Logitech Cordless Desktop S 510 - Review - Forget standard keyboards

Reviews for Logitech Cordless Desktop S 510

Logitech Cordless Desktop S 510

Newest Review: ... keyboard has additional buttons down the left and right sides which among other things allow you to: zoom in and out on images; play and... more

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Forget standard keyboards - here's one with style! (Logitech Cordless Desktop S 510)

Member Name: SparklePink

Product:	Logitech Cordless Desktop S 510
Date:	05/01/09 (112 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Looks great on my desk

Disadvantages: The mouse is rubbish

I bought this as a replacement for my previous keyboard when I moved house and found the position of my PC relative to my desk meant that the keyboard's cable couldn't reach the PC! As I love gadgets, this was less of a problem and more of an opportunity to go gadget shopping!

--- Looks ---

I wanted a keyboard that looked good, had a low profile and was reasonably compact and this keyboard meets these criteria. This keyboard does more than look good - it looks stylish! The keys are in matte black plastic and there is a strip of more shiny black plastic running down the left and right sides. The function keys have small orange pictures on them, corresponding to an additional function they can perform, if you have the "enhanced function mode" button on. At the edge closest to you is a matte gray, curved wrist rest. It almost has the effect of brushed aluminium at anything other than close inspection.

The keyboard has additional buttons down the left and right sides which among other things allow you to: zoom in and out on images; play and pause music and control the volume; open your browser's home page. I have found other keyboard make these extra functionality buttons quite bulky, but the ones here are small and round and don't take up much space.

There is only one LED on the keyboard and this is to indicate low batteries. LEDs for caps lock and shift lock are on the wireless receiver that comes with the keyboard. I think this helps save space and keeps the keyboard compact.

A big plus for this keyboard is that it has a very low profile. I suffer occasional mild RSI and find that keeping my wrists flat when I type is important. This keyboard doesn't force my wrists upwards and allows my arms and wrists to stay in alignment.

--- Setup ---

The keyboard comes with a USB wireless receiver. This has 3 green LEDs which indicate whether caps lock, number lock and enhanced function mode are on or off. Once the batteries are in the keyboard you press a connect button on the receiver and one on the base of the keyboard and you're good to go. Handily there are also instructions beside the keyboard's connect button, in case you loose the paper instructions that come in the box.

--- Operation ---

The keyboard is almost perfect and the keys have a great feel to them when pressed. Not too squidgy and not too clicky (although this is a area of personal taste). The layout of the keys can take a bit of getting used to though. If you have a standard Dell keyboard, the arrow keys and delete/home/end/page up/page down are slightly more compressed and in a different location, so this can throw you off if you've been using another keyboard. However, as this makes the keyboard more compact, I'm happy to live with the occasional mistypes.

The battery cover is a bit tricky to get off, however I have only had to replace the batteries once in since I bought it over a year ago. As I use my PC reasonably regularly in the evenings, I'm very happy with the battery life.

The only thing I can fault is that occasionally the keyboard seems to lose connection with the receiver and key presses are missed or delayed which can be a real frustration. I'm not entirely convinced this is due to the clutter on my desk, but as I like the keyboard I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt!

--- Mouse ---

You may have noticed that this is a keyboard and mouse set. I haven't commented on the mouse because I don't use it at all. It seems to be made for very small hands (almost pre-adult) and the highest point of the mouse is quite far back, forcing your wrist up at a sharp angle.

--- Overall ---

I think this keyboard is fantastic. It looks great, the keys feel great and it doesn't make my wrists hurt. The only flaw is the occasional loss of contact with the receiver, but I'm happy to blame that on the state of my desk!