Today, we’ll be looking at Logitech’s affordable solution for a cordless multimedia keyboard and mouse combo.
Product on Review: Logitech Cordless Desktop EX 100 Keyboard and MouseManufacturer and Sponsor: Logitech
MSRP: £24.99
Street Price: £20
Over the past few years, computers dedicated to multimedia have been on the rise and Logitech have been on the forefront of providing consumers with the latest accessories. However this has always come at a price but today, we’ll be looking at an affordable alternative, the Logitech Cordless Desktop EX 100.
Logitech has been a household name amongst gamers and multimedia aficionados for many years now, with an array of products including mice, keyboard, remote controllers and sound systems. They are well known for their quality and reliability and not least of all, its brilliant support service.
A bit about Logitech:
Focused on innovation and quality, Logitech designs personal peripherals to help people enjoy a better experience with the digital world. We started in 1981 with mice, which (new at the time) provided a more intuitive way of interacting with a personal computer. We became the worldwide leader in computer mice, and have reinvented the mouse in dozens of ways to match the evolving needs of PC and laptop users.
Since those early days, we have expanded our expertise in product design beyond the computer mouse, with a broad portfolio of interface devices that are the “last inch” between you and your computer or your console game, digital music or home-entertainment system.
With products sold in almost every country in the world, Logitech’s leadership in innovation now encompasses a wide variety of personal peripherals (both cordless and corded), with special emphasis on products for PC navigation, gaming, Internet communications, digital music and home-entertainment control.
For each of our product categories, we study how our customers use their digital devices, and then our designers and engineers set their sights on how we can create a better experience with those devices – richer, more comfortable, more fun, more productive, more convenient, more delightful.
There’s no doubt that Logitech have had many years of expertise, which has transferred very well onto the market.
Logitech market the Desktop EX 100 as it’s “never been so easy and reliable to go cordless”. Let’s see how true this is.
Packaging
If you’ve bought a Logitech product, you will undoubtedly be familiar with the packaging.
The Cordless Desktop EX 100 comes nicely packaged in a cardboard box with the typical green Logitech graphics on the right, and a picture of the keyboard and mouse in the middle. Some of the key features and attractions to the product is also listed on the front in both English and Dutch. This sample is the 105 key-UK version.
On the back, the features are listed in more details with a diagram of the keyboard and mouse.
Opening the box, we are greeted with another plain one, in which we find the keyboard, mouse and RF receiver bundled in a foam bag. The box is very secure and the foam prevents them from being damaged.
The bundle consists of the wireless keyboard and mouse, the RF receiver, 2xAA and 2xAAA batteries, the installation manual and the software disc.
Closer Look
The Keyboard
The keyboard is wireless and has the full 105 keys. To save on space, the Home – Page Down keys are in two columns rather than three. It measures 44.5 x 16.5cm
It is also relatively thin measuring 2cm tall. The keyboard a sleek look to it. Surrounding the edge is a glossy plastic rim while the rest has a matte finish. The material was probably implemented to save costs but it has a solid feel to it.
Below the keyboard is a standard battery slot for 2xAAA batteries.
At the top of the keyboard are two latches to help raise the keyboard for better ergonomics. There is also a connect button in the top left which works in conjunction with the RF receiver, with instructions present.
The F keys at the top serve as multimedia keys along with the arrow keys.
Closer Look (Continued)
The Mouse
The mouse is very similar to a traditional office mouse with three buttons including the scroll wheel. Its back is raised to fit the shape of someone’s palm.
The top opens to reveal where the 2xAA batteries go.
At the bottom, we see the optical sensor and the connect button.
The RF receiver works via radio frequency and connects to the computer via a USB cable.
Comparing it to the higher end Logitech G15 keyboard and the G5 mouse, the Cordless Desktop EX 100 is fair bit smaller, making it handy to carry around and to use remotely.
Features
Easy USB connectivityThe USB receiver connects quickly and easily to any PC or notebook
Improved durability
Solid construction features long-lasting UV-coated key printing and a spill-resistant design
Enhanced function keys
User-friendly, easily customizable G-keys make it easy to open applications, files or folders.
High performance optical
Enjoy the freedom of movement and the precise tracking of this 1000 dpi cordless optical mouse. The scroll wheel makes moving through web pages and documents easy.
Keyboard features
•Music and volume controls
•Launch calculator buttons
•Web and e-mail control
•Windows Vista Start Key
•Programmable F-keys
•Adjustable keyboard height
•Spill-resistant design
•Wireless encryption
1.Internet zone: Instantly launch your Web browser, VoIP application, e-mail, or search engine.
2.Media zone: Easily control your music or video playback.
3.Convenience zone: Directly access convenient features, such as battery-status indicator, on-screen calculator or CD eject.
4.Volume controls: Quickly adjust or mute your computer audio.
Installation and Software
One of the highlights of the Cordless Desktop EX 100 is that the fact it doesn’t require any software for it to work. All you have to do is connect the RF receiver to the computer and press the connect button on each devise and you’re set! Talk about easy!.
Logitech bundles their Setpoint software to allow further customization of the keyboard and mouse. It is very intuitive to install and use.
On the mouse tab, the left and right mouse button can be swapped, useful for left handed people, and the middle mouse button can be customized to zoom, auto-scroll. universal scroll, document flip (same as the windows button + tab on vista) and keystroke assignment. The mouse movement can also be customized in terms of sensitivity, pointer speed and acceleration. Finally there’s a game tab, which detects when games are being applied to apply the preset settings.
The keyboard tab on the Setpoint software also enables the F keys to be customized for various functions other than the default ones. For security, the connection can be encrypted to prevent other computers from detecting your keystrokes, very handy in my opinion.
The Setpoint panel also tells you the battery level remaining on both the keyboard and mouse.
Testing
Let me just start by saying that as a gamer, I was never a big fan of wireless peripherals. With the Cordless Desktop EX 100, I’m having to rethink that. In summary, it’s brilliant but I guess that’s not enough. First of all, the wireless technology used, radio frequency, is very responsive and no apparent lag was detected when I typed or used the mouse.
The best feature of this technology was its range. Using an extreme case, I went to the opposite side of the house and I can confirm everything I typed responded. This is ideal for people using it for multimedia purposes as they can access their music and videos from a distance. I managed to control Windows Media Player from one floor down. Mouse movements even registered. The only thing I’d like to point out is that to guarantee that all commands responded, the mouse and keyboard had to point towards the receiver. This isn’t a problem at close range.
The keyboard is a joy to type on. Its keys are soft to press and fairly quiet. They feel like laptop keys but since they are raised and slightly further apart, you don’t accidentally press several keys at once. When typing, all they keys feel naturally placed. Overall it was a very comfortable keyboard to use, even on your lap if you’re away from your desk. The multimedia keys are all labelled so it makes for easy control of all your favourite programs and media player. By default, the media player is set to Windows Media Player but this can be changed to Winamp or Windows Media Classic. What stood out the most about the keyboard was that it was more enjoyable to type on than my own Logitech G15! The only downside was the lack of backlights but normally, that’s just an added extra on most other keyboards, so it’s no major loss. The keyboard is advertised as spill proof against water. I wasn’t ready to test this myself but I’d take their words for it (this doesn’t mean you should dip it in water, guidelines says it’s been tested with 60ml of water).
The mouse is 1000dpi so it makes for fairly accurate movement on screen. Being optical also means it doesn’t suffer from issues attributed to laser based mice in terms of tracking. It’s fairly generic but despite being wireless, it was great to use on desktop. The keys offer just the right resistance when pressed and the scroll wheel has notches to give you a better idea of how much you’re scrolling by. Although it’s not an ergonomic mouse, it fits nicely in your hands with with your palms resting nicely on the curved back. It takes next to no time to get used to it. It also means left handed people can use it just as well. I found that the optical sensor tracked better on my desk than on a cloth mat, so it’s worth considering this when buying. Generally, it worked on all surfaces. The downside of the wireless technology is that mouse movement were sometimes jolty when being used quickly. In Paint.Net, it made for fairly accurate positioning but sometimes did miss the odd pixel.
Gaming
It wouldn’t be a proper review if I didn’t mention gaming. While the Cordless Desktop EX 100 was not designed for gaming, it did work rather well. I played Battlefield 2 which combines fast paced movements, when running about as a medic, with the need to be deadly accurate as a sniper. At the end of the game, I ranked second in my team, not too shabby for a non-gaming oriented combo. As a medic, I was required to do quick paced turns and the mouse generally tracked as I hoped it to. It would skip at certain points but overall it did well. As a sniper, the 1000dpi was able to allow for slower accurate movements. The only problem was when I had to get up and run, where the mouse would lag before responding to a quick turn.
The keyboard on the other hand was excellent and cannot be faulted. All the keys were in the right positions so I could access them easily and without looking. Since Battlefield 2 does make use of a lot of keys, being able to get to them quickly without having to look down every time is crucial. In that department, the keyboard excelled. All the keys were very responsive.
Conclusion
When I was first told I would be reviewing a wireless keyboard and mouse I was sceptical as to whether I would like it, seeing as I owned a Logitech G15 and a Razer Diamondback 3G. By the end of it, I found myself constantly going to the Cordless Desktop EX 100 rather than my own mouse and keyboard. That, in my mind, qualifies it as an impressive product!Being able to use the combination anywhere in my room without having to worry about cables lying everywhere, was a joy. And if that wasn\\\’t enough, the keyboard was very comfortable to use and didn\\\’t sacrifice responsiveness for being wireless. All the keys were positioned just right for my hands and the media keys allowed me to enjoy my music remotely from my desk. With the mouse, the feeling of picking it up and being able to use it anywhere was fantastic. Countless time, I would reach to my desk to use the mouse only to be reminded that I could just carry it with me and use it to control my computer from my bed (laziness prevails!). One key thing that has to be mentioned is the price. At around £20, you get a quality product that easily competes with much more expensive parts without sacrificing build quality!
Pros:
+Excellent build quality
+Wireless but responsive and accurate
+Large range
+Keyboard is highly comfortable to use
+Very cheap
Cons:
-Mouse can be jerky at times
The simple fact that I thoroughly enjoyed using the Logitech Cordless Desktop EX 100 over my own mouse and keyboard is reason enough to award this product a well deserved Vortez Gold Award.
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