No one mentions the best part about this Keyboard/Mouse set!
Written: Sep 11 '08 (Updated Sep 11 '08)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Green overlay appears on screen. Super sized DELETE key. Great looking/feeling set.
Cons: Expensive without the rebate. Keyboard wireless range is short.
The Bottom Line: Fantastic keyboard if purchased with rebate. Covers all features that you will need in a keyboard/mouse set and more!
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| stlmom's Full Review: Logitech LX 710 (967670) Keyboard and Mouse |
I purchased the Logitech LX 710 from Buy.com for $29.99 after a rebate. I needed a wireless keyboard and mouse set for my desktop which is tucked away under my desk. I looked around and settled on the Logitech LX 710 because it looked nice, and mainly, the $29.99 after rebate price tag cannot be beat.
I'll start with the best part about this keyboard and mouse set... the software! Surprise! You'll rarely ever read that on a review! The thing I like most about this set is that a green wording overlay appears on your screen when you use some keys on the keyboard. This is similar to when you're changing the channels on your TV. You'll see the channel number appear on your TV screen. Or perhaps when you change the volume on your television set, the volume bar appears on the TV screen. When you use the CAPS LOCK on the keyboard, green wording will appear on your computer screen that the cap lock is on (or off when it turns off). Or, when you use the volume buttons on the keyboard, a green volume bar will appear to indicate the level of the volume. Most keyboards with volume buttons will not show you the level of the sound. So you can change the volume from the keyboard, but you will end up opening the sound icon to see what level the volume is at. If you programmed any buttons, you can see the program name appear. On the Logitech LX 710, I've set the PICTURE button to open my Corel Paint Shop. When I press the button, the words Corel Paint Shop appears on my screen in green overlay briefly. I just love that. Other words that appear from pressing buttons on the keyboard: MUTE, UNMUTE, PLAY, EMAIL, NUM LOCK, SEARCH, MEDIA PLAYER. I find the volume and the mute overlay to be the most helpful. Of course, the software allows you to turn this off.. but why would you want to??? :) This software comes with all Logitech keyboards. So it is a point of comparison only if you are considering buying a keyboard of another brand. All Logitech keyboards will have this feature.
Another feature that is more specific to this keyboard is that the DELETE key is double in size. It is the size of the typical backspace key but turned up and down. If you're big on typing and using the delete key, then it'll make a big difference. It's very easy to locate and hit with your right pinky. You'll be correcting your typos much faster with the super sized DELETE key.
The 710 keyboard features the usual "special keys" that multimedia keyboards come with. This includes keys to:
- Open Picture Program / Zoom In / Zoom Out / 100% / Rotate
- Open Music Program / Play / Next / Previous
- Open Email
- Search
- Open Instant Messager
The 710 keyboard also has preprogrammed keys to open Word/Excel/Calendar/Calculator. But I don't find myself using these very often. There are four programmable keys to open any program you may designate. The software that comes with the keyboard allows you to customize all of these keys. In addition, you may also change the way these key work within different programs.
The keyboard has a CHECK BATTERY button and a CONNECT button behind it. It has a rubberized surface which is very nice feeling. It has flip out stands that allow the keyboard to sit at 3 different angles. The keys are nicely labeled so that you can see different keystroke combinations like CONTROL + V for PASTE and CONTROL + X for CUT. Overall, a very nice keyboard. The big plus's for me are the super sized DELETE key, the green overlay that appears on your screen, and it looks sleek. The downside is that for me, the range is not very good. The range on the mouse is much better than the keyboard. But for me, the wireless keyboard range cuts out at about 10 feet.
The mouse has a matching silver look with rubberized sides. It's a laser mouse meaning it's better than optical. There's a on/off switch on the mouse (which I never use). Note that the scroll wheel moves side to side also for side scrolling in Office applications and web browsers. There is a low battery indicator on the mouse that lights up when batteries are low. The best part about the mouse is that there are NEXT and PREVIOUS buttons. These are best used for surfing the web so that you can go BACK on a page. These buttons do not work for all applications (like Windows Media player). But, you can use the setup software to program the buttons specifically for different programs. The mouse is good for righties and lefties. The mouse is a tad skinny but you get used to it after a while.
The battery life is very good. I've had the keyboard for about a year now and have only changed the batteries once.
One thing that is very helpful that came with the keyboard set that Logitech does not mention is that the set comes with a USB extension cord. So instead of plugging the USB receiver to the back of the computer, I plug the USB extension cord into the computer and then plug the receiver into the extension cord. The receiver then sits on my desktop. Doesn't that increase the clutter that you're trying to eliminate with wireless products? Two great reasons for the extension cord. Firstly, it gives you the option to increase your range if you find that the connection is not good. So let's say you plug your receiver into your computer and find that the receiver is too far from the keyboard/mouse for a good connection. You now have the option to use the extension cord to bring the receiver closer. The second advantage is that it makes the receiver accessible. I sometimes pull the receiver out of my desktop and put it into my laptop or Playstation 3. If the receiver was plugged into my desktop at the back USB outlet, then it would be very hard to reach the receiver each time I wanted to move it around. Instead, the USB extension cord brings the receiver to my desktop where I can plug or unplug it easily.
In conclusion, it is a great keyboard/mouse set for $29.99. It looks great and will cover all the features that you will probably use in a keyboard. If you are purchasing it for $69.99, there are probably more ergonomic or specialized keyboard/mouse sets with more features. Incidentally, my in-laws and another friend also purchased this keyboard/mouse set after using it at my house. They waited about 2 weeks or so for the rebate to be re-posted. The rebate offer seems to pop up every month or so at Buy.com.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 29.99
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stlmom
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Location: St. Louis, MO
Reviews written: 89
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"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." Martin Luther King, Jr.
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