Logitech Dinovo Edge
This has to be the nicest keyboard I have ever owned. Sure it looks great but more importantly it is a pleasure to use. It has some great features too, like the Touchdisc, which is like a laptop touch pad but possibly more functional when using away from a desk, like navigating online from the couch. Its not as functional as a mouse or touchpad when working on a document for example, as dragging and dropping is limited by size, but its scrolling function is fantastic. You slide your finger around edge of disc to scroll up or down by starting at side. If you do same thing at bottom of disc it allows vertical scrolling. On mine I adjusted the speed through the supplied software(which is great interface), to get it to my liking. Below this are traditional left and right mouse click buttons.
The keys use what logitech describe as perfectstroke system and I can confirm they are great to use, with in my opinion perfect feel. I love typing on this keyboard.
The keyboard has your standard media keys and custom keys but they are hidden until you touch a button that illuminates them. These are just above the normal keys, and are shortcuts too voip, search,email,home.Next to these are the multimedia control keys stop, play, etc. Then there are 4 customisable buttons that can be used to launch programs and are set using the Setpoint software.
The volume is on the right side of keyboard, and is adjusted by a touch slider, that also illuminates on touch and is a very handy feature. There is a mute button just below this. Above it is a windows media player short cut button. The only keys missing compared to other full sized keyboards is a number pad. As this keyboard is clearly geared towards being used for a Home Theatre PC and so will be used in lounge rooms, this omission shouldn’t be an issue for most.
On the left side there are 5 buttons. A left click mouse button, zoom in and out buttons, a default veiw(resets veiw after zooming) button and a sleep button.
The keyboard has built in Lithium Ion batteries and is recharged by placing the unit back in its dock. They give amazing life and I can get by for a month or two before it needs a recharge.
I normally just type this blog on my net book and only use my Dinovo Edge with my laptop, but I decided to hook it up and write this on the Edge. I am glad I did because when setting it up it reminded me this is a bluetooth keyboard and so works on this netbook and my laptop with out a dongle. It does come with one, but provided you have bluetooth built in, you wont need it.
As stated this keyboard is no doubt targeted mainly at home theatre PCs, as its ability to be a key board and mouse in one is ideal in this application, as well as its bluetooth range of up to 10 metres. Despite that, it makes a fantastic keyboard in its own right. I will probable set up a hometheatre PC down the track and may use my current laptop as its ideally suited to that application, and will import it and the keyboard to the lounge room…if I can bare to part with it as my main keyboard. Maybe Ill just by another one 🙂
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