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Logitech Cordless Desktop MX5000 Laser


Date
: 03/4/06 – 09:01:33 PM

Author
:

Category
: Input Devices

Page 1 : Index

Manufacturer
: Logitech

Price
: $149.99 / 172.49 CAD (MSRP)

Logitech is a 25-year old company that has been a major player in the input device market since 1981. To me, the name Logitech brings back nostalgic memories of gamepads and joysticks, and of course, keyboards and mice. Apart from those, the company produces webcams, trackballs, speakers, headsets, digital pens, and even advanced universal remote controls.

Keyboards and mice combinations have always been an integral part of Logitech's offerings. In December of 2005, reviewed Logitech's diNovo Media Desktop Laser. Today, we have for your viewing pleasure the successor: the
Logitech Cordless Desktop MX5000 Laser
.

Page 2 : Package

The MX5000 arrived packaged in a big brown box. One could easily mistake it for a box containing a computer case if not for the Logitech logo. It was shipped via DHL directly from Logitech.

Inside, we see that the actual product box is quite compact. The top of the box has a prominent image of the keyboard and mouse. It is advertised "Consumers' #1 Choice for Cordless" as seen by the small slogan at the top left. Below that, we see that this is the world's first smart desktop; we'll have more on this later in the review. An innovative feature of the keyboard seems to be that it has an LCD display that gives instant feedback; I have not seen any other keyboard with such a feature. On the top right, there is the archetypal Logitech logo. Below that, we see the MX laser mouse which is rechargeable through what seems to be a charger/dock. At the bottom right, there are a series of blue boxes with images. A big box reads Bluetooth, signifying the wireless technology used. From left to right, the other boxes read: MX Laser, Rechargeable Mouse, LCD Display, Comfortable Design, Touch Sensitive Media, Communication Center, and Mini Receiver. Here are the boxes in better detail:

The front face of the box has basically the title, a smaller picture of the set, the blue boxes, and the Logitech logo. There is also a small image that reads "MX5000" along with a profile view of the keyboard from the front. It seems very thin with the LCD panel protruding upwards. The back face is almost identical except that it lacks the "MX5000" image and has the UPC codes.

The left side shows system requirements and package contents. It also has the blue boxes, a smaller image of the set, and Logitech's logo. We also see a "Designed for Windows XP" logo and a picture of the USB Bluetooth dongle. Below that, we see the Logitech website's URL and Logitech's NASDAQ symbol, LOGI. Also denoted is a small message saying the product is made in China.

The right side, once again, has a small image of the set and Logitech's logo. The blue boxes make a reappearance. This side seems to include persuasive advertising paraphernalia: a #1 logo and a short paragraph that advises users to "Go with the leader."

Turning to the bottom of the box, we are flooded with information. All the features are neatly arrayed out and labeled. If you look at the numbers to the left of the specifications, they correspond to the numbers on the image of the set on the right.

Don't worry if you can't read all the fine details; we will thoroughly explore these features and specifications in the proceeding page.

Page 3 : Features & Specifications

From Logitech's product page for the Cordless Desktop MX5000 Laser we have the following specifications:

These pictures from the same product page highlight and capture all the main features of the MX5000 set better than any bulleted list or paragraph:

Also, Logitech provides us with the system requirements, more specifications, and the package contents (which we will look at on the next page).

Here is a picture of why lasers are advantageous over optical sensors:

Now, let's see the physical manifestation of these features on the next page, the package contents…

Page 4 : Package Contents

Inside the colorful outer box, we find a rigid white cardboard box. Upon opening it, we are greeted with a plethora of loose items.

These items include an installation guide, a yellow paper with important installation instructions, a safety guide, and the software CD which includes Logitech's SetPoint and MediaLife.

Removing those, we catch sight of the keyboard wrapped in thin foam. The keyboard is held into place by part of the cardboard frame of the box.

Taking the keyboard out exposes all the other components wedged inside the cardboard frame. These include the Bluetooth receiver and two packages of two batteries each. The wrist rest is wrapped in plastic and wedged under the frame. We also have the MX1000 mouse and its charging dock, individually wrapped in the same foam the keyboard was wrapped in.

Removing the aforementioned components and lifting up the frame reveals the final item: the charger's power adaptor. It comes packaged in its own box.

Let's take a closer look at each component included in the box.

First and foremost, we have the keyboard and wrist rest.

It is a full-sized keyboard. The layout of the alphanumeric keys is no different from a normal keyboard's. The prominent features seem to be the touch sensitive area on the left and the relatively large LCD panel in the middle. The gray and black color of the keyboard is sure to match with anything and everything.

A closeup of the touch sensitive area shows many things.

Starting at the top, we see that there are four buttons. The first three are labeled "Digital Media Library" and their images denote their functions: videos, music, and pictures. The larger button on the right is labeled "Sync" and has the Bluetooth logo on it which implies that it is for syncing other Bluetooth devices with the computer.

The top F row keys are smaller and are dual function, serving as both the normal F keys and other functions denoted by the images which could probably be set up via the software.

The left features several controls which include a "Media" button; play/pause, stop, rewind, and forward controls; touch sensitive zoom and volume sliders; and zoom reset and volume mute buttons.

Looking at the keys, we can see that they are all of a good size. The "Caps Lock" key is recessed, possibly so that the user will not accidentally press it. Many of the keys have images as well as words to represent functions. Useful "CTRL+" keyboard shortcuts are labeled so with some of them being undo (Z), cut (X), copy (C), etc.

The middle of the keyboard also shows the large, well-labeled keys. Between the F8 and F9 keys is a break that allows for placement of the Logitech logo. Above that is the LCD panel, which has four buttons associated with it. The space bar is large and curved. Some of you with keen eyes may notice that there is no "Windows" key on the right side after the "Alt" key as is seen on most keyboards.

Here is a closer look at the large LCD screen:

The middle right area of the keyboard has undergone some changes. The F9 through F12 keys are also "Smart Keys" which means they can be assigned custom functions through the software. The "Insert" key has been relocated to the top row and the "Scroll Lock" key is missing. The "Home" and "End" keys are at the top of the little island of keys. The "Delete" key has been made larger (to make up for the relocated "Insert" key's space) and the "Page Up" and "Page Down" keys are setup in an ingenious up-down fashion.

Looking at the top right area of the keyboard, we see four more special buttons at the top. These include an "E-mail" button, and buttons for opening your instant messenger program, check your status on it, and start your webcam program. Below that is a button labeled "Mode[F]" which is probably used to change the function of the F keys from their normal operation to special function operation. To the right of that is a calculator button that allows you to use the keyboard as a standalone calculator, thanks to the LCD and the number pad keys. Also, there is a suspend button to put your computer in standby.

The right side of the keyboard shows the large keys of the number pad. The arrow keys are large and very prominent. Below the number pad is a Bluetooth logo.

That covers the top of the keyboard. The backside contains the keyboard's specifications, certifications, and a small connection assistance box. Below is an on/off switch and a red "connect" button. To the right is a warning label. In the middle bottom is a battery compartment.

The left and right sides of the keyboard feature the stands that many people use to raise the top of the keyboard. The stands flip out of their recessed grooves.

The mouse included in this set is the MX1000 Laser.

The left side of the mouse has a contoured area for thumb placement. It has two arrow buttons above the thumb area which can be used to go back and forward in websites and a small square button for switching between windows à la the "Alt-Tab" feature. On top of the thumb groove is a battery level indicator. The top of the mouse features the Logitech logo, a small Bluetooth symbol, and at the bottom a small slogan which reads "MX Laser".

The top has the two normal click buttons; they are built straight into the shell of the mouse. Between them is the scroll wheel which is surrounded by a rocker switch. The rocker switch allows fast scrolling up and down. A novel feature of the scroll wheel itself is that it allows scrolling to the left and right, done by titling it in the respective direction.

The right side of the mouse also has a small contoured area to accommodate the user's ring and pinky fingers. All in all, the mouse puts a big emphasis on ergonomics.

The bottom of the mouse has some specifications and certifications. It has an on/off button and a red "connect" button, just like the keyboard. Also, we see the MX laser engine. Since the MX1000 is a laser mouse, it is somewhat different from the optical mice we are all used to. Optical mice use an LED to illuminate the surface, and a photodetector to detect movement. On the contrary, laser mice use coherent light to illuminate the surface; because the light is coherent, it provides more resolution, up to 20 times that of an optical mouse, as denoted by the 20X marking, so that the tracking is extremely accurate. Also, the laser allows the mouse to work on virtually all surfaces. The laser operates in the infrared range so it will be mostly invisible to the human eye. It's wavelength is also marked around the laser's "eye" as 832-852 nanometers. The two gold contacts are for charging the built-in Li-Ion battery.

My digital camera was able to "see" the laser as shown by the following image. It is extremely bright but should not harm human eyes as its power output is quite low (< 1mW = Class I). However, this does not mean that you should keep staring at it or attempt to look for it for any period of time!

The charger is a work of art. It has a square backplate and two metal contacts inside. The mouse slides onto the charger and is held in place by the protruding bump that has a corresponding groove on the back of the mouse.

Finally, we have the Bluetooth USB mini-receiver that brings the whole set together. It comes wrapped in plastic. On one side, it has the Logitech logo and "Bluetooth 2.0 EDR" while the other side has the omnipresent red "connect" button and some specifications and certifications.

Page 5 : Installation

Logitech has included an excellent multilingual guide to ensure that installation goes smoothly. Below, I will highlight the main points of the installation.

Following the installation guide, the first step is to ensure that we have all the package contents. Check.

Second, turn on the computer if not already on. Third, plug in the USB mini-receiver into a USB port. Then, set up the mouse charger by connecting the power adaptor to it and plugging in the adaptor to a power outlet.

At this point, we are supposed to turn on the mouse by using the sliding button on its underside. One red LED should come on in the battery level indicator. Place the mouse in the charger; while charging, the LEDs will blink green in sequence. Charge until all three LEDs light up. This process took me 3 hours.

Here is an animated GIF of what the charging process looks like:

While the mouse is charging, insert the four included AA batteries into the back of the keyboard. Follow the diagram in the battery compartment, observing polarity. Then, turn on the keyboard by using the sliding power switch. The Logitech logo should appear on the LCD panel. The keyboard's smart calculator function can be used at this point by pressing the appropriate button.

Do not press the red "connect" button on any of the devices. They will be recognized automatically.

When the mouse has finished charging, the software must be installed to enable all the features.

If you have Autoplay enabled, the installation will start automatically. If not, run the setup program manually from the CD.

In the next step, you can select your language and location.

Following that, you can choose to install the software for just the mouse, just the keyboard, or both. We will pick both.

The next step asks if you want to install Logitech's Desktop Messenger. It is recommended that you enable it so that software updates will be done automatically.

Following that, the next two are the usual installation location and license agreement steps.

Finally, we are given the choice of picking the software to install. Musicmatch Jukebox comes bundled with the Logitech software and some users may wish to not install it so you are given the option.

Then, Windows will automatically detect the Bluetooth receiver and accompanying virtual devices.

The SetPoint software will check for updates; it is highly recommended that you download them lest you experience usability issues with your mouse and/or keyboard.

Then, installation will continue until all the software is installed.

Restart the computer to finalize installtion.

Upon reboot, the program will attempt to detect all the components and securely connect them. Connecting should be simple as the components come pre-configured for easy connectivity.

After connection, the LCD panel's advanced features will be enabled as it will stop displaying the Logitech logo and will display other information. Before we have a look at that, let us finish our tour of the SetPoint software.

There are numerous options and preferences that can be set via SetPoint from key configurations to connecting other Bluetooth devices.

Continue on to the next page where we will evaluate and highlight the features of the Cordless Desktop MX5000 Laser.

Page 6 : Performance

The alphanumeric key layout of the MX5000 keyboard is basically identical to that of an ordinary keyboard; however, of main importance, as we mentioned earlier, some auxiliary keys have been moved and the island of keys above the arrow keys has been reorganized. To review all the changes, refer back to the package contents page (page 3).

The first thing I noticed typing on the MX5000 keyboard were the keys. The keys are very soft and quiet yet provide solid tactile feedback. I immediately noticed how much better they were as I had been typing on a generic, low quality keyboard earlier. Now that I've used the keyboard for over a week, I'm used to it and would be disappointed switching back to another keyboard. Initially, I had some problems with the number row of keys as I'd occasionally hit the key to the left of the one I meant to hit; this is probably because of slight shifts in the layout. Also, it took me a while to get used to the redesigned island of keys. However, I wouldn't like it any other way as this way makes the most sense. The larger "Delete" button is also very intuitive to use; about the "Insert" key's relocation, I say good riddance! Moving down the keyboard, I did notice that there is no "Windows" key on the right side of the keyboard which I often used. I quickly adapted to using the one on the left side though.

The LCD panel caught my attention next. Upon logon, it greeted me with a pleasant "Good Afternoon, Nivedh!" message. After that, it displays your user name, date, time, ambient temperature (can be set to show °C or °F), and keyboard status. If you would rather have it display some other name other than your user name, it can be set through the SetPoint software. The arrow buttons below the LCD can be used to navigate the menu which consists of three options: display "Smart Keys" status (these are the F9 through F12 keys), display song "Playlists", or activate the "Radio" feature of your favorite media player. The other two buttons are scenario-specific. On the left, the LCD displays if you have new e-mails in your e-mail program of choice, whether or not you have any new instant messages, and your instant messenger status. Also, it shows if the sound card volume is muted or not. The right side shows Caps Lock status, F-Lock status, and Bluetooth disconnect status. The keyboard beeps when the Caps Lock or F-Lock buttons are pressed. Note that the keyboard has no Scroll Lock or Num Lock buttons. The "Scroll Lock" button has been replaced with the "F-Lock", and "Num Lock" by "Clear Calc <-".

I could not get the LCD to work with AOL Instant Messenger or Mozilla Thunderbird. The LCD's contrast is acceptable under normal conditions. However, at times, there is a lot of glare on it because of its reflective nature. Also, it cannot be read in the dark since it is not backlit.

The touch sensitive controls on the left of the keyboard are linked to the LCD. The LCD will show images and text to represent the button you press. The touch sensitive controls were not very sensitive at all and require a lot of pressure and a lot of sliding to work. The keyboard emits a zipping sound when you use the sliders. Also, the buttons glow red for a couple of seconds when you press them. The Media controls worked flawlessly with both Winamp and Windows Media Player.

The calculator function of the keyboard also uses the LCD to display output. It was very simple and intuitive to use. Using SetPoint, you can even configure the keyboard to copy your output, after you press "Enter", to the Windows clipboard.

Ergonomically, the keyboard is very gentle on the hands. It has a low profile, especially when the stands are not used. The wrist rest is well-designed and provides good support. The mouse, which we will examine shortly, is over two times taller than the keyboard!

Moving on to the mouse, ergonomics once again plays a big part. One look at the mouse and we can suspect that the MX1000 Laser is designed with comfort in mind; holding it confirms our suspicions! The recessed thumb groove is very well designed as is the other smaller groove on the right side. This is good news for right-handed users but left-handed users will have to look for another mouse unless they switch.

The feel of the mouse is very natural and its accuracy is astounding coming from a normal optical mouse. Also, it worked on all the surfaces I tried it on including my wooden table, a vinyl couch, a leather couch, a sheet of paper, a piece of plastic, a sheet of glass, a mirror, and even my pants! It also works, undoubtedly, on all of my mousepads.

Like the keyboard, the mouse's special buttons can be configured via SetPoint.

Next, I tested the range of the Bluetooth receiver. I put it in one of the front USB port's of my computer so that there is an unobstructed path between it and the devices. I was able to attain a maximum range of around 50' (15m). This is just under the specifications of Bluetooth 2.0+EDR which claim 60' (18.3m). Outside that range the keyboard and mouse would not work; upon moving closer, my previous keystrokes and mouse movements would occur in a sort of delayed reaction except they would be registered really fast (mouse moving around really fast, keystrokes appearing fast, etc.).

Normally, the receiver is connecting to my computer behind my desk and I've had no problems whatsoever with connectivity and range. It works perfectly and there is no lag while gaming.

The battery life for both the keyboard and mouse should be exceptional from what I've heard and seen. The mouse's batteries lasted me a little over a week with regular usage of about 6 to 7 hours a day; you will be notified of the declining charge in the battery by the LEDs; when it has only one bar left, either red or green, pop it in the charger for a few hours. The keyboard's battery status is also good according to SetPoint after two weeks of usage:

You can turn the mouse and keyboard off when not using them to further conserve battery life.

Now that we know everything about the MX5000, let's wrap it all up.

Page 7 : Conclusion

Coming from a regular, generic PS/2 keyboard and Microsoft basic USB optical mouse, I was amazed by the Logitech Cordless Desktop MX5000 Laser. It is such a big improvement that it is mind-boggling.

The Bluetooth wireless technology coupled with amazing features and ergonomics makes this keyboard/mouse combination a clear winner. The LCD-bearing MX5000 keyboard's layout, though slightly different, is very well designed and well thought-out with the touch sensitive media sliders being a good feature especially for HTPC users. On the other hand, the MX1000 mouse included in the set deserves special praise itself. Its laser technology makes "optical obsolete" and provides a much better user experience. Logitech has also included its award-winning SetPoint software to augment the features of both the keyboard and the mouse.

Designed for right-handed users, the mouse may cause some inconvenience to the lefties out there. Also, some users may miss the "Scroll Lock" and "Num Lock" keys on the keyboard but most will not need them. Economically, the set may seem expensive at first glance but for the features provided, it is well worth it; as the mouse itself is worth $70 and the included Bluetooth 2.0+EDR receiver is worth another $35, that adds up to 70% of the total MSRP of $150. You will be able to find this set for much cheaper at many online retailers such as Newegg, which offers this package for around $110 (lower with mail-in-rebate).

All in all, Logitech has added yet another amazing product to their line-up. The Logitech MX5000 Cordless Desktop Laser is sure to be a hit in the Bluetooth input device industry, along with Logitech's own diNovo Media Desktop Laser. It's only a matter of time before we see new Bluetooth keyboard/mouse combinations from Logitech itself and its competitors.

Advantages:

• Latest technology
• Bluetooth 2.0+EDR wireless with great range
• Well-designed keyboard layout
• Keyboard features touch-sensitive "media sliders" and built-in multifunctional LCD screen.
• Rechargeable, ergonomically-advanced laser mouse

  Disadvantages:

• Mouse is for right-handed users only
• No "Num Lock" or "Scroll Lock"
• "Media sliders" are not very sensitive
• Not exactly low priced but carries high value

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