Logitech Cordless Desktop Wave Keyboard and LX8 Laser Mouse
Logitech unveiled the new Cordless Desktop Wave keyboard/mouse combo, featuring a stylishly designed ergonomic keyboard with special keys for Windows Vista. The Whack received a review unit a couple of days ago and I have been running a 24-hour burn in test and other usual tests on the combo. The mouse that comes with the combo package is the Logitech LX8 Cordless Laser Mouse.
Setting up the USB transceiver (pictured below) and installing the drivers took just under 10 minutes and after inserting the batteries (provided in the package!) in the keyboard and mouse, I was up and running.
The keyboard design is way better than any laptop or regular keyboard I have seen. I have an Acer Future keyboard at home - another one of those ergonomic ones with a little trackpad and split spacebar - so I know how important and useful the keyboard design is. Logitech has definitely upped the ante with the Cordless Desktop Wave keyboard.
The different key heights to conform to the shape of your fingers is definitely appreciated, and you can throw away your old keyboard for good. The Vista keys are pretty much useless to me at the moment as I am still using Windows XP. The Calculator button is a convenient feature that I found myself using quite often. There are also programmable F-keys - quick shortcuts to your favorite apps and games.
One of the things that I found strange was the absence of LED display for Caps/Num Lock keys. Instead, it is replaced by a notification on the display. It's hard to keep track of the num-lock status, so you find yourself pressing it once or twice to make sure it is in the right state. A few other things did not work for me, for example the Mouse-Right Click (Fn + Print Screen). This could be because I am using XP and not Vista, but I can't verify.
The keyboard features a handy notification for the battery status so you can know when it is time to change the battery. The arrangement of the Home/End/Delete and Page-Up/Page-Down is also a bit different from run-of-the-mill keyboards. I took time in getting used to it and it didn't take too long.
The Logitech LX8 Cordless Mouse on the other hand is a different story. I liked the sleek design and the comfortable grip I get when I hold the mouse. The side-scrolling feature on the Scroll wheel is very useful.
Now, the thing that annoyed me about the mouse was the arrangement of the browser Back/Forward buttons on the side. I kept clicking the Back button (on the left) very often - sometimes losing my login sessions. It could be because I have big hands, I don't know. I liked the way the Back/Forward are arranged on the Logitech VX Nano Cordless Mouse (more on that later).
Overall Whack rating: 4.0 out of 5
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