Logitech diNovo Edge USB Bluetooth Keyboard

Product: Logitech diNovo Edge
Manufacturer: Logitech
MSRP: $179.99
Lowest Historical Price: $88 [History]

Introduction
The Logitech diNovo Edge is a bluetooth keyboard that aims to be both useful and stylish. It is Logitech's latest installment in the diNovo lineup, which began years ago with the diNovo Cordless Desktop. Will the Edge edge out its older siblings, or will it fall short of our expectations? Click through to find out.



Specs
Model: diNovo Edge
Hardware Platform: PC
Connectivity: Bluetooth
Color: Black and Silver
Touchpad: Included
Battery Life: up to 2 months
Charge time: 5 min for 1 day use, 2 hours for up to 2 months use
Keys: Full-sized standard 18 X 18 mm keys, 3.2 mm key travel, 60g activation force
Warranty: 3 years limited

Description
The Logitech diNovo Edge comes with the keyboard itself, a charging base with AC cord, a USB mini receiver, an Installation CD, and a Users Guide. It sports a standard set of keys, but the layout of the Home/End/Delete/PgUp/PgDwn keys are non-standard. There is a touch-sensitive volume control and a built-in touchpad along with a left and right mouse button for mouse control. It also has hotkeys for zoom in, zoom out, left click, windows media player and sleep.



The install was quite simple. I already had a bluetooth device on my testing machine, so I did not need to use the included receiver at all. It came pre-charged, so I didn't need to charge it before I tested it. Even if it wasn't charged, it would only take 5 minutes of charging to be able to use it for a whole day. The charging base is nondescript, but it still manages to look good on the desk.

Review
This keyboard will wow you from the moment you open the box. It has a nice solid feel to it and doesn't feel cheap at all. The underside is a simple flat orange with the connect button tucked in it at the very top. The keys themselves have a good feel to them as well, with very responsive and short key-presses. The Edge carries on the tradition of its predecessors by having low-profile keys akin to notebook keyboards. After using a low-profile keyboard for a while, it is quite hard to go back to a normal IBM style keyboard. The short keystroke design allows for more accurate, faster typing; as well as reduced strain on your fingers. The silver aluminum palm/wrist rest is nice - it stays relatively cool throughout the day (think of it as a heat sink for your palms), so if it gets hot in your office, at least your hands won't have to suffer the same fate.

The built-in touchpad was surprisingly useful. My first thought was that it was just another gimmick to add to the keyboard. But after using it for a while, it proved to be somewhat useful. It is a little smaller than your standard notebook touchpad, but it can click, scroll and move the mouse cursor. While it is an added convenience, it won't take the place of your standard mouse.



The volume control "slider" is probably the weakest link on this keyboard. The idea behind it is nice: slide up when you want to turn the volume up and slide down when you want to turn the volume down. However, in practice, this is actually quite frustrating. The sensitivity is not great- it doesn't always register your input, which means that you could end up halfway up the slide without the volume changing.

The battery life on the diNovo Edge is a strong point. There is no more worrying about forgetting to charge the keyboard, and even if you did, you could get a full day's use out of it with just 5 minutes on the charger. Brilliant.

Conclusion
Everything about this keyboard looks good, except the price. At a whopping MSRP of $180, this keyboard is definitely priced for the "typing aficionado." A price of $88, as previously seen on BensBargains, is a little more bearable, but still relatively high for just a keyboard. The previous diNovo Media Desktop had a similar keyboard with short keystrokes, but it definitely was not as responsive as this one. Given the responsiveness of the keys and the sleek styling of the keyboard itself, it may be worth the price. But you probably don't need this keyboard unless you either do a lot of typing, plan on building an HTPC or if you don't already own the diNovo desktop keyboard.

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Price History [History]