Without cords, you're free to place Logitech Cordless Desktop Pro keyboard and mouse wherever they are comfortable for you. Logitech's patented technology provides superior... more
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When you're the last one at the office and you'regetting that report ready. Or when you get home later that nightand you're typing that long e-mail. That's when you
When you're the last one at the office and you'regetting that report ready. Or when you get home later that nightand you're typing that long e-mail. That's when you
offers plug-and-play setup and 128-bit AES encryption - one of the highest levels of data security available - to help protect the information transferred between
interference-free cordless performance in any multi-user environment. Designed with the professional user in mind, the Pro 2400 Cordless Desktop allows up to 78
interference-free cordless performance in any multi-user environment. Designed with the professional user in mind, the Pro 2400 Cordless Desktop allows up to 78
offers plug-and-play setup and 128-bit AES encryption - one of the highest levels of data security available - to help protect the information transferred between
A review by xalala on Logitech Cordless Desktop Pro - keyboard , mouse February 24th, 2005
Author's product rating:
Responsiveness
Reliability
Ease of Use
Quality
Value for Money
Advantages:
No wires messing up your desk
Disadvantages:
Need to replace batteries, layout of keyboard unusual
Recommend to potential buyers:
no
Full review
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.
More Reviews
Cordless - the future Review ofLogitech Cordless Desktop Pro - keyboard , mouseby
pc-tech
Advantages: Keyboard design reduces strain, can move keyboard and mouse away from computer, Windows XP Compatible Disadvantages: Some keys in bad positions, no "Lock" lights, larger than average keyboard
...button, which probably launches the Logitech software if installed, but 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 ... ...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 ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Freedom to move. Ergonomics. Range Disadvantages: Poor mouse battery life. Conflicts with other cordless devices
...know which one goes where. Logitech even kindly provided to different types of adapters for older mouse ports (serial and others).
Installation is easy - install the provided software (drivers and i touch software) simply press the connect on the receiver then the connect buttons on the mouse of keyboard and you are away.
The software that is provided is very good it lets you easily manage and configure keyboard multimedia buttons aswell as mouse ... ...others. There is also a logitech button which is great and can be set to do almost anything - i use it as a launch Winamp button for example.
The range of the keyboard is excellent - upto about 10 metres on new batteries. The fact that you can barely see your monitor from that far is funny - though i have used it as a remote from my garden on a number of occasions (controlling volume and track on winamp whilst listening to music outside). The battery ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: 5 year guarantee, good looking, no cables, Works very well Disadvantages: Batteries dont last very long
This is the 2nd cordless keyboard/mouse combination I have brought and I must say it is by far the best. The first one used infra red to transmit the signal and was a real pain to use.
This set up I believe uses radio frequency so it doesnt require direct line of sight to the receiving unit (which is small and unobtrusive) and is so much better than infra red.
The keyboard is a little strange - not that I am an accomplished typist. Its one of those ... ...my wife who is a touch typist and used to the old flat keyboards cant get used to it.
Any draw backs? Well yes just two. It eats batteries (Well the mouse does anyway). On average I change batteries about once every 2-3 months, so I would advise buying rechargeables to save money in the long run.
But hey thats a small price to pay for cable free heaven.
The other drawback - well it doesnt seem to like my Saitek PC Dash unit (which is linked between ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Cordless Freedom Disadvantages: Would Be Annoying If The Batteries Ran Out Mid-Use
Sorry, im going to have to move a bit closer to the screen to be able to write this one......
Thats better. You see, the biggest problem of this keyboard/mouse combo set is the huge range. You can quite easily find yourself wandering further and further away from the screen...purely becuase you can! Anyway, back to the op.
-=What You Get=-
You pay £69.99 for this box of tricks, so what do you actually get? Obviously you get a cordless natural ... ...cordless shaped mouse. As well as this you get a transmitter/reciever box which you plug in to the usual ps2 ports and sits on your desk. What else? A set of batteries are included (2"aa" and 2 "aaa") to get you running. A software CD which runs all the extra buttons on the keyboard and mouse (ill tell more about these later).
-=Installation=-
It was a simple "plug 'n' play" job. As soon as i re-booted the PC with the transmitter/reciever plugged ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: No cables, long battery life Disadvantages: Not so good keyboard feel, rather expansive
I've got to say, right up front, that mouse and keyboard cables don't bother me. Sure, mouse cables can occasionally snag in the middle of a hectic game, and the keyboard curly cord is one more cable in the mess behind my computer, but really, I'm OK with it. It's not a problem. I'm happy.
Getting the Cordless Desktop going is simple enough. The receiver's five foot colour-coded leads terminate in PS/2 connectors, and there are adaptors included ... ...and a 9 pin serial plug for the mouse. So you should be able to hook up the receiver to any IBM compatible.
Overall the main disadvantage of the keyboard is the feel it has. I especially found the keys hard to press when typing, maybe this has a limit to how fast you can type, I am not sure. However if people are able to put up with this 'feel' for the cordless feature, then I'm sure it will eventually wear into shape. ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Cordless And Swish Disadvantages: Not Recharge-able
...I’ve only just got this keyboard and mouse set. The only reason I upgraded from my old wired keyboard and wireless optical Trust mouse was because I was having problems with keys on the keyboard.
Setting Up
The old Trust mouse took me a few attempts to set up. To get the keyboard and mouse to actually see the receiver, however the Logitech version here I just plugged in the receiver, put the two AA batteries into both the mouse and the keyboard and BINGO it all connected up and worked first time I turned on the PC. I’ve had them about 2 or so metres from the receiver and had no transmission problems either.
Features
Mouse
Standard two buttons on the top for left and right clicking plus the scroll wheel which doubles up as a programmable button (I use the button for closing the current open application) and also another...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Large screen, flat, no eye strain, very precise, heat sensitive front buttons, USB hub Disadvantages: VERY Heavy, long back, emits a lot of heat, USB hub on back of screen
.... Once in the OSD the icons are slightly confusing to navigate, but once used to it things become easier.
I haven’t yet used the USB ports in the back of the monitor, as I don’t have very many USB devices and only 2/4 of the onboard system USB ports have been used by my wireless keyboard and mouse (which you can also read my review of here – the LogitechDesktopCordlessPro).
When turning on the power the monitor emits a small bleep which can be useful as the power indicator is rather small, and it provides reassurance that you have actually turned the power on/off.
In conclusion: Although I haven't seen or tested any of the other screens, if you're looking to buy a monitor buy flat – the picture quality is so much better than the old “curvy” type. However, you may want to look at larger TFT screens...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Without cords, you're free to place Logitech Cordless Desktop Pro keyboard and mouse wherever they are comfortable for you. Logitech's patented technology provides superior performance without needing a clear path or pointing the mouse and keyboard at the computer. iTouch Multimedia provides one-touch control for CDs, MP3 files and DVDs. With iTouch Internet, access the Internet, open e-mail, search, or launch applications with one touch of a key. WebWheel lets you quickly navigate the Web and control your browser with the mouse Scroll Wheel. Gently curved keyboard with split key layout enhances typing comfort. Contoured mouse provides maximum comfort and control.
