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Logitech diNovo Media Desktop Laser


Date
: 12/29/05 – 05:39:33 AM

Author
:

Category
: Input Devices

Page 1 : Introduction

Manufacturer
: Logitech

Price
: MSRP 199.99 USD (229.95 CDN)

With over 8000 employees and serving over 100 countries, Logitech has made itself a common name in many homes. Whether you own a pair of their speakers, a keyboard or a webcam, they have over 100 products for you to choose from.

While Overclockers Online has looked at a few of Logitech's speakers, this is the very first keyboard and mouse combination we've ever done. I'm stoked about it, so without any further ado, let me introduce to you the Bluetooth
Logitech diNovo Media Desktop Laser
!

Page 2 : Package

I received the diNovo Media Desktop Laser directly from Logitech via a local courier; the contents in perfect condition.

The front of the box gives us a rather good look at the entire desktop – a very large picture of the split diNovo keyboard, the MX 1000 Laser mouse, and a number of smaller thumbnails outlining the available features. The bottom left of the box makes sure you know exactly what model you are buying. The overall box follows the same color pattern as other Logitech products.

The back of the box is jam packed with information. A more detailed layout of the package is included, showing the MX 1000 battery charger and Bluetooth transmitter on the right. To the left is some additional information about the kit and how some of the technology works; useful stuff for you to read if you're interested in purchasing this model for your own use.

Two sides of the box show different views of the desktop, primarily focusing on the thin profile of the keyboard.

Of the remaining two sides, one side explains why you should buy from Logitech and the other goes over the system requirements and the package contents.

Head over to the next page where we'll give you a full run down on the features and specifications for this kit. We'll also go over the alternative diNovo kit.

Page 3 : Features & Specifications

The following features were taken from the Logitech diNovo Media Desktop Laser website.

Here are some of the highlights for this desktop:

System Requirements and Product Specifications:

Equally important are the package contents:

For those who don't want to make the switch to Bluetooth, Logitech has got you covered. They have a very similar product called the Logitech diNovo Cordless Desktop. There are a few feature changes that you will need to be aware of. The Logitech diNovo Cordless Desktop does not use the MX 1000 Laser and it includes a Cordless Optical Mouse which does not appear to be rechargeable. In exchange, you get a carrying case for the mouse and MediaPad. The keyboard is exactly the same and you will of course get a different receiver and desktop stand.

This is what Logitech has to say about the diNovo Media Desktop Laser:

Let's move onto the package contents specific to the
Logitech diNovo Media Desktop Laser
.

Page 4 : Package Contents

Upon opening the package, I removed a white box that housed all of the components. After opening the box, the first thing you'll see is the installation guide and software, which we'll cover in the next section.

Under that layer is the keyboard and below the keyboard is a cardboard frame holding all the other components. After a rather long and bumpy journey up to my house, the components fell out of place.

Each component is individually wrapped in a thin foam sheet to prevent scratching against the other parts.

The first things we'll look at are the accessories included in the package.

The installation guide, CDs and six AA batteries are all provided by Logitech. These six batteries will go into the keyboard and MediaPad.

Let's pull out the keyboard for you to look at.

As you can see, the overall look of the keyboard is very simple. There are no flashy lights or LEDs. One thing you'll notice is that it is much shorter in length since there is a MediaPad and no numpad. You will also notice that the "Insert" button is moved up to the top row. I personally think this is an excellent idea as I frequently hit the "Insert" button when I don't intend too.

On the bottom right, we have a few media control buttons.

To the top right is the volume control – volume up, down and mute.

To the top left are some additional buttons. From top to bottom, the first button puts the system into hibernation or sleep, the next is the "Home Page", followed by your preferred email client and finally a button that resyncs any connected device.

Just so you don't forget who made your keyboard, Logitech has slapped on a small logo at the top center.

The second component we'll be looking at is the MediaPad. The MediaPad follows the same design as the keyboard, and is a desktop package.

The MediaPad has a plastic film protecting the LCD display. Much like the keyboard, the MediaPad has the volume control and media controls at the top right and bottom right.

Up next is the MX 1000 Laser….

This isn't your average mouse; there are a number of enhancements and features in the MX1000 when comparing it to your standard optical mouse.

The scroll wheel is surrounded by additional buttons. You can hold or tap buttons to scroll vertically or scroll horizontally which are all pretty nifty if you ask me. Of course, if you don't like these features you will be able to change them with Logitech's software.

To the side, where your thumb rests, is a second set of buttons – more scrolling and switching. You will also notice the battery level indicator. This is one of the best features that can be implemented; now you will know exactly when you need a recharge.

Flipping the mouse over, we see a number of things…

The MX Laser has a "20X" marking on it to represent the laser precision. You will also see an "On & Off" toggle switch and a reset button. The two metal plates are contacts for the charger. You should try and keep that area clean and free from dirt and grime.

The last few components aren't nearly as interesting but are some of the more important components; yes, more important than the keyboard and mouse. The first is the charger.

Without this puppy, your Li-Ion mouse is as good as a rock. If you ask me, this is a pretty sleek and stylish charging station. Very contemporary and it goes very well with the overall desktop look. You can see the plastic film overtop of the charger's back.

The last component is the USB Bluetooth transmitter. Without this, you won't even be able to use the desktop (unless you already have a BlueTooth dongle).

The top side is wrapped in a film of plastic to protect it from scratching. The piece is very small. The back side has a few electrical specifications, safety codes and a red "connect" button.

It's time to set this puppy up and get it going on the system.

Page 5 : Installation

If you follow the provided "Installation Guide", you'll have no problems getting yourself up and running with the diNovo Media Desktop Laser. I will try and give you a detailed run down of what I did with as many pictures as possible. Without keyboard and mouse activity, it's pretty hard to take screen shots in Windows.

The first thing I did was place the batteries into the keyboard and Mediapad. Four batteries went into the keyboard and two into the MediaPad.

Once the batteries are placed into the MediaPad, you can immediately start using it as a calculator.

To get to this page, just press the top right button, "+/=". You'll also see a cross through the Bluetooth icon since it is not yet available.

Once the batteries for those two components were in, it was time to focus my attention on the MX 1000 Laser. This Li-Ion mouse needs to be fully charged before it's first use. This apparently maximizes the battery life.

Step one is connecting the AC adapter to the charger and then simply resting the mouse so the contacts touch.

While charging, you'll see the LEDs progressively flash from no bars, to a full three bars. The indicator will glow red when it is time for a recharge. The first full charge took approximately 2-2.5 hrs.

The next step is to turn on your PC and plug in the USB Bluetooth transmitter. If you follow the Installation Guide, it is
advised
that you now put in all the batteries and not do it before hand. As for me, it was time to press the connect buttons and get the software up and running. You know you're not connected when none of your components work or your MediaPad displays this message:

The instructions on how to connect the keyboard and MediaPad are printed on the underside where a Bluetooth address is also given.

Underside of the keyboard:

Underside of the MediaPad:

If you're wondering about the mouse, the connect button is also referred to as the "reset" button. Look back a page if you're trying to figure out where that is.

The next step to getting the desktop fully configured is to get yourself online. The driver CD requires internet activity so you can get the latest drivers and software updates. There was a note provided to me by our media relations specialist. The full installation will take about 30 minutes of your time.

If you pop in the software CD, this is the splash screen telling you what will be happening:

Following that, we have the rest of the installation procedure:

From this point onwards, the software will individually connect each component and make sure a secure connection is established. During this procedure, I did not have mouse or keyboard control so I was not able to obtain screen shots for your reference.

Once all of the connections are complete, you can modify your preferences in SetPoint:

Everything is now complete and you are ready to take full advantage of the diNovo Media Desktop Laser. Flip over to the next page where we go over how well this setup works.

Page 6 : Performance

There really aren't too many ways you can test out a keyboard and mouse desktop setup other than through repeated use. With that said, that is exactly how I tested out this kit. With some day to day work, a lot of typing, surfing the net and a fair bit of first person shooting gaming, in short, I'm quite impressed by the Logitech diNovo Media Desktop Laser. I'll give you a run down on my experience with this setup.

You may think that all keyboards have the exact same layout, but they don't. Of course, all of your letters and numbers will be in the same spot, but buttons like the F keys shift. With the diNovo keyboard, I found myself hitting the F1 key when I wanted the F2. Not a huge deal except Windows likes to open up the help menu on me. I think the reason for this is because beside the Esc button is usually a blank space, instead there is the F-Lock key which I will think is the F1 button and then I think the F2 is really the F1. You may also have a tendency to touch and hit the F-Lock instead of the Esc. Over the course of using the keyboard, I have learned to adapt myself and I now very rarely hit the wrong F key.

Unlike other keyboards there is no scroll lock button, in its place is the print screen. Shifted one to the left, where the print screen ought to be, is the insert key. To fill the gap of the insert key they made the delete twice as large. In my opinion this is an excellent idea. I never use the scroll lock and I'm always tapping the insert button when I want to hit the delete button.

It should be noted that by removing the Scroll Lock key, some users accustomed to that button, for KVM or screen switching, will either have to find a new desktop setup or assign a new key to do all the work.

One of the very features of this desktop setup is the very low profile. Judging by the photos below, I think you will agree that this keyboard is indeed very flat.

The technical papers state that this keyboard has a height of 12.6 mm. This is measured from the bottom of the keyboard to the C row, keys with ASDF. The standard hitting area for the keys is 12 mm * 15 mm. The keys appear to travel in approximately 3 mm. The feel of the keys is very similar to most laptop ones. Each key has a very light click and the loudest key, out of all them being pressed, is the space bar.

I was able to obtain a range of 40' with the Bluetooth receiver, any further and I would have to venture outside the house. Logitech's Bluetooth technology uses a 2.4 GHz radio band at a low frequency. They claim to have a range of 30' and beyond, which I have exceeded, and the low data transmission does not draw too much power and should extend the life of the batteries.

Speaking about battery life, the Li-Ion batteries used in the MX1000 Laser have lasted just over a week and I think that accumulated to over 40 hours of use between myself and my brother, not once during the test did I turn off the battery. With care, you can probably extend the life of each charge to over two weeks! The six AA's used in the keyboard and MediaPad will probably last several months to well over a year. Based on my personal experience with the MX Duo, which I've had since its release, I've only changed the batteries two or three times!

The split design is feature I quickly became accustomed too. For many people using a small computer desk, a full sized keyboard and a mouse with a mouse pad easily fills the space of a keyboard and mouse tray. Unfortunately, this doesn't leave much room for moving the mouse around. By having the split design, you save yourself over four inches of space; space which you can use to move the mouse around on. In recent studies conducted by Logitech, they have discovered the highest level of comfort is when the mouse is closer to the typing area, pretty much where the numpad usually is. Check out the photo below to see what they suggest.

After a while, it does feels very natural to have your right arm holding the mouse closer to the body since there isn't a numpad getting in the way.

While on the topic of the MediaPad, it's great that it doubles as a calculator as that is really the only time I use the LCD display. With Logitech's SetPoint software, you can configure it to display and beep when someone on your IM program logs on or when you get an email, I however don't find it too practical as Taskbar items in windows can do the same thing. However, if you play a lot of video games and run other applications that occupy the full screen, the LCD will be something you can keep your eye on. On top of being a calculator, the MediaPad does everything your standard numpad will do. The top three buttons determine which mode you are in and it is confirmed in the LCD display. If it is not connected, the LCD defaults to a date and time displayer.

All of the extra buttons do exactly what they are suppose to. Most of them can also be reconfigured in the SetPoint to do exactly what you want. For instance, if you don't like side scrolling, but want the tilt wheel to move backwards and forwards between pages in windows, there is an option for it. A couple of clicks later and you've got your tilt wheel doing as you please.

When it came down to performance with the MX1000 Laser, there was not a single surface I couldn't get the mouse to work on. I tried my wooden desk that has been varnished, a painted wall, a carpet, a leather couch, a slab of concrete, a sheet glass, a sheet of plastic and even the surface of my LCD monitor! If it's flat, I think it's safe to say it will work. The only problem is that if you are left handed mouse user, the MX1000 isn't suitable for you unless you switch over.

Let's finish up this review with a conclusion.

Page 7 : Conclusion

The Logitech diNovo Media Desktop Laser has certainly become a welcomed addition to my desk. I definitely agree that splitting the keyboard up and moving the mouse closer to the rest of the keyboard is more comfortable. Although I was once very accustomed to only using the numbers on the numpad, I've gotten use to using the numbers on the E row. After getting over the learning curve, you'll be working just as fast, if not faster than with any other setup.

This sleek desktop setup does not offer all the bling of other keyboards with flashing LEDs and flip up LCD displays, but if you only want a sleek setup, you can't go wrong with this puppy. Logitech has also done a fabulous job at making sure if you like the style of the diNovo you're not left out if you don't want Bluetooth. It'll be interesting to see how this successful company will out do themselves in the future.

Advantages

Split design is more natural
MediaPad doubles as basic calculator
MX1000 Laser works on all surfaces
Slick design

Disadvantage

Right handed mouse
Lack of Scroll Lock may disadvantage KVM users
Steep price but past experience shows Logitech setups last over half a decade

Overclockers Online would like to thank Logitech for providing the sample for review.