Logitech Media Keyboard Elite Review
I received this keyboard for Christmas to replace my old Internet Navigator keyboard. It is a decent keyboard, though it does have a couple short comings.
In the Box:
Like most keyboards, the box is relatively plain. There is the keyboard, a manual, and a driver cd. I think that keyboards should come with a free copy of Mavis Beacon or something. :)
The Keyboard:
Overall, the keyboard is pretty good. It is a nice shade of black. The keys are responsive, and have a nice feel to them. Everything is spaced out just right. I find it much more comfortable than the Navigator keyboard.
Since this is the Media Elite keyboard, it has a couple buttons that perform multimedia functions, like skipping back and forth among songs, raising, lowering, and muting the volume, and getting into your media players.
Along with those keys, it also has 4 general purpose keys that you can use to access different programs of your choice. There is also a suspend button, and a button to get into your calculator. I think that the calculator button is kind of a waste, but that is just my opinion.
Now, this keyboard also has the dual-mode function keys. I personally don't like this arrangement. Fortunately, it is off by default. What the dual-mode keys do is that by hitting a key on the keyboard, they switch modes, and then act as hotkeys. However, that also means that they don't do the normal function commands, like F5 won't refresh, instead, it will go back.
Also, the function keys are calculator style buttons, instead of normal keys. I prefer the feel of normal keys. There is also no insert key on this keyboard. Instead, you have a double sized delete key. This was a problem for me, since I use the keypad in FPS's to move around, and use insert for flashlight.
The last special addition that this keyboard has, are two zoom keys. All they do is adjust the amount of zoom that you have in word and in image viewers. I am not impressed with this change, I think that the scroll wheel was a better choice. They can be reconfigured to open up another application, so it isn't all bad.
The Software:
The keyboard uses the SetPoint software. It is a big improvement over the old itouch software. It allows you change the key commands, and modify a couple other settings.
Conclusion:
This is a nice keyboard overall. If Logitech would change some of their key choices, it would be perfect.
If you want to see pictures, use the link at the bottom of this review.
| Pros | Cons |
| Comfortable Cheap Nice software |
No insert key Dual-mode Function keys Calculator-style buttons for Function keys No scroll wheel |
Link:
http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/products/details/US/EN,CRID=2166,CONTENTID=10568