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Logitech diNovo Edge


Date
: 02/1/07 – 03:35:28 AM

Author
:

Category
: Input Devices

Page 1 : Index

Manufacturer
: Logitech

Price
: MSRP $199.99 USD ($164.99 @ Newegg)

A little over one year ago I reviewed the Logitech diNovo Media Desktop Laser and this was touted to be one of the most advanced desktop configurations available. The diNovo design utilized sharp angles and a slim profile to match today's flat panel monitors.

On October 3rd, 2006, Logitech introduced a product considered to be
more than just a keyboard
. The world got to know the diNovo
Edge
, a minimalist work of high-technology art.

The diNovo Edge is the latest keyboard on the market and it sports a design with features not seen anywhere else. Today at Overclockers Online we'll unravel and educate you on the diNovo Edge!

Page 2 : Package

When I'm browsing at Logitech products at my local retailer, must of the boxes have a white background and sport the colors that make up the Logitech logo: green, red, and black. The diNovo Edge is quite different. The overall box matches their Advanced Peripheral page which entails a black background with a gradient of green.

An image of the keyboard covers a majority of the front face and that's how I like it. If you're looking into buying this keyboard, this picture shows you exactly where the features are positioned.

If we flip the box over to the other side, we get another view of the keyboard. This time we see it sitting on the desktop charger.

Some of the key features are highlighted at the back of the box:

Perfect Stroke

Stylishly Sleek | Faster Charges, Longer Life | TouchDisc | Media Center | Bluetooth Technology

Logitech does not waste any space. On the side of the box they place a few key features for you to read.

If you're like me, by this stage of the review you're dying to actually rip open the box and physically hold the keyboard. However, to tease you some more we're going to quickly run over the specifications.

Page 3 : Specifications

If you visit the Advanced Peripherals page, you'll notice that the diNovo Edge is the only product with the name in orange. Doesn't this just beg for your attention?

As we navigate through Logitech's page to the keyboard section, we're directed to the diNovo Edge home page.

Logitech has a lot of features for us to cover so let's not waste any time.

I'll start with the fact that this is
the world's most advanced keyboard
. Bold statement by Logitech, but here's why:

<div style='margin-left:1cm;color:#FFFFFF;'> An ideal partner for any high-end computer, the ultra-slim Logitech® diNovo Edge delivers the ultimate in feel and response. The revolutionary TouchDisc with hyper-speed scrolling and pixel-perfect control makes trackpads obsolete. A slim recharging base doubles as a keyboard stand. Work longer thanks to the longer-lasting Li-Ion batteries, and more securely via Bluetooth® wireless technology. Combine it with the world's most advanced mouse, the Logitech MX Revolution, for a premium desktop experience![/quote]
Here's a brief look at the features and specifications.

I should also point out that this keyboard is certified for Windows Vista.

In our Features Analysis page, I will be doing a more thorough examination of the keyboard and the features noted above.

Page 4 : Package Content

This is probably the most interesting page of the review as I will finally unveil all the glory this keyboard holds. They keyboard sits inside a molded frame. At first you think the keyboard isn't protected but a quick peek at the top of the lid shows the foam padding hidden discretely.

The keyboard also has a second layer of protection. You can barely notice it, but there is a thin film covering the Plexiglas frame.

With all that out of the way, you can really let the keyboard shine.

There are a lot of details on the keyboard that you won't want to miss. Dead in the middle of the aluminum wrist pad is the Logitech Logo. It's slightly raised and adds a very elegant touch.

Towards your left hand are a series of round buttons. The default for the uppermost button will put your computer to sleep. The following three buttons act as zoom keys and the lowermost button doubles as a left-click for the TouchDisc.

On your right hand side we have the TouchDisc just above a left- and right-click button. Above the TouchDisc is a mute button which is below a touch-sensitive volume control. You will notice that another round button with the Windows flag just above the top of the volume control feature; this launches Windows Media Player. There is also an indicator showing where the power button is, also located at the top right corner.

If you tilt the keyboard to the side, you'll see the power switch.

There's no doubt that this keyboard is ridiculously thin.

Flipping the keyboard over, we see a rather bright orange base. This orange is particular to the Advanced Peripheral lineup.

At the bottom of the keyboard we see the contact points for the charger as well as the Bluetooth address and other various model and serial numbers.

The diNovo Edge is not the only product you get in the package. This was just at the top and the first thing I played with, included in the box is a Bluetooth adapter, base charger, and software/documentation.

The Bluetooth adapter is exactly the same as the one I got from the diNovo Media Desktop kit. It's a tiny USB plug that installs via plug and play.

The base charger is a bit more interesting in the fact that it's made out of the same material as the keyboard body. The Plexiglas is laser cut, polished and also wrapped in a thin plastic protector.

The base of the charger has four rubber feet and these stick fairly well to any clean surface.

I'm glad Logitech didn't include any flashing LEDs on the base charger as that would be quite annoying if you're trying to sleep and some orange LED blinks for the next two hours as the charger does its work.

A small power adapter is included and plugs into the back of the base charger.

The last bit included in the package is the documentations and the software. All of this is contained inside a handy envelope.

In addition to the driver CD and setup guide, I was surprised and pleasantly pleased to see a little black cloth that you can use to keep your keyboard and base charger dust-free. Logitech has certainly thought of everything you'll need to keep your diNovo Edge looking its finest.

Page 5 : Size Comparison: diNovo vs diNovo Edge

I mentioned earlier in the review how I also reviewed the Logitech diNovo Media Desktop Laser. I'll use this page basically show you the differences in size.

For the most part, the diNovo Edge is slightly larger than the diNovo as it needs to accommodate the extra side features.

As I set the keyboards side by side, the diNovo Edge is roughly half an inch longer the diNovo.

However, as a package the diNovo includes a MediaPad (NumPad) and the inclusion of that skews the results when it's butted up against the rest of the keyboard.

When comparing the width of the keyboard, the diNovo Edge comes up a little more than a quarter of an inch longer. Hardly noticeable if you ask me!

In the height comparison, the diNovo Edge is shorter as it doesn't need to make space for the battery pack.

The keyboard itself is approximately 0.75".

One thing I didn't immediately notice was the extendable feet to help elevate the back of the keyboard and add an incline to the keys.

The incline is about an inch.

Over the length of the keyboard, the angle is about 6.5 degrees. I'm not a huge fan of the inclined surface.

Page 6 : Installation

There is not a lot to the physical installation of the diNovo Edge. I first started by assembling the base charger… aka: plug the small AC adapter into the back of the stand.

To charge, all you need to do is slide the keyboard into the base charger.

To make alignment easy, just match the two Logitech logos together before sliding in the keyboard.

The first thing I noticed when I plugged in the keyboard was that somewhere in this device was a speaker because it beeped at me!

After the two hours of charging, I fired up my computer and plugged in the Bluetooth adapter.

I popped in the SetPoint CD and ran through the installation selection. The options are very straightforward. You should be done in about 5 minutes or less.

Software Setup

Desktop Manager
Select Destination Location
Confirm Installation Components
Reset

Once the base software is installed and you've complete your reset, you can now configure the options and buttons on the diNovo Edge.

I won't go through all the options in SetPoint. You can see them in the pictures below, it's pretty straight forward if you ask me.

Tools

My Keyboard

My Mouse

The one thing I don't like about the SetPoint software was how I couldn't configure my MX1000. This could be a result of not spending enough time to figure out all the little details about SetPoint or not having the latest version available.

In order for the MX1000 configurations to come up in SetPoint, I had to hit the connect button on the receiver followed by the connect button on my mouse. Once it does show up in the SetPoint software, I no longer see the keyboard. So instead, I kept the SetPoint software set for the keyboard and left the MX1000 unconfigured.

Update Feb 11, 2007

I switched over to Vista Ultimate 64bit and after installing SetPoint 3.3 Vista 64-bit, downloadable at Logitech's website, I am now able to control
both
MX1000 and diNovo Edge on the Setpoint page!

Page 7 : Features Tested

I started using the keyboard the moment I got it. When I'm on different machines, I'll end up using different keyboards. During the past few weeks, I've rotated between a generic keyboard, my notebook keyboard, the Logitech diNovo, and the Logitech diNovo Edge. The two diNovos are in a league of their own.

The first feature that becomes immediately apparent is the
Perfect Stroke Key System
.

When the keys are pressed, they go down very smoothly. There's no clicking when the keys go up or down. The keys travel a little deeper than my keyboard but just as softly. According to the press release, the travel is 3.2mm and requires an activation force of 60g.

When comparing the clicks of the diNovo to the diNovo Edge, the diNovo Edge seems to be a fair bit softer when the keys pop back up.

The next most obvious feature to me is the
TouchDisc
. You definitely can't miss the large circle to the bottom right. This device is capable of three tasks: horizontal scrolling, vertical scrolling, and cursor control.

While I was not surprised to see the circumference light up, it certainly was an interesting feature. It would have been nice if there was a second switch on the keyboard that could be turned on to illuminate the individual keys. This would be handy for anyone watching a movie late a night with the lights on but suddenly needed to fire off a few messages on MSN.

The cursor control is quite handy when I need to charge my mouse. At first I thought the left- and right-click buttons below the TouchDisc were awkwardly positioned.

I then noticed that on the left side of the keyboard I have a single left-click button. This made everything significantly easier as I could use my left hand to click/highlight while moving the cursor with my right. I find it similar to the use of a touchpad on a notebook. The only difference being the smaller size.

After playing with the TouchDisc, I entertained myself with the volume control feature since the mute button wasn't all that exciting. There's a strip of pin sized lights that illuminate as you scroll up or down. They light up two at a time. I found tapping on the volume control to be of no effect, even if you tap the very top or bottom of the slide.

Logitech emphasize that the keyboard has been designed with Media Enhancing purposes and when I pressed the Windows button at the top right, it immediately opened Windows Media Player. Of course, this can be configured and changed to load up any of your favorite media programs in SetPoint.

Being the Director of the site, I get tons of emails. The first thing I usually do when I get up is check out what is in my inbox. One thing I noticed was the lack of an immediate email button. I was proven wrong when I pressed the
Function
key and a series of additional buttons lit up for me.

With the original Logitech diNovo, I found myself accidentally pressing the function key because it was beside the Escape key. I'm glad they relocated the button to the rightControl/Alt button.

This well tucked feature allows Logitech to get away with extra keys. I also like how the function key does not stay permanently activated once pressed. You need to hold it down.

Over the course of a week, I adjusted myself to the new Home/End, Delete & Page Up/Down key configuration. One thing I couldn't get use to was the location of the TouchDisc. I really like the feature, but whenever I'm working with the up/down/left/right pad, I find my pinky finger brushing against the TouchDisc and changing the location of my cursor. Other times, I'll accidentally run over the TouchDisc and move the cursor again. Thankfully, Logitech let's you disable the TouchDisc and volume control with the FN key.

Earlier in the review I briefly touched upon the glossy PlexiGlas finish, and just to show you how reflective it is I took a picture with a coin beside the keyboard.

Page 8 : Conclusion

As I furiously type away at my keyboard, I know this review is now coming to a close. Over the past several weeks I typed and typed until my fingers couldn't type any more. I switched between a few different models and I just kept coming back to the diNovo Edge. Even the ergonomic Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 wasn't as finger-friendly as the diNovo Edge.

Media features aside, the PerfectStroke does make for an excellent key striking system. I can hammer away until the dead of night and not wake anyone around me with mad clicking. While there's a tiny click, particularly on the spacebar, it's hardly noticeable and significantly quieter than even the original diNovo.

Once you factor in the benefits from the new function key, TouchDisc, Media Center control, and rapid Li-Ion charging, this becomes one powerful machine. There is still one catch, the cost. Priced at 165USD, this is not something everyone will find in their homes. If they reduced some of the soft-features, kept Bluetooth and Lithium-Ion batteries and sold it for under a hundred bucks, I'd definitely buy it. But that's just me.

Advantages

Rechargeable batteries
Incredibly quiet keystrokes with just the right pressure and push-depth
Sleek and sexy

Disadvantages

Can't disable touch sensitive features
Pricy

Overclockers Online would like to thank Logitech for making this review possible.