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 Electronics : Logitech Cordless MX Duo 967300-0403 |
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Rating:  - Nice stuff but poorly designed
I decided to get the MX duo after reading all the good reviews here because I was looking for a nice wireless combo but after a few weeks it's proven to be somewhat of a let down. Here's the lowdown:
Good:
* The keyboard has a decent feel to it, and the mouse has no noticeable lag.
* Rechargeable mouse battery
* Some of the shortcut keys on the keyboard are nice. The only ones I use are the volume control and mute which are very nice to have at your fingertips.
Bad:
* All the other keyboard shortcuts which I never use. It makes the keyboard much bigger than I'd need. I hardly ever listen to CDs, the controls for which take the entire top center of the keyboard. Then theres a bunch of other garbage like search, shopping, favorites, webcam, etc which I've never touched.
* There is no indicator light on the keyboard for when you have caps / numlock on which is VERY annoying. There are, however, indicators on the recharger but it's way in the corner of my desk (they say it should be kept 3 feet from all other electronic devices). Any place I put it still makes it exceptionally aggravating to have to look over to see if I've accidently hit caps lock. Supposedly the software has some kind of indication that pops up on the screen, but I opted not to install the software because I didn't want all the stupid stuff they bundle with it. How hard is it just to keep the lights on the keyboard itself? If it aint broken...
* The battery life for the mouse seems to be about 4-5 days. But the worst part is, unlike mice with cord chargers, you can't use the mouse while it's charging because it's sitting the in base station. So you're SOL if your mouse dies while you're working. Keep your old one handy if you buy this set.
* I keep accidently hitting the "back" navigation button on the mouse which gets annoying too. It's big and right where your thumb can accidently press it.
* The mouse speed takes a while to get used to. Changing my mouse settings either makes it a little too fast or a little to slow.
I give this product 2 stars. It has its virtues, but overall I think Logitech tried to make it "too cool" without considering the design consequences. Save yourself some aggravation and pick up a different set.
Rating:  - Cordless is good.
After having experienced countless occassions of lacking some (both keyboard and mouse) cordlength while working, I decided to shop around for a cordless set. My eventual decision was for this set; mostly because in the past I've used Logitech hardware before and was very pleased with it. Another reason for picking this one was just because it looked cool.
While being one of the more expensive sets on the market, I still am very pleased with the performance of the set as a whole. It does exactly what I expect, and offers great freedom of movement from both the keyboard and the mouse. While not testing the exact range in which the performance will be optimal, it allows me with more than enough flexibility to work (I'm a programmer, by the way).
Two minor annoyances I experienced so far: Batterypower for the mouse runs off rather fast. All left to do is either put the mouse on its docking bay, or replace the batteries. The second annoyance is a little weirder. Whenever scrolling down during surfing the web, the browser for some reason registers this as if the 'Back'-button was pressed. Updating the drivers has had no impact on this (yet).
To summarise, apart from 2 minor annoyances, this is definitely a very nice set.
Rating:  - The best keyboard and mouse I have ever used.
I used to own the older mouse/keyboard set from logitech with the MX500, then I upgraded to this set.
The keyboard looks really nice, is not too heavy, and only requires 2 AA batteries, which still haven't run out. Each key seems to have its own switch, and the whole keyboard is designed so that an accidental spillage will not damage it. Although the software doesn't seem to work with Mozilla Firefox, the extra buttons are still very useful.
The mouse is the MX700, which is probably one of the best mice on the market. Although some people claim it's too heavy, I don't find this a problem. The extra 5 buttons are very useful, especially for games. Like the keyboard, the mouse software isn't too great though, however this really isn't a problem.
The dock for the mouse also acts as the tranceiver for both keyboard and mouse, and also includes all the keyboard lights (which obviously could not be put on a wireless keyboard). Charges last for around 3 days, and when your mouse is running out of power, a very obvious red light flashes on the top. The only real problem I've seen so far is that it can be a bit awkward to put the mouse into the dock so that it will charge. I think this could be related to build up of garbage on the contacts underneath the mouse.
It all works fine with Linux as well, no problems. 'imps2' mouse type if you were wondering. Overall, I would recommend this keyboard and mouse to anyone (although people with small hands may have a problem using it). It's worth every cent.
Rating: - Typical Logitech, but not without its flaws.
All of my Logitech products still work and I still use the optical mouse I reviewed here two years ago. My wife and got Logitech wireless keyboard and mouse combo to go with a media center PC I cobbled together to go with our 50" Panasonic plasma TV. Typical Logitech- everything works flawlessly right out of the box and they're kind enough to supply batteries for both the mouse and keyboard, (NiMH rechargables for the mouse and Duracells for the keyboard).
Basically, you get a recharging base for the mouse that also acts as a receiver for the RF signals. It's a little messy with the wires- power supply and USB+PS2 connectors that attach to the back of the computer. While I suspect signal range is a good 20 or 30 feet, it's doubtful that anyone has the vision to be that far away from their monitor, even a big one.
The keyboard has several controls designed to keep hunting for icons at a minimum- volume control, CD/DVD control buttons, plus ones for e-mail, instant messengers, and search engines, it'll even turn on your web cam, and a neat-o scroll wheel on the left side. On the downside, the keyboard feels cheap- it creaks and wobbles slightly because it doesn't sit flat. The feel of all the keys is first rate.
Another downside is the mouse- it works great and feels very solid, but it's heavy. Too heavy for gaming, making movements clunky. And unlike the Microsoft web mouse, the Back and Forth buttons that let you flip between web pages quickly are both mounted on the right side and somewhat what awkward to reach. The scroll wheel and everything else works just fine.
All in all, a well designed and functional duo, but flawed. I would have prefered more solid construction and a lighter, better designed mouse. Worth owning for sure, and its price is very reasonable.
Rating: - software problems
Sure, this set-up allows you to have a wireless connection to your PC. This is nice for allowing me to put up my legs and set the keyboard on my lap. But, it still requires a wire to the mouse cradle. So the reality is you've eliminated 1 wire. My biggest issue is what the software has done to my computer. I use a laptop with a docking station. While in the docking station and using the wireless set-up it works fine. However, when I remove my laptop and work elsewhere, my touch-pad no longer functions, and I'm left without a mouse input device.
I contacted Logitech customer support and per thier automated e-mail response, uninstalled the Logitech Mouse software. This now disabled my laptop's keyboard. So, now I'm left with a laptop that does not have a keyboard or touchpad! I called Logitech and spoke with a service tech (at my expense, since they don't have a toll-free number). In the end, the customer service rep said "sorry" but you're out of luck and stuck with this boat anchor.
I do not know how they can stay in business with this level of support.
I wish I could rate this product as zero stars.
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