Elite Duo: Free thy mouse! (and KB)
Written: Mar 29 '03 (Updated Mar 03 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: WIRELESS, hires optical mouse, attractive, low profile, quiet keyboard
Cons: tactile feeback of keyboard, only in Black, Mouse buttons, (batteries)
The Bottom Line: Great features, cleans up clutter and looks great, but not without handicaps either.
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| theuerkorn's Full Review: Logitech Cordless Elite Duo (967231-0403) Keyboard... |
Having a hard time to see mice tied up at their tail and being pushed around? What about keyboards and their right to freedom? Shouldn't they all be able to roam freely on your desk, couch or whatever place they please?
On a more technical note: Wireless mice came first, now even keyboards loose their attachment completely. Nevermind how much needed in everyday practice this is, it makes for great input devices at a fair price (due to bundling).
To clarify the wireless claim, since most computers still rely on wired interfaces with keyboard and mouse even a wireless input device requires some sort of adapter that plugs into either the dedicated PS/2 or an USB port. The receiver usually has specific requirements regarding it's location relative to input devices as well as other electromagnetic sources (i.e. monitor).
In the Box
The box is nothing special and nor is really the content. Wireless demands an alternative power source for these parts and batteries are included (Mouse: 2AA, Keyboard: 2AA).
- Logitech Elite Wireless Keyboard
- Logitech Cordless Mouseman Optical
- Receiver (PS/2 and USB Port)
- Installation CD
- 4x AA size batteries
- PS/2 to USB adapter
Installation is a snap. Just insert batteries, plug in the receiver, and sync (connect) both keyboard and mouse once. This is sort of a registering to tell the receiver which devices to recognize. (in case you have more wireless gadgets).
In it's initial state the duo is recognized as standard keyboard and mouse. To use additional features (battery status, specific function keys etc.) one must install Logitech's included driver, which is simple enough.
I was first concerned that I may have to register the wireless devices everytime I turn off the desktop, but it sure remembers settings even after a complete power-down.
The Elite Keyboard
Does wireless make sense for a keyboard? Well, it's not a must-have, but it's certainly nice since no wire tangles up on the desktop. This is within reason, since the receiver still connects to the desktop via wires.
Most important for a keyboard, the tactile feedback of the keys is very good, though I am still thinking back to my times on a SGI O2 where they managed to combine quasi-quiet keys with excellent feedback whether a key was pressed or not. (very unobstrusive click) The Elite keyboard does not achieve such lofty goal, but still manages to deliver.
The additional 20 keys are something I am still getting used to. The most useful addition is the volume dial. In my case, my monitor (http://www.epinions.com/content_91282640516) does not have convenient means to regulate volume quickly. Each key is by nature a 'soft' key, where different functions can be assigned and with it pretty much any custom command. The included software predefines them according to their print.
Whether for power saving or more functional reasons, the keyboard does not have any LED to signalize toggle status of CapsLock, NumLock etc.. The receive does have tiny LEDs but may actually be out of sight. The included driver shows the same information as an OSD, very similar to many laptops (IBM) these days. That makes it very convenient too. However, the driver in my case failed sometimes to load (WinXP) and despite the functions being available, the OSD was not.
Most soft-buttons are for accessing basic programs like IM, Webbrowser, e-mail etc.. In normal live they may not be missed, since most of those are just a (double)click away anyway. However, once the sub-concience becomes 'aware' of this functionality, it turns out to be such a 'hassle' to reach for the mouse and perform the famous double click. This is mainly for office apps where both hands are on the keyboard.
Ergonomics are great and while it may not be on par with split-key versions, it shines with a flat profile and a tapered first row. A great extension is the little 'bubble' on the left that holds a scroll wheel, a BACK button (for web browser and an actual GO button similar to the address line in a normal browser, but with instant access (even if no browser is loaded ... yet).
For a feature list please refer to ...
http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm?countryid=19&languageid=1&page=products/usertype/sohotopics&CRID=460&parentCRID=268&contentID=6163
The Optical Mouse
The mouse is normally sold separately for approx. $50 and that alone made it a good deal when BestBuy offered the Duo for 65.- (after $40.- rebate). And the mouse is the greatest technical marvel in this package as well.
It's shape may appear bulky to users that are accoustomed with the older flat mice that are still used on most computers. However, it provides a good resting surface when in use and ergonomics are greatly improved over mentioned standard models.
The regular mouse buttons require some time to get used to. Despite giving excellent tactile feedback, their size and arrangement limit usefulness. Both buttons but mostly the right one are a little small and one ends up pressing on the surrounding body rather than the actual button. Ergonomically speaking, there is little feedback to where the button is. (I can see the design intent, but the concept suffers from impractical housing surrounding the buttons.)
The middle mouse button is combined with a wheel and new users need to get used to the 'double' actuation modes. But soon after, the usefulnes of such combination becomes apparent, unless a program demands coordination between the scrolling and the MMB.
The MouseMan (the offical name of the mouse) sports a fourth button that is programmable and located conveniently to be actuated by thumb. That is only applicable if the user is right handed though. One may not need it, but I found it to be very useful to assign the CTRL key to it.
Main feature, however, is the optical part of it. Everyone who is still dealing with the original style that references off a rubber coated steel ball, will appreciate the advantage of no moving parts. Nothing that needs to be cleaned or acts up if there is something on the mouse pad (i.e. a hair).
In fact, the MouseMan is now so good at recognizing movement, that the special mouse pads (w/ pattern) or a pad as such are tales from the past. The mouse works well on almost any surface, with or without pattern. Trusting that statement, I also figured out that white ceramic tile and glas are not really included. (It will read but response is somewhat awkward.) It seems to be due to the reflectiveness and absence on any type of pattern. Check for updates at the end of the review ...
The batteries (AA) do increase the weight over corded mice noticeable, but this is barely noticeable in normal use and a precision instrument it's still not. (compared to a tablet)
Wireless = Senseless?
Wireless in normal life of a keyboard is certainly not much more than a would-be-nice-to-have feature. However, it clear up clutter for the keyboard and finally the mouse is free to move. Everybody experiencing the drag of the cord over a desk edge will be happy with cutting that annoying habit.
My initial concern was the battery life since 2AA sized batteries don't seem a whole lot for constant wireless communication, especially in an optical mouse, where relatively bright LEDs are used to sense motion across a surface. So far I am running the Duo for a month now and the battery meter still claims GOOD battery condition with a picture that suggest that both keyboard and mouse are almost full. Great, since my mouse especially is heavily used for almost anything I do on the computer.
All these advantages of not having to worry about wires are great, but go even further and imagine recently emerging entertainment centers, where a PC does it all, from playing DVDs, music CDs, computer games, all the way to web browsing and office applications. Imagine a 63" Plasma screen in HDTV and sitting in front of that marvel wherever you want to, without having to worry about a cord. Given that my livivng room is somewhat on the small side, but still I ran out of room in the attempt of getting the Duo to loose connection. Translates into approx. 12 feet where it still worked fine. (That may require a huge monitor though.)
A minor drawback of the wireless functionality is that everything must be performed by the CPU since there is no hard-wired volume for that matter. I noticed a little bit of a lag time when trying to adjust the volume within a graphics intense game. (Mostly due to the OSD function.)
Update (13-Apr-2003):
The first data point for Battery life finally turned out to be about 1.5 months for the mouse. The notification "critical battery level" just showed up today. The surprising thing though was that it seemed bi-modal. As I checked it yesterday and it claimed "good", it directly went to "critical". The keyboard is still showing "good".
Swapped batteries with recharable ones. (Nickel-Metal Hydride , 1.2V, 1850mAh) Works fine, and seems to be better in the long run, despite high cost of batteries and charger (set of 4 with charger = $25). Right now, however this is additive cost. (That I am willing to pay to keep my use of disposable batteries low.)
Update (5-May-2003):
With time, the optical mouse appears slightly more picky with surfaces than initially obvious. It turned out that wood structured surfaces (or anything that has high contrast irregular lines, sort of confuse the light beam and move the pointer in unpredictable ways. Also, the Grey, translucent surface of the Wacom ArtPad simply lets the mouse refuse to work. (Sliding a white sheet of paper unterneath the cover sheet fixed this issue.)
Much more specific is a problem I just found the reason for. My motherboard (Gigabyte SINXP1394) sports features like turning the computer on by simply hitting any key on the keybard (or mouse). Great idea and works great ... most of the time. However, the elite due appears to have some handshake activity going on that apparently triggers this mechanism upon shut-down. Hence, it boots right up again. The only work-around I found yet is to disable this feature or make use of the password option (press a defined sequence of keys to turn the computer on).
As far as batteries go, the rechargeable ones, mentioned in the previous update, had to be replaced today. However, the keyboard is still going strong.
Update: (3-Mar-2004)
One year later it's fair to conclude that the Elite Duo is worth its money, as well as the rechargable batteries. Though just lasting for about 1 month under heavy use in the mouse, it's so convenient since I keep one set in the charger and therfor ready to go. The keyboard finally required a battery change just recently and that puts it right around 1 year without interruption.
The only 2 major annoyances remained that (a) the driver loads after the OS (WindowsXP) which prevents the mute button etc. from working during startup and (b) the OSD lag for the volume control when playing graphics intense games. The lag translates right into very hesitant adjustment of volume. (several seconds before turning the volume dial translates into any audible and visible change.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 64
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