The coolest keyboard ever made
Written: Jul 17 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: CORDLESS!!! AWESOME LOOKING!!! TONS OF FEATURES!!
Cons: Software may interfere with other programs on your machine
The Bottom Line: The absolute best you can get. Hands down. No quesiton. THis thing kicks so very very much a$$.
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| buuuudy's Full Review: Logitech Cordless Elite Duo¿ Keyboard And Mouse (9... |
I wanted a Logitech Cordless Elite from the moment I laid eyes on it. Luckily, I have an awesome Mom, and I was fortunate enought to get one for my birthday this year. I was, and still am, elated.
The Logitech Cordless Elite is identical in every way to the standard Elite keyboard, except, of course, cordless. INstalling the device could not have been easier; all you need is a free USB port and your PS2 mouse port. The software then takes over, allowing you to assign any function to any of the additional keys either before using the device for the first time, or as you press each one. (That is to say, when you press a button for the first time, a pop-up will open asking you what you would like to assign to that button.) Each button's features is superimposed on your monitor as you use it, so there is no confusion as to what you're doing; a HUGE leap forward from anything Microsoft has done to date.
So what are these featured buttons I'm all excited about? The Elite is a standard QWERTY keyboard that is both PC and MAC compatible. In fact, all the appropriate keys have both MAC and PC symbols on them; for instance, the ALT key also has a little MAC Command symbol, the WIN key has an ALT, and so forth. It's a little thing, but a nice thing, especially for a guy like me who works on both. But more importantly, the Elite boasts an impressive 20 aditional buttons which control a variety of things, mostly to do with media, web, and e-mail. Coolest of all is the large volume dial placed right in top-dead centre, eliminating the need to, for instance, alt-tab out of a game just to adjust the volume. There are also Pause, Skip/FFWD, Skip Back/RWD, Play and Stop buttons which function for any media player you might be using, Winamp and WinDVD included. All this is encased in a black plastic body that is just so cool looking, you'll never even consider another standard beige or white keyboard again.
The wireless recieve is actually more powerful than the documentation lets on; Logitech suggests that the unit will work from "Up to 6 feet away". When the batteries are fully charged, I found that mine worked from a distance of up to 15 feet. This, in my case, is HUGE, since I have a TV-out card (read review on GeForce MX 440), and therefore spend a lot of time playing gmaes, watching movies, or surfing the internet on my TV.
The keys are soft-touch keys, and having had mine for quite a while, I can safely say that, while they do eventuially get a little louder, the difference is not nearly as pronounced as my old Microsoft keyboard was after only 4 months, and CERTAINLY not as bad as any Compaq keyboard I've ever had (of which there have been many). They are also coated with some kind of sealant, so the letters don't wear off over time nearly as easily; mine still looks like it did the day I brought it home, which was 3 months ago. The mouse is also not your standard round-butt mouse; it's an ergonomic shape, black and silver, and features Logitech's high-precision Optical system. In addition to the 2 buttons and wheel, it also sports a 4th button near the thumb which you can ewasily program to act as a command key. And, of course, it looks way cool.
As with all beautiful things, though, there is a downside. Number one would have to be the system's software incompatibility with certain programs; most notable, games built on the older Unreal or Quake engines. For some reason, Logitech's "I-Touch" software, when installed, will render your FPS games built on these engines useless, and when you load them up, all you'll get is an error reading "General Protection Fault." Logitech is aware of this error, but is apparently taking no steps to correct it. However, the good news here is that the I-touch software is only necessary to use about 3/4 of the keyboard's special features, and if you uninstall it, it will still perform beautifully, ;eaving you free to play Unreal Tournament to your heart's content. The second issue is the cost; at $170 Canadian (What's that, about $99 US?), it's a damn expensive keyboard. However, the quality, usefulness, and flat-out cool factors make it well worth the money.
I highly recomment this product to anyone, especially those who like to complement their toys with even cooler toys. The Logitech Cordless Elite Duo is hands-down the best product of it's kind on the market, and will remain so until Logitech outdoes themselves yet again.
R
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 170 Canadian
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Epinions.com ID:
buuuudy
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Reviews written: 8
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