| I admit, I'm brutal on keyboards. I work long hours from home and type quite fast so a keyboard tends to wear out after a relatively short period of time due to the constant absue I inflict on it. Everyone always gets a kick out of my keyboards with the keys worn smooth and few if any letters left on them. So far this one has handled my abuse quite well. I am impressed.
Combined with the fact that I am female and don't have large hands, keyboard/mouse selection is more limited for me. What I mainly look for in a keyboard is size (not too small, not too large) and it must not have a huge mouse. Keyboards nowadays are getting larger and larger complete with software that bogs down and tries to run your computer. Plus, I can't stand a huge keyboard taking up my desk space. Also, in case you noticed, mice are getting funkier looking as ever lately. There is only so much that can be done for ergonomics...so now they are trying to go stylish too.
When I picked up this keyboard off the shelf to test (it was about the 30th model I tried) I was instantly in love with it. My hands fit perfectly on the keyboard with my palms resting just on the front edge. With an overall depth of 7.5 inches it didn't hog up my desk either. Slim-line design without being compact.
Within a few days of purchase and use I started messing around with the options it has. Wow! I'm sold. I would have paid double for this keyboard. I like being able to adjust my audio by simply pressing one of 3 audio buttons on the top front (lower, mute, higher) and the email button right below that opens my Outlook for me. The magnifying glass brings up a side window with Google. But it doesn't end there - on the far right of the keyboard are 5 keys which have been streamlined into the design so you barely notice they are there - all for music. With one touch - my music player opens. The other buttons are for shuffling, next, back, and play/pause. Sweet!
On the other side of the keyboard are 5 other buttons similar to those - to do with picture editing. I haven't played around with those yet..but am looking forward to. Also there are special function buttons to use...then again I don't like installing companies software on my computer so I haven't experimented with those yet either. Maybe in due time.
This last one may seem a bit silly...but it's a darn good idea! The most common keyboard shortcuts are printed on the SIDE of the keys. So for instance, the keyboard shortcut for REDO is CTRL+Y. On the CTRL key is a little diamond and on the side of the Y key is a diamond with the word REDO. So at a glance if you forget a shortcut...it's there for you. Smart idea.
As I have a laptop as my main computer for now...I use this keyboard as an add-on. It's overall size and design allows me to put it in my laptop backpack bag with all my other gear and travel as I wish with ease for the ultimate work-on-the-go experience. I have not had ANY connection issues with this set unlike some other brands I've tried including my Microsoft Bluetooth set (major $$$ and a big disaster).
The mouse - simple, but quite functional too. It doesn't look like anything special. But it works quite well. Not too much...not too little. The scroll wheel works fine and the mouse precision is excellent (what you would expect from a laser). I have not had any surface issues with this one yet - and I do not use a mouse pad.
My only complaint I've had with this set is so minor it's barely mentionable. They moved my END key. As I am used to typing without looking at the keyboard when I reach for the END key it's not there. :) I'm sure within another month or so I'll be used to it...just irritated me for the first few days.
I give this set 5 stars hands-down. If I see it on sale I will for sure buy another one - with 4 computers in our house they will be replaced by this model one by one!
| | When encountering this keyboard/mouse set for the first time, the first thing that will strike you is the high quality of the finish of the materials Logitech chose to use.
The black portions of the keyboard are finished in a matte, rubberized material that's very comfortable to the touch (as opposed to the hard plastic found on many other keyboards). The keystrokes are nearly silent (a sign of good dampening) while not offering _too_ much resistence. I do think they could have tweaked it a bit to require just a tad less pressure to depress the keys.
The spacing of the keys is excellent, the markings for the FN functions are clearly defined in a high contrast orange color. The auxiliary buttons on the side of the keyboard all have a very high quality, high end feel to them in their actions and finish and very, very good tactile response.
The software is also excellent. It detected that it was being installed on a laptop with a touchpad and it was designed such that if it detects the touchpad, it will disable the keyboard/mouse settings when the USB receiver is not plugged in (thus retaining the touchpad's software functionality). The software makes it VERY easy to program the extra keys for custom purposes, which is incredibly handy as it allows you to launch any program or automate any keysequence with a single key press...very nice.
The laser mouse is great as it will work on some surfaces that IR mice won't. It's also well weighted and has a good feel in the hand (and also ambidextrous as well). My only complaint is that in designing it for left and right handed use, Logitech had to put the forward/back buttons on the _top_ of the mouse. Bummer. It makes it kind of awkward to reach them (as opposed to having them by the thumb). I also think that it could have used a few more buttons on the mouse. That would have made the software even more useful.
A quick note on battery consumption: while I've only had this set for a week, from past experience with various manufacturers of wireless keyboard/mice, battery consumption is really not an issue. I know many shoppers are hesitant to buy wireless sets due to having to deal with batteries, but I assure you that it's a rare day that you'll have to change the batteries on these things. I use my keyboards for hours a day and the mouse batteries tend to last for ~6 months and the keyboard battery typically lasts from anywhere between 9-12+ months. (Oh and the box comes with all of the batteries you will need to start using it out of the box).
Overall, a high quality product for most users. I would recmmend this set to anyone looking for a good deal on a wireless combo; however, power users may want to pick up a keyboard and a Logitech MX Revolution Laser Mouse separately.
| | I've been using this product for a couple weeks now and have been quite happy with it overall.
KEYBOARD:
The keys have a very tactile response to them and there is no noticeable delay or lag when it comes to typing, which makes this better than many other Microsoft or Bluetooth enabled wireless keyboards that I've used.
I have not made use of the media or zooming buttons, but installation and use within XP went without a hitch. I used it with the drivers for playing a FPS and just as easily on my work machine w/o the drivers.
It is not responsive enough for gaming (hitting multiple keys at once) but for anything else, I would say it is very well done.
MOUSE:
The mouse is a little small for my hands. I am not "in love" with the ergonomics on the mouse, but it tracks well. The forward/backward button placement is also awkward for me - I am used to having those buttons near my thumb so having them by the scroll-wheel isn't that great for me.
OVERALL:
Other than a few personal quirks, I would highly recommend this keyboard and mouse set to any non-FPS-gaming computer user. The reception is fantastic which instantly places this near the top of all wireless sets. (And that's quite sad, really, that most other sets just plain suck)
| | I wanted to like it but... |
| I think it is a slick looking set. I didn't want a big keyboard but I wanted a somewhat standard layout. I haven't been able to get used to the layout of the Home/End/PgUp/PgDown keys, but I figured I could after some time. Apparently not... however I do like the rest of the layout of the keyboard.
Another problem with the keyboard is I am a pretty fast typer (60+wpm) and the keyboard lags behind. Just like other reviewers said, there is a delay, which might not bother slower typists. But it does bother me. I guess I will stick with an old fashioned wired keyboard for now.
As for the mouse, I do like it. Another reviewer said you need long fingers to use the small buttons. That is true, and I have long fingers and so it is comfortable for me. More comfortable that the mice you can get with the thumb button - my hands are too big and I was alway pressing the button on accident.
So I would give the mouse 5 stars but the keyboard 2 stars, but only a 3 star rating overall for not getting it just right.
If you dont type very fast then you might really like this combo. It is not cheaply made, just is not quite polished as it stands.
| | Best keyboard I've tried. |
| After just purchasing a new HP Media Center PC that I like a lot, I was very unhappy with the wireless keyboard that came with it. One of the main problems for me was that there is no space between the letter "A" and CAPS LOCK so in my hasty typing style, I would very often wind up hitting CAPS LOCK.
So I decided I needed something better. I bought this Desktop LX 710 and I must tell you it is truly amazing. The response is great. No lag time. I found that with the HP keyboard I would be getting double spaces between words, I would look back over a document and find many mistakes with letters copied twice...things I know I just don't do. Well, this keyboard works perfectly.
After putting in the batteries in both the mouse and the keyboard and plugging it into the USB port, it worked immediately. I did not have to install the CD-ROM software and doubt I will. I haven't yet tried all the options, right now I'm just concerned with typing. But for that it is a dream. I highly recommend it. Incidentally, I run my own company and do a lot of correspondence.
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