| Logitech Dinovo Edge
Keyboard: Usability |
|
| |
| We tested the Dinovo Edge
extensively over a 2 month period. |
| The keyboard comes with a thin
protective plastic coating over the acrylic.
Users can opt to remove this immediately or keep it
invisibly attached to prolong the appearance of the
keyboard. After a couple months of use, our
plastic coating was getting frayed in the lower left
corner and we shall likely remove it in a month or so,
hopefully revealing a pristine surface
underneath. |
| |
| The keys are quite quiet and pleasant
to use. The first day we noticed an immediate
improvement of typing speed over the previous
keyboards used. |
| The keyboard is not a split key
design, but it is quite usable. |
|
Unfortunately the alphanumeric keys contain no
backlighting, so using this keyboard in an unlit room at
night is more difficult than using an EL keyboard in a
similar situation.
|
|
|
| The Dinovo Edge is ideally suited to
a Media Center/HTPC type of environment. |
| The Bluetooth wireless capability is
excellent. We have used various wireless
keyboards in the past and have been quite
unimpressed. But this is our first Bluetooth
keyboard and it makes all the difference. Key
response rate is excellent with no detectable
lag. |
| The range using Bluetooth is
amazing. We attached the dongle in the living
room of a normal sized 3-bedroom 1 story house, and
took the keyboard into the back of the farthest
bedroom, clear across the house and it still worked
fine, even with a few rooms and many walls
in-between. |
|
|
| The most likely competitor to the
Dinovo Edge is the Microsoft Wireless Keyboard 7000,
and the upcoming backlit 8000 version. We have
not tested them yet, but they have their work cut out
matching the Dinovo. |
| |
|
Logitechs SetPoint software is needed to access all the
features of the keyboard. If one wants to use the
Zoom, or set up special key assignments for the Fn keys,
SetPoint must be used.
|
| The Zoom keys on the keyboard are
excellent. They can Zoom in quite far, easily,
and can Zoom out to allow the viewing of a complete
15000X10000 image. The Zoom functionality is
well made; providing scroll bars, even when a webpage
does not typically have them coded in. |
|
|
|
Here at GameVein we have been reluctant to purchase
Logitech products over the years do to issues with their
Drivers. Unfortunately this is still the case with
the SetPoint software.
|
|
Using SetPoint disables the special functionality of our
existing mouse (a Microsoft TrackBall Optical). If
SetPoint is installed we cannot get the extra 2 buttons
on the TrackBall to perform their usual functions.
Since these extra functions make the TrackBall far
superior to the Dinovo Edge TouchDisc we set about
disabling SetPoint and restoring our TrackBall Optical
functionality.
|
|
After 2 hours of fiddling we were finally able to figure
out how to get SetPoint and the built in TouchDisc
disabled and Microsofts Intellipoint
re-enabled.
|
|
Luckily the Dinovo Edge works pretty good without its
SetPoint software. Users shall lose the cool Zoom
capability, as well as any macros assigned to the Fn
buttons and on-screen indicators. The cool Volume
control still works though, which is quite
nice.
|
|
|
|
The Dinovo Edge makes a small beeping sound when
CapsLock is enabled and a different beep when it is
turned off. But, unfortunately, the Dinovo Edge
does not contain a built in CapsLock indicator, which is
included standard in all other keyboards. |
|
With the SetPoint software a CapsLock indicator can
flash on the screen when CapsLock is pressed. But
without the SetPoint software one must listen closely to
the keyboard to try and determine ones CapsLock
setting. It is not optimal. An improvement
to the keyboard would be to include a visual CapsLock
indicator on the keyboard, preferably built into the
CapsLock key itself. |
|
|
|
The Dinovo Edge is missing some keys as well.
Obviously it has no keypad, and it does not contain any
keypad accessible via a Fn state. Unfortunately
this means it has no NumLock key as well. There is
no easy way to produce a NumLock signal with this
Keyboard. |
|
We seldom use a keypad here at GameVein so its loss is
not missed. But NumLock is the default Run Toggle
key for many MMORPGs played, so its disappearance may
cause future problems. |
|
|
| Since the keyboard uses Bluetooth we
decided to try it with a Bluetooth enabled Cell
phone. The cell phone immediately recognized the
keyboard, but we were unable to successfully get it to
work due to unfamiliarity with the Bluetooth
settings. |
| We also tested the Dinovo Edge with
an XBox 360. It worked great. This may be
an ideal keyboard for the 360 as it is Wireless and
easily works in ones living room. |
| |
| |
|
|
| |
| |
 |
| |
