Logitech diNovo Media Desktop

Luxury keyboard price, but great to experience how the other half types

Strengths: Media keys, separate number pad, crisp key action, very slick look & feel

Weakness: Mouse battery life, key configurability, possibly some compatibility issues with old games.

Wow! This keyboard is slick. The lines are subtle and the fact that it’s not packed in with extra web buttons really lends some class to my desk. The key action is similar to laptop keys, providing not much vertical movement, but I find the crispness to be greater then the laptops I have used which give a feeling of weight to the keys without being clunky. They feel very nice to type on. The...
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Wow! This keyboard is slick. The lines are subtle and the fact that it’s not packed in with extra web buttons really lends some class to my desk. The key action is similar to laptop keys, providing not much vertical movement, but I find the crispness to be greater then the laptops I have used which give a feeling of weight to the keys without being clunky. They feel very nice to type on. The mouse though is why I bought this set instead of the “Laser mouse” DiNovo set. It looks and feels almost identical to the MX 7000, meaning that as a backwards left-hander, there is really only one button that is difficult for me to access, meanwhile I went to a comp USA store and had a look at the “Laser Mouse,” which was so ergonomically designed as to make left handed operation very uncomfortable, and many of the buttons would be totally unusable. Unlike my old MX Duo set, however, when I place the mouse in the charge cradle it starts charging right away with no need to fiddle with it or tape it down to ensure a proper connection. This was a worry point for me when making this purchase, and I’m glad to see that Logitech has corrected this issue. The number pad for this keyboard is unique in that it is not attached. It can operate as a freestanding calculator, it can be used to navigate the screen using non-configurable navigation buttons, or it can be a standard 10-key pad. Logitech refers to it as the “Media Pad.” I find this a handy feature since I don’t usually need a number pad handy, but I can walk around the house and change my music from other rooms. Also, my slide-out keyboard tray on my desk is not wide enough to fit a standard keyboard and mouse. Stick the media pad on a shelf and all of a sudden the mouse fits fine.

There are four buttons on the main keyboard, and one on the media pad that can be freely reconfigured to perform a modicum of various tasks; and only ones predefined by the Logitech software. The software for the MX Duo provided greater flexibility to reconfigure keys, and I was a little disappointed by this. One of the things you can do is create custom menus that appear on the screen with web pages or programs, but these menus are not keyboard navigable. So to launch a movie with the media pad from the couch I can hit the media button, and a menu appears with options to run WMP, Winamp, Power DVD, and RealPlayer, but pressing the up and down keys do not navigate the menu so I still have to get up and physically walk to my mouse and click on one. This is a major oversight in my opinion because it means you might as well not have the media pad if you still have to walk back to the desk. Also, the battery life of the mouse is adequate, if you remember to place it in the charger before bed. It lasts about two straight days on a charge, but what is severely annoying is the low battery warning. On my MX 7000 the little red LED would begin to flash at about two hours to failure, giving me plenty of time to find a stopping place in my game or work and if necessary go pull my USB mouse out of my backup box. With the DiNovo I get the low battery warning about ten minutes before the mouse goes dead. If I want to finish what I was doing I have to have my USB mouse out and handy at all times, kind of defeating the purpose of the cordless desktop. This is easily remedied by simply remembering to charge the mouse at regular intervals, but I am forgetful. I also have a funny problem when trying to run any of the “Rainbow Six” family of games. The mouse movement works fine, but all keystrokes and button clicks have a few second delay, making game play 100% impossible. I have not ruled out everything yet, but I have a strong suspicion that the Bluetooth keyboard connection is somehow to blame. Halo, Max Payne, and RTW run fine however.

Overall performance, quality, and style I think is far superior to the MX Duo despite some annoying limitations, but remember, this is just a keyboard and mouse. There is very little that you can do on this baby that the keyboard from my first 286 would not do just as well (and in the case of that stupid start button, sometimes the extra functionality is a con), so if you are buying this as a status symbol to finish off that mega system you’ve just built, go right ahead, or if you’re looking for something elegant you can keep in the living room to run your media PC, I think this is one of the best. If you just want to type in WinWord, don’t waste your money, by a $6 keyboard at your local computer store.

By NicholasMacer - Jun 17, 2006

This is a fantastic keyboard and...

Strengths: Design - Drop dead gorgeous Extra long range Bluetooth connectivity

Weakness: Windows/Linux cooperation

This is a fantastic keyboard and mouse set. The action of the keyboard is spectacular. I love laptop-like keyboards, as they're faster (less key travel), sleeker, and quieter than standard keyboards. The Media Pad unit seems a little excessive. If it were just a basic keypad it would be fine for me. The fact that the pad is separate from the main keyboard is the best feature. You can place it on...
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By zsazs - May 16, 2005

All the items feel as if they have...

Strengths: size of keyboard, style, feel

Weakness: size of media pad

All the items feel as if they have a quality build and heft to it. The keyboard is very quiet, I have no problem with any keys so far. The mouse is very good, however the clicking seems a bit loud. The media pad is great, it works wonderfully with the media software they provide. The only problem is that the media pad is an awkward size and shape. Its a bit too wide for most people to hold it...
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By jlinc84 - Feb 18, 2005

Really like the design/color of...

Strengths: Nice, slick Design. Great multimedia control with a separate number keypad. Intergrated Bluetooth function.

Weakness: Steep price and take a little time to initiate the connection.

Really like the design/color of this keyboard, mouse combo. The bluetooth function was what I had my eyes on. Connection my Sonyericsson PDA cell phone with my computer to sync the data was a breeze via bluetooth. The keyboard/keypad has a nice feel to it while it is quite. No problem using this keyboard to type Chinese characters. Logitech let you easily custom the keys on both the keyboard and...
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By Jimmyboy - Sep 14, 2004

Awesome! Have had it one day,...

Strengths: Excellent design and styling, BT Hub, Rechargeable mouse.

Weakness: No backlight on media pad.

Awesome! Have had it one day, however already played games (half-life 2) and typed with it. Coming from a 6 year old "clicky" keyboard, it will take me some getting used to, but so far I love it! I have not experienced ANY delays on boot up, and it is available to me to go into BIOS or to the boot menu (F8). Another report somewhere atated no num lock key, this is incorrect, the media pad has a...
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Awesome! Have had it one day, however already played games (half-life 2) and typed with it. Coming from a 6 year old "clicky" keyboard, it will take me some getting used to, but so far I love it! I have not experienced ANY delays on boot up, and it is available to me to go into BIOS or to the boot menu (F8). Another report somewhere atated no num lock key, this is incorrect, the media pad has a num lock mode key.

***One install caveat (this can save EVERYONE a headache: If you have XP with svc pack 2: Go to logitech's support site and get a xp2path registry file, then after performing the install of the software, choose not to reboot, import that patch, then unplug the ps/2 plug from the hub and connect a wired kb and mouse to the system to complete driver installation when it reboots. THIS IS NOT A LOGITECH ISSUE, but one on MS and XP with svc pack 2 when adding a BT hub (any BT hub).

After following this procedure, I've had NO issues. Pairing any additional devices to the hub is an easy procedure, I look forward to adding other devices as I get them. I've already used the BT hub with my moto razr V3, very nice, no cords for synching!

Mouse: What more can be said? It's the MX900, a winner!

Media pad: would liked to have seen a stand to match the keyboard, lots of others have wanted it to be attachable to the keyboard (it's not). I like it separate, can move it around where I want it, plus it can control other devices if connected to them. Can function as a calc, so no more standalone calc on the desk. Shows other things as determined by you in the software, all of the settings are customizable.

All in all very satisfied, and at the time I only paid $159, which is $90-$120 less then what retail stores are selling it for (but I know you all out there know that, that's why you're here hehehe ...)

If you want a laptop type thin keyboard that has cool looks with the best mouse around with BT hub capability, topped with a separate number pad, try it, you will like it!

By RW1 - Nov 20, 2004