10$ goes a long way
Written: Jul 26 '04 (Updated Aug 19 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Price, software drivers, soft touch buttons
Cons: Minor problems with multimedia buttons
The Bottom Line: It's a great keyboard for this kind of money.
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| sasa_sur's Full Review: LOGITECH OFFICE INTERNET KEYBOARD PS2 967237-0403 ... |
Recently the keyboard I was using at work started to act up a bit. Some letters were harder to type and sometimes they would just get stuck. I tried cleaning but it didn't work and ultimately I was forced to order a new keyboard. Just then the provider I usually use to order the office supplies sent me a brochure with the items on sale and there were some keyboards to choose from. I decided based on the name "Internet Office Keyboard". Sounds like it has everything I need and for only 10 $.
In the box
Few days later my keyboard arrived packed in a bland brown box with Logitech logo printed on top. The box contains: Keyboard, Detachable palm rest, Multilanguage instruction manual and CD with drivers and software.
When I picked the keyboard from the box I was surprised that it was noticeably heavier than the keyboard I was previously using. On first glance it looks solidly built and large. After unpacking I plugged the keyboard into PS/2 port (it has no USB support) and turned the PC on. There was no problems but for the full functionality of the keyboard it is required to install the drivers.
Additional keys
The keyboard has additional buttons as follows:
F-Lock key just over the F1 function key. Then the first group of three buttons labeled Documents, Spreadsheet and Webcam. Next there is a group of 6 buttons labeled Files, E-mail, www (which is the biggest), Calendar and Calculator. Then the last group of three buttons consisting of Mute, Volume Up and Volume Down buttons. The last button is Sleep. All buttons are black and have recognizable icons so it is easy to distinguish and use them.
The function keys F1 through F12 have dual purposes determined by F-Lock Key. When the F-Lock is active (designated by a led on the keyboard) function keys have their normal purpose but when the led is off then the purposes are: F1 help, F2 Previous application, F3 next application, F4 Control panel, F5 file search, F6 Pictures, F7 Desktop, F8 Network, F8 through F12 are used for multimedia Next, Previous, Pause/Play and Stop.
Software and drivers
I was pleasantly surprised by the software on the CD. The CD contains drivers for all Logitech keyboards, drivers for mouse. Than there is Musicmatch software that can be used to convert CD's to MP3 and for playing them. It also has internet radio functionality. And finally there is WildTangent GamesChannel which is a web based gaming portal with a free game.
During installation you can decide to use Logitech Desktop Messenger which brings you news from Logitech and other offers.
Using the keyboard
It is a soft touch keyboard which means that the keys make very little noise when typing and that is good for office environment. The buttons are well spaced and feel good to the touch. The keyboard is sloped quite a bit so the upper most row of buttons is slightly lower than the other rows and it takes a bit of getting used to. The function keys are quite a bit sloped toward the user and therefore quite accessible.
After installation of the drivers the multimedia keys become fully operational and I must say quite useful. They are all programmable through the driver so you can customize them according to your needs. For instance I don't use Webcam so I programmed the webcam button as a shortcut to Photoshop which I use more frequently.
It is a nice touch that the cut, copy, paste and other shortcuts are clearly marked on the keyboard. Very good feature is a text display which informs you when special keys are pressed. For instance when you increase the volume you get a nice green display in the bottom of the screen indicating what is going on. It displays these messages when Caps Lock or Num lock is pressed and deactivated and so on. I find it quite useful but if you wish it can be deactivated.
Alt-Tab has become obsolete as F2 and F3 can be used to quickly shift between applications but it has a down side. Since F2 is usually a shortcut to rename file and I have used that much, sometimes I forget and get undesired results.
Another complaint is about Multimedia buttons. They work well with Windows media player but not so good with WinAmp which I use more. They don't work at all with WinApm when it is minimized into Tray and not on Taskbar.
Overall I like this keyboard. It has a lot of useful driver features, the keys are comfortable and it feels like a quality product with just a few minor problems.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 10
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Epinions.com ID:
sasa_sur
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Location: Zagreb, Croatia
Reviews written: 44
Trusted by: 6 members
About Me:An Epinions user from Zagreb, Croatia. Currently swamped with work.
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