Logical Layout? Not for Logitech (Logitech Cordless Desktop Pro)

Member Name: xalala

Product:	Logitech Cordless Desktop Pro
Date:	24/02/05 (466 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: No wires to clutter up your desk, Ergonomic to prevent RSI

Disadvantages: Split key layout is awkward to use, Need to replace batteries to keep it working

I bought this keyboard for my now husband a couple of years ago, when we lived in a flat with not much room at the computer. He would regularly moan about not being able to sit far enough back from the screen while typing, and the keyboard and mouse combo seemed like it would provide a good solution to that. Also in its favour was the fact that it was cool and techy (a good thing in our house!) and that it didn't have any wires hanging out which would look untidy. However at just under £80 at the time, it wasn't by any means cheap when you consider that you can pick up standard kit for little more than £20 or so.

So far, I haven't used either the keyboard or mouse much, however I have been using it more lately, and thought I would offer my opinion. The main reason for me not having used it much, mind, has been because it's already been in use and I've been relegated to the standard keyboard set up of the other computer.

So, I hear you cry, what's it like then?

Well, it's immediately obvious on first sight that this is not your normal keyboard. It's what is called an ergonomic keyboard, one designed to help keep your hands and wrists in healthy positions when typing - or at least healthier positions than that offered by a more traditional keyboard layout. What this means in practice is that your keyboard is rather curvy in both look and feel, with its highest point being in the centre and falling away on all sides to the edge.

The main keys are also positioned differently, being broken into two seperate blocks, one featuring (in the standard qwerty layout) qwert, asdfg and zxcvb for the left hand, and yuiop, hjkl, and nm for the right hand. The space bar bridges the two areas, which works well. This layout is fine if you have been taught to touch type , but I think it would be slightly more difficult if you, like so many others, are still a two-fingered typist.

Even if you are a touch typist, it isn't as intuitive to start using as you might assume. For instance, during the course of writing this review I have discovered that I type a b with my right hand by instinct - and under most touch typing courses, you have the choice of using either hand to hit the b with. Logitech, however, have decided that the b key belongs on the left hand side, only available for your left hand to strike. In addition, possibly because of years spent using standard keyboards, I find that when reaching for keys with my little fingers I miss them and hit the key on the line below - for example hitting enter instead of backspace was a common problem at first (try it, it's *really* annoying!). Some of the keys are oversized to make the two parts of the keyboard slightly more square, which means that if you are typing from notes (ie reading and not looking at the screen very often) then you don't always realise that you've missed the key you wanted, as clearly you hit something in the position where you'd expect it to be. All fairly small things, I know, but they do add up to creating something that I'm not sure I like.

On the rest of the keyboard there's a standard number pad - no changes to the standard layout there, though - and the usual home/end.insert/page up/page down/delete keys in a small block. The arrow keys again are laid out in a standard fashion, without being set at an angle as so much of the rest of the keys have been.

At the top of the keyboard there are a number of buttons, most of which can be programmed to act as shortcuts. You need to have the Logitech software installed to do that (a CD-rom comes in the box with your keyboard and mouse). If you don't programme them differently, they lead to your internet home page, email client and so on. There's a second group of shortcut buttons that have the play/stop/fast forward/rewind symbols on them, close to the mute and volume control functions, although that's not something that either of us have used.

The mouse is again a rather strange shape if you've only ever seen them in the standard shape. Again it is shaped ergonomically, in a bid to prevent RSI in users and provide more comfort. Where your thumb would rest is another extra button, this one is a back button to help you navigate the internet. Or, when I used it, press accidentally and make me lose a half-written review (*sob*). On the whole the mouse seems on the large size - my hands aren't especially small, but I do have problems using it for any length of time, as it feels like I'm always having to stretch to reach the buttons or to avoid pressing the wrong thing.

Being wireless, the keyboard and mouse both operate on batteries. The keyboard needing 2 AA batteries (rechargeables work fine) and the mouse needing 2 AAA batteries. To my mind it would be better if they took the same batteries, otherwise you need to keep buying two sorts, or stock up on different sized rechargeable batteries and keep spares charged. Having said that, battery life is actually fairly good, needing to be replaced slightly more often in the mouse than in the keyboard.

The power from the batteries allows the keyboard and mouse to send signals to the small device that plugs in the back of your computer. It goes into two ports, which can be either USB or standard mouse/keyboard ports. I've never experienced a problem with the communication between computer and mouse or keyboard (unless the batteries were dead!), and it allows you to be several metres away before failing to register keystrokes or clicks. Response time is just as good as with a standard wired keyboard and mouse.

Overall, I think that the idea is a good one, I'm all for a clean and tidy looking desk without wires cluttering up the place. However I think that this design of keyboard falls down by being just that little bit too different for me to cope with easily. I find using this and then moving onto a standard keyboard or vice versa requires a period of adjustment which is both frustrating and irritating. However, if the only keyboard you were going to use was this one, I would think it worth the while to relearn elements of your typing skills in order to protect your hands and wrists from repetitive strain injuries.

While I wouldn't really recommend it as a product generally, if you have wrist problems after typing for extended periods, then it would certainly be worth investigating.

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