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Written by [t0rc]
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Bluetooth has been recognized as one of the great breakthroughs in
wireless technology. Now Logitech, one of the most reputable peripheral
manufacturers has integrated Bluetooth into a slim and stylish design
package that even has an LCD on the numpad. Wanna control your movies,
music, and pictures as well as get IM and E-mail notifications from 30
feet away? Then you should take a look at this...
| Product: | Logitech diNovo Media Desktop |  | | Manufacturer: | Logitech | | MSRP: | 249.95 USD | | Where to Buy: | NewEgg.com ($154 USD at time of review) | | Specs: | - Bluetooth Technology (keyboard, mouse, and mediapad)
- Ultra-flat, Zero Degree Tilt design
- True boot support
- Enhanced function keys
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A little about Logitech:
"Founded
in 1981, Logitech designs, manufactures and markets personal
peripherals that enable people to effectively work, play, and
communicate in the digital world. Logitech International is a Swiss
public company traded on the Swiss Stock Exchange (LOGN) and in the
U.S. on the Nasdaq National Market System (LOGI). The company has
manufacturing facilities in Asia and offices in major cities in North
America, Europe and Asia Pacific."
The
Logitech diNovo Media Desktop arrived safely for review, properly
packaged and ready for use. It comes with the Logitech diNovo Keyboard,
Logitech MX900 Cordless Optical Mouse for Bluetooth, Logitech MediaPad,
Bluetooth wireless hub/charger, AC Power supply, 2 AA NiMH rechargeable
batteries, 6 AA alkaline batteries, Software, User's Manual, 5-year
limited warranty.
"Let's
start with the keyboard. With clean lines and an ultra-flat design, the
diNovo keyboard fits beautifully with contemporary PC systems and flat
LCD monitors. You'll enjoy the full-size typing layout, full travel
keys, and array of extra buttons to simplify your work. Just plug it in
and watch it completely transform your desktop.
You've never
seen anything like the MediaPad, a Bluetooth remote commander for all
your digital media. Use it to remotely view, select, and launch your
favorite jukebox tunes, video clips, or digital photos. The MediaPad
also displays email or instant message notifications, and it lets you
monitor media selection playback status, even when you're away from
your desk. It's a numeric keypad with a built-in smart calculator. And
you can view time and date in the digital display.
Moving to
the mouse, the diNovo Media Desktop includes Logitech's most advanced
performer: the rechargeable MX900 Cordless Optical Mouse. Its
award-winning MX Optical Engine is the last word in precision and
accuracy."
The keyboard is extremely thin, approximately 1/4" (0.25") thick. The
the keys are spaced like a normal keyboard but they're of the slim
laptop design. The keys are also very quiet when pressed, which is
nice. Multimedia keys are placed in the bottom right corner of the
keyboard, as a round control disc; a welcome change from the row of
media keys at the top of the keyboard. We occasionally would press on
the disc too hard and it would depress another key than the one we
chose (i.e., we hit Play/Pause and it also clicks Previous). For more
functions, the keyboard has F-Lock to turn F1-F12 into shortcut keys
for everything from sending e-mail to redo to opening up My Documents.
The top right corner of the keyboard has master volume controls as well
as mute; the left side has Search, E-mail, Home, and Sleep shortcut
keys. One of the biggest complaints about wireless keyboards is that
the majority of them don't have true boot support. Logitech made sure
to add that functionality to this set and it will let you launch your
BIOS config during POST, etc. The keyboard sits perfectly flat on a
desk and then has some stands to create an incline with it. The wrist
rest isn't squishy, just made from a soft and smooth rubber-ish
material which was very comfortable. Battery life for the keyboard is
impressive, using 4 AA batteries the keyboard will not run out of
juice. After a week of use, SetPoint still reports the battery life at
full. The diNovo keyboard doesn't have a numpad...at least not directly
attached to it.
The diNovo Mediapad is the numpad for the keyboard; it's split off from
the rest of the keyboard and has more functions than you could believe.
The Mediapad has an LCD on it, that displays the time, new E-mails and
IM's, the song/track title/artist/time/progression and mode
(play/paused). Cloning the keyboard's media control, in the bottom
right corner there is a media control disc and media launch button.
Above those the pad has master volume controls (+/-) as well as master
mute. The Mediapad can also switch through three modes of use: 123
(normal Numlock function), Nav (lets you navigate Windows, Open/Close
apps, etc.), and +/= which is Calculator mode (you can even have the
answer sent to the Clipboard for easy pasting if you desire).
Unfortunately, none of these three modes allow you to type ALT + 168 or
whatever other combo you're looking to use; it won't type the sign. We
also thought that because you could control movies/music/pictures with
the Mediapad that the LCD could use a backlight for some evening
entertainment. The LCD also never shuts off until the batteries are
dead or removed; we understand that auto-shutoff might get annoying but
we'd at least like a manual switch to shut it off, conserving battery
life. Although, while the LCD doesn't shut off, after a week of being
on 24/7, the batteries (2 AA) still register as being full. The
Mediapad also flashes a blue LED when it's looking for the Bluetooth
network.
The MX900 that is paired with this set isn't that bad of a mouse
(however it is optical). The sensitivity is decent but after using the
MX1000 we've gotten spoiled. A Bluetooth version of the MX1000 paired
with this keyboard set would be the ultimate wireless desktop. The
mouse has forward/back buttons, cruise up/down buttons, a wheel, and a
switch application button (serves as a quicker Alt+Tab with different
interface). We can't get used to the awkward shape of the MX900; it
doesn't contour to our hands correctly. People with smaller hands may
find the mouse easier to use, but for those with medium to large hands
it seems to cause an issue. The mouse uses 2 AA NiMH rechargeable
batteries which charge quickly but they make the mouse a heavyweight.
All the parts on the Logitech diNovo Media Desktop use Bluetooth
technology to give you a range of up to 30 feet, which is more than
enough for a keyboard and mouse. This extra long range helps justify
the use of the Mediapad for more than just a numpad. If you've got a
remote, why not use it? Not only does Bluetooth allow you extremely
accurate and quick connecting peripherals, it allows you to connect
PDA's, phones, and any other Bluetooth devices via the included hub.
Range issues are nonexistent with this desktop set.
The SetPoint and MediaLife software included with this set is a great
addition. We didn't really like MediaLife as it was a little awkward to
use and occupied the whole screen (although you could see it from
across the room) but SetPoint, as always, allows by far some of the
bets customization of peripherals around. We'd like to see support for
changing the functions of the F-Lock keys. The OSD that comes up to
show you what program you've launched or what button you've pressed is
also another bonus. Unfortunately game functionality is still a bit
weak; you'll have to close SetPoint if you want your games to
assign/register some buttons correctly.
Overall the Logitech diNovo Media Desktop is nearly flawless
and an extremely well designed product. While you've got to be an
extreme geek to buy a $250 USD keyboard and mouse, the $154 that we
found at NewEgg.com for this set is pretty reasonable. After all, it's
just money, right? Our take is that you'd have to use one before you
could justify that price; once you've used one it seems a lot more
reasonable. In any case, we'd love to see a Bluetooth version of the
MX1000 with this set; that would render this set nearly flawless. Long
battery life, solid and comfortable design, long range, and superb
functionality combat the price, SetPoints bad game support, and
mediocre mouse and the diNovo Media Desktop emerges with a 94% rating,
a Gold Award, and the Editors Choice Award. Give it some time and when
the price drops, this desktop set will be the best deal in peripherals.
Thanks to Logitech for making this review possible.
Images courtesy of Logitech Press
| Bluetooth: | Cavities: | - Sturdy, Slim, and Stylish
- Easy Installation
- Good included software
- Great Functionality
- Long Range
- Allows for additional Bluetooth
peripherals to be connected
| - Price is debateable
- Mediocre Mouse
- SetPoint has game conflicts
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