mind. Then little piglet came running in and decided it was time she had some attention, so up she jumped onto the desk and right across my lovely new wireless desktop. It seems cats are no respecters of state of the are computer kit, which is a shame, but at least it gave me a title :D

Okay, this is going to be quite simple, the Logitech MX wireless bundle consists of 3 parts. One wireless optical mouse, one wireless keyboard and one radio base station/mouse recharger. Okay, please bear with me while the cat gets put outside, otherwise this wont ever get done… boy did I get a look then. Anyway, as I say, 3 parts, ill go into detail on them now, here we go…

Okay, all your kit is wireless, but you still need some way of sending the data back to your pc. This is were the little base station/mouse cradle comes in. Its quite a small little cradle that has its own power supply and has 2 connectors coming from the back which plug into the mouse and keyboard inputs of your lovely computer. Don’t panic though, you can put the cradle at the back of your desk and there it will sit without a problem. It has a little connect button on the front which you press and then press the connect button on the mouse and keyboard, this locks the devices to each other so it gets the right signal. It also has the caps lock and number lock lights on it, which is a little weird for those of us used to the num lock/caps lock light being on the keyboard itself. Its fine though, so don’t worry, you will get used to it. Okay, as well as being the base unit to receive the wireless signals, its also the mouse recharger. Yep, no more batteries for you! This baby will power the mouse up to keep it running without a hitch, more on the mouse later. That’s about it for the base station/cradle. It looks nice though, all colour co-ordinated in black and silver and is small enough to not be intrusive on your desktop. It might be handy though to place it away from other electrical devices if possible and also to try not to block it behind anything so it can get the signal. Saying that, ive never lost the signal on either device, even when moving them a few metres away.

The fun bit now, the mouse! Oh yep, this is a lovely little baby, wireless, optical and re chargeable! Does it get any better? Im sure you all shouted “no!!” as I did… Oh dear, I should get some help. Anyway, the mouse is the trusted Logitech mx700 which has a solid reputation already as a good all round mouse, even for gaming. Once again it looks the part in sleek black and brushed silver, but if your someone who buys computer stuff on looks then I probably wont like you anyway. Okay, the details, it has 8 configurable buttons, one being the scroll wheel. There are two side buttons which are set as back and forward in your web browser, much handier to navigate through your pages and you will soon get used to it. As I said, all the buttons can be configured to your needs and you can set the scroll wheel line number etc. Its all very nice, the buttons are well placed, but you would expect that. Being optical, you don’t need your mouse matt anymore! Very nice, but be aware that it may have problems on glass or shiny surfaces, but otherwise you should be fine. It’s a very responsive mouse, the optical sensor is very fast and is very good for windows. I also play games with it, half life2, counter strike source etc. and I haven’t had any problems with lag. It glides smoothly over the surface and is a joy to use and im sure you would like it as well. The batter life is good, I haven’t yet had it run out, but it’s a good idea to get used to putting it in its dock while its not being used for any length of time. It also switches itself off when its not used, so it wont power down.

The whole kit is colour co-ordinated, the keyboard is mainly black but has the brushed silver on the buttons and a main central dash. Again, it has no cord, so you can move it around and about! Unlike the mouse though, it does require batteries. Which is a shame, but I guess making the keyboard rechargeable was just too much of a headache and may not work. So far though I haven’t had to replace the batteries, but I do keep a pack of AA batteries in the desk though to be safe when it does happen. Well it’s a multimedia keyboard, which means you can control your music player from it as well with the usual play, stop, mute etc. buttons. Maybe useful for some, but I never got used to them on any keyboard. It also has the usual buttons for loading up your email or websites and such. It used the Logitech itouch software which allows your to re configure any of the buttons to your own needs. Those on slower systems, or no desire for the extra functions, may wish to turn this off to save system resources. It also has a little scroll wheel on the left, just like on the mouse and this can be configured to do many things like scroll through your music tracks, raise the volume or scroll through documents like the main scroll wheel. You can also have an F-lock key which when pressed gives the Function (f1 f2 etc.) keys an alternative use, such as save print etc. Might be handy for someone! The keyboard is general very good, the keys are nice and responsive and the wrist rest, like with most keyboards, is fine. Cant fault it!

Overall it’s a very good package, the mouse is excellent and the keyboard is very good. Range seems fine, although I haven’t tested it fully, a few metres is the most I have used it so far. If your tired of getting snagged on wires then this should be something you should have a look at, the mouse is very good and its nice not having to worry about batteries for it. For gamers, this kit is also fine, although I would still think if you’re a hardcore CS player then a wired setup may be better. For the rest of us, well we can enjoy it, although maybe better for dog owners ;)

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