Now I’m Spoiled
Written: Jan 01 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Easy to use and set up
Cons: LED Locations
The Bottom Line: A great, easy-to-use wireless setup for the price.
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| jumperless's Full Review: Logitech Labtec Wireless Desktop Optical (967360-0... |
A wireless mouse and keyboard is something I would've never bought for myself, it just doesn't make sense to me why I needed wireless when they pretty much stay in the same place on my desk. It wasn't until I got this wireless mouse and keyboard as a gift that I realized the benefits. I never knew how much my mouse cord getting caught on my art pad and the corner of my desk annoyed me until I didn't have to deal with it anymore. And it is nice to be able to easily relocate my keyboard to make room for the art pad without cord constraints. Also, my old mouse and keyboard were USB, taking up valuable USB ports and apparently causing problems with some of my other USB devices while my PS/2 ports sat unused. Now, they're finally being used again and all my other USB devices seem to be happy again.
In the box
This comes with the keyboard, mouse, 3" x 3" signal receiver box that has about a 4 ft. cable that comes out the back and divides into two PS/2 connections to go into the PS/2 mouse and keyboard connection, software/driver CD, little instruction booklet, 2 AAA batteries for the keyboard and 2 AA batteries for the mouse.
Installation
When I first got this, I had a USB mouse and keyboard installed on my Windows XP Pro SP2 machine. I had to install the 2 AA batteries in the bottom of the mouse and the two AAA batteries in the bottom of the keyboard, instantly the lights came on both of them. Then I connected the color-coded PS/2 ports of the receiver box and placed the box in the back center of my desk, out of the way. After physically connecting it I had to press the connect button on the receiver box and the reset button on the bottom of the keyboard to get them to work. I also had to install the included software to get all the functions of the extra keyboard buttons to work.
Everything seem to be working fine until I launched Firefox and found that tab browsing was not working with the wheel-button. I brought up the configuration software from the mouse settings in the control panel and had to switch the 3rd button settings to application to get it to work.
I also got a larger hard drive for a gift and installed it and reloaded my system shortly after. I found that I didn't even need the software that came with this after doing a fresh install with it, the wheel button worked as I wanted and all the special application keys on the keyboard worked. So I just left the software off this time. Such might also be true if you're replacing a PS/2 mouse and keyboard.
Usability
The keyboard took a little getting used to, the keys are more mushy and quiet than I'm used to. But, it works fine for me, the keys seem large enough and spaced far enough apart for my clumsy fingers. Many keyboards have a Windows key on either side of the space bar, since I'm right handed, I like using the right side one to Windows key + M to minimize everything and get back to my desktop. This keyboard only has one Windows key on the left side, so I have to get used to using both hands or stretching my left hand to minimize everything. But that seems to be common for higher end keyboards, the Microsoft one I use at work has the same issue.
I noticed right away that the keyboard does not have LED lights on it letting me know if caps, scroll or num lock is on. They're actually on the receiver box and not easy to look at if you have it placed in a hidden location. However, my fiance's Logitech wireless mouse and keyboard do the same thing, I figure that's just to save battery power, the constant on LEDs on the keyboard would drain them faster.
The keyboard has 7 application buttons along the top, a play/pause button, that you can set to work in various applications like media player. A mute button that works with Windows sound, a refresh button that will refresh your default browser, Firefox in my case. A WWW button that just brings up your default browser to get online, a mail button that brings up your default mail program and a volume plus and minus button that increases or decreases the Windows volume. The keyboard also has and extended wrist rest that I find offers additional support.
The optical mouse is a tad bit heavier than my old one because of the batteries and additional wireless equipment I guess. But I don't find that to be a problem, it easily glides over my mouse pad. The mouse is a little bit bigger than past optical mice I've used, but I like that because it offers more hand support and has large, easy-to-use buttons. It has three buttons, the standard right and left buttons, plus a scroll wheel between them that doubles as a third button. The scroll wheel has a large plastic frame around the base, separating it from the other two buttons, I like this because if my clumsy fingers slip off the wheel, it helps prevent me from accidentally hitting one of the other two.
Battery life is something I have not been able to determine yet because they're still on the original set they came with. The keyboard takes two AAA batteries and the mouse takes two AA batteries. My fiance's Logitech setup goes through batteries about every 5-6 months and he says the mouse usually goes through them quicker. The manual says you’ll need to replace them every 2-6 months depending on usage. Since this is on my home PC and I don't use it as much as my work PC, I'll probably be closer to 6 months. The wireless signal will work up to 1.5 meters, so far I have not had any signal problems moving them around my desk and even using the keyboard in my lap.
Looks
The mouse and keyboard are all in metallic silver and black, a color scheme that seems to be the new beige in computer land, which is fine with me. They match my metallic art pad and case. The keys on the keyboard are black, probably good because have you ever seen a beige keyboard after years of use? I have at work, they look like health hazards with a dark brown film on the keys. Except for the black wrist rest and space around the buttons, the rest of the keyboard is metallic silver. The mouse is also silver except for the scroll wheel and bottom. Booth have a red signal LED on them that flicker when in use.
Overall
I think this is a great wireless setup for the price, I've seen similar models for more than twice the price of this one. If you've never considered a wireless mouse and keyboard, you may want to. Especially if you move your keyboard a lot and/or have ever been annoyed by your mouse cable not reaching or getting snagged. The price for this model is less than many corded keyboards and mice.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 41
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jumperless
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Location: Northern California
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