Logitech Cordless Desktop Wave

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by hardwarezone.com

Peripherals such as keyboards and mice have always been a very basic staple for the personal computer, and thus should be given due consideration when you are doing a major PC overhaul. For some, spending an exceptional amount in the sum of hundreds for a keyboard and mouse might not even be a consideration, but all this may change when you are looking at the newest desktop peripheral from Logitech, the Cordless Desktop Wave.

Wave of Comfort

Out of the box, the Logitech Cordless Desktop Wave has an ergonomic and comfortable feel in general. Before long, you'll find yourself staring at the sheer size of the characters printed on each key in bold, striking white. In our opinion, this is a great feature and definitely pleasing on the eye when you are searching for a specific function key.

Unlike the prior Cordless Desktop MX5000 and MX3200 Laser series, you'll find yourself typing effortlessly due to the contoured design, with a specific wavy rise and fall along the key layout, giving meaning to the term "Wave" in its product name. Throughout our testing, we found the Cordless Desktop Wave fulfilling, in both the areas of tactile feel and typing accuracy. As gimmicky as it seems, the curved structure cradled our hands well and actually helped with typing speed, not to mention being quite comfortable too. With a cushioned palm rest to complement it, the keyboard feels like leather seats for the hands.

As with most desktop combos, the Cordless Desktop Wave comes bundled with a matching mouse. The LX8 Cordless Laser Mouse has a basic ambidextrous design with buttons on each side and features a scroll wheel capable of vertical and horizontal scrolling. The side buttons are placed towards the middle of the mouse, which proves slightly inaccessible as you have to move your fingers slightly back to depress them, but the silver lining is that they are harder to accidentally get clicked on. Navigation wise, the LX8 felt smooth to the touch and fit in our hand snugly, with adequate sensitivity for a fast navigational experience.


Go with the Wave

Going places with the Cordless Desktop Wave is so much easier with a myriad of shortcut and function keys. Being Vista ready, you'll find dedicated Media Center and media playback buttons for your entertainment purposes, along with other dedicated keys for Flip 3D, Widgets and Web Camera, all neatly lined at the top. On the left, there is a zoom in/out button, with a Document Flip button right below it, mirroring some of the functions of the LX8 mouse. Unlike the MX3200, the zoom in/out buttons are not touch sensitive, so there are no worries of accidental zooming during normal usage. Furthermore, with Logitech's Setpoint software, you can easily remap the keys, macros and buttons on both the keyboard and mouse to your whim, a powerful tool for those who like to be in control.

While solely dependent on batteries for operation purposes, the Cordless Desktop Wave surprised us when we realized it only required two AA batteries, as opposed to its other cordless iterations which have traditionally needed more. Though we were unable to test the exact battery lifespan in the short time reviewing the keyboard and mouse, Logitech claims that the standard batteries included can last up to 15 months for the keyboard and six months for the mouse. Considering that there are more powerful off-the-shelf rechargeable batteries around, you may get pretty decent mileage off the Cordless Desktop Wave combo.

The Final Wave

Conclusively speaking, the Cordless Desktop Wave fulfills your basic desktop needs and many more with its Vista-ready hot keys and estimated long battery lifespan. More importantly, the comfort level and unique contour design gives it an edge over other products in the market, even most ergonomic keyboards. Sporting a nifty laser optical sensor, the LX8 mouse has a smooth tracking performance, though speed buffs and hardcore gamers will still want to keep their own mice. At an estimated retail price of S$149 (~US$103), the Cordless Desktop Wave is a worthy companion for any desktop.

Product Specifications

* Logitech Wave Keyboard
o Comfort Wave and Constant Curve design
o Cushioned, contoured palm rest
o Programmable F-keys
o One-Touch Vista Features
* Logitech LX8 Cordless Laser Mouse
o Ambidextrous design
o Laser optical sensor
* System requirement: Macintosh running OS X (10.3.9 or higher); Windows XP, Windows Vista (prior versions of Windows not supported)
* Connectivity: Wireless receiver, USB port
* Battery: 2 x AA alkaline (keyboard, up to 15 months), 2 x AA alkaline (mouse, up to 6 months)
 
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