Logitech diNovo Media Desktop
July 29th, 2004 | by Brandon King
 |
Average user rating from 4 users |
pretty design, lousy instructions
by Robert C on Feb 5th, 2005 at 12:46 AM:
I got the Logitech diNovo Keyboard and mouse as part of a packace with my new Dell computer. It was the "top of the range" option. I am not a computer expert, just a common-or-garden user who wants things to work out of the box. Yes the keyboard is minimalist, but so are the instructions. I'm not familiar with Bluetooth technology, so I had a problem connecting the cordless keyboard to my new PC.
There's no simple paper guide telling you what you can do with the functionality keys, either for the mouse or the keyboard. We are back in the nursery, "learn by exploration, children." Well I'm a busy grown-up and i want a set-up/get you started guide to help me on my way and I haven't found it yet. Three weeks on I'm running this Rolls Royce piece of kit on minimum function. In fact I'm reading the reviews here in the hope of finding out more about what I've bought.
The separate media pad - what the **** is that for? The shiny buttons round the edge, how do you work them, change them?
Conclusion. If you are the sort of clever person who reads DesignTechnica reviews in your bath, and loves computers this is probably the thing for you. If you have more money than sense [me] and like pretty design, think about it. Best of all, find a friend who has got one already and can give you a simple guided tour where you make paper notes as you go along.
Great Design, Horrible SW Execution
by Alan Kuper on Aug 6th, 2004 at 9:55 PM:
On my second diNovo keyboard right now.
The 1st (returned) keyboard generated double characters along the number key row all the way over to the PgUp key. Imagine how anoying that is when your trying to login. Exact same recognition errors on the 1st keyboard as the second.
While I have been in love with all of Logitech devices (over 10) previously this device falls way short on software execution.
My P4 would not recognize the keyboard which meant I had to plug in a corded keyboard just to log in. Then while Live, unplug this keyboard and plug in the diNovo. I hate doing that, It's just not right and I doubt its truly safe for the system.
Thats when the real fun begins!
Logitech's software would not and never did recognize the keyboard. No matter how many different methods I tried, including all of the "recomended procedures" it was NEVER recognized by Logitech's software. If you want an opinion, skip All of Logitech's reconition software and go ahead and use the additional Bluetooth software for recognition.
This requires you to enter a "ID key" for the keyboard as well as the media keypad. Whats not apparent is that, as you enter these digits, you don't have any way of knowing your entry is being accepted. Take my advice and enter the key digits and press the enter key anyway. You'll know soon enough if your entry was accepted or not.
I had plans to use this keyboard from the couch, with the 50" plasma as my display. While this eventually does work, Logitech is to be scolded and kept late into the night after "working hours" until they can execute this the wayt it should have been in the 1st place. Very bad, Logitech, very, Very BAD!
I have and will always use trackballs for my pointing device. I hate sliding mice, because if your editing a bitmap for instance, the mouse always moves to the wrong pixel when I click on the buttons. Besides, I don't have plans to have a flat "desk" to run these mice around on.
My favorite is the their cordless optical trackman.
Since I could not buy the diNovo with this mouse, I'm made to utilize both mice, which is fine, IF IT ALWAYS WORKED.
It appears that the two pointing devices are nearly mutually exclusive, which means your gonna have trouble trying to keed the trackman conected.
It happens to work right now, but I'm not gonna hold my breath.
This installation was performed on a very clean, fresh install of W2K, meaning All windows updates were installed, all of the new hardware device drivers were downloaded and installed etc. All of this was performed before installing any sotware, including the diNovo.
I am so freaking mad at Logitech right now.
$250 for this, thats unacceptable.
PS. The setpoint software on the CD is 1.02.
The current download is 2.11.
Neither works as they should.
Feel free to contact me if you have any other questions.
Included below is a copy of my original debug emails, verbatim.
-------------- Forwarded Message: --------------
From: "Logitech Customer Support"
To: ttt@comcast.net
Subject: sporadic random intermittent Characters [Incident: 040731-000031]
Date: Tue, 3 Aug 2004 03:08:16 +0000
Thank you for contacting Logitech Customer Support. You will find the answer to your question below.
We will assume your issue has been resolved if we do not hear from you within 48 hours.
You can update your question by simply replying to this email, but you must enter your reply in the space specified below:
[===> Please enter your reply below this line Please enter your reply above this line
Logitech diNovo BT combo
by Kanon on Jul 30th, 2004 at 9:26 PM:
Logitech is well-known to the public mass by their input devices and webcam. At the end of year 2003, Logitech released their newest high-end keyboard + mouse combo called diNovo Media Desktop which uses Bluetooth technology to connect the mouse and keyboard wirelessly. Yet it isn’t the first Bluetooth desktop combo on the market. Microsoft has theirs earlier in 2003 however somewhat lacking in function. Now with the release of diNovo we finally have more choice regarding Bluetooth desktop. Let’s take a deeper look and see if Logitech can keep up their promise with the diNovo.
Hooking everything up is easy. All you need to do is connect the ac adapter to the Bluetooth hub and connect the hub to your PC/notebook. There is a USB connector and a p/s2 connector on the hub; if you are using a normal PC, hook up both connectors but if you are using a laptop, then all you need is just the USB. Upon connecting all the wires (there is still no absolute wireless… yet) put the included batteries in the keyboard, and MediaPad. Since the rechargeable NiMH batteries are already sitting in the mouse, all you need to do now is charged up the batteries using the Bluetooth Wireless Hub. It took about 3 hours to fully charge mine. Then it is time to turn on the PC and install the software.
I wouldn’t say it is a smooth setup, but it is definitely not terrible. The setup process froze up a few times while connecting the mouse and keyboard to the hub. It was not a big problem; all I have to do was press the connect button again but it is still annoying to see such a high-end product would have such a poor setup.
The next thing I have to comment is the build quality. It is superb. The keys are not flimsy like the Microsoft keyboard I was using. It makes almost no noise while you type. Also when I hold up and keyboard and tried to twist it, there is no cricking sound. One minor note: the keys are very thin which is kind of like a notebook type keys, so if you are used to the Microsoft think keys, you might need some time to get used to it.
The diNovo keyboard is the thinnest keyboard I have ever seen – thanks to the Ultra-flat, Zero Degree Tilt design, although I have no idea what that means. There are not a lot of shortcut keys found on the keyboard: sleep, home, email, search, volume plus/minus, mute, and the media tab. On the upper left, the home button launches your homepage; email button launches your default email application; search button opens up a web-based search engine. On the upper right, volume control increases, decreases or mute the sound output. Finally on the bottom right, the media tap is a rather interesting idea. By default, it launches the Logitech Media Desktop in which you can browse your document, music, video, and picture. Of course, you can change the button to open other programs later on. There also is the play/pause, fast forward, rewind, and stop button right next to the Media tab for you to control your music.
Next we will see the MediaPad. It is the most interesting part of the diNovo package. It not only functions as the normal number pad, but also it can be used as a stand-alone calculator and more importantly, it is a Bluetooth remote media communication centre. Because it has the same media tab as the keyboard, so it can launches the Media Desktop to play music etc. the lcd display can display the music track info it is currently playing, show current time, and even receive instant message and email notification.
The mouse, MX900 is actually just a Bluetooth version of the award-winning MX700. The only difference is the color and connecting method. There are 8 buttons on the mouse. The 2 buttons on the side are for moving forward/backward while viewing webpages. 2 buttons around the scroll-wheel are for quickly scroll through documents, webpages, etc. The scroll-while serves as a button while pressed down. And last there is a program switch button which serves as “Alt-Tab”. The only disappointment as of this moment is the lack of programmable keys. For instance, the side keys are stuck as being forward/backward keys which render kind of useless. This is a problem I hate with my MX500, and I thought Logitech would have solved it with this new mouse, but no.
The Bluetooth hub is what worth the most in the package. Not only can it connect the included keyboard, mouse, and MediaPad but also can connect up to a total of 7 Bluetooth enable devices. In this case, diNovo is superior to the Microsoft Bluetooth desktop combo because the Microsoft one cannot connect other Bluetooth device other than the keyboard and mouse. I have tried connecting my Bluetooth enable cell phone and headset to the hub and they both work like a charm. The online guide has a step-by-step setup that works you through the whole setup. Upon connecting the cell phone, I can synchronize my Outlook address book with my phone book, although the current software does not let you to edit the phone book through Bluetooth from your PC, but Logitech promises a future update would let users do this. The Bluetooth headset can be used as a normal PC headphone and mic, which means it can be used to listen music (mono sound) and even IM voice chat. You can also connect a Bluetooth enable printer to the hub. There is a complete list of compatible devices on the Logitech website.
In summary, the diNovo desktop is a bliss to use. It has the high tech AND professional feel, which defers from those fancy keyboards with backlight. It is well built and the Bluetooth connection is secure. If I have to find any negative side of it, I would say the price. The Logitech has a MSRP set as cnd$399.95. It is the kind of price like if-you-have-to-ask-you-can’t-afford-it.
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bad software - ok hardware
by tony yayo on Apr 15th, 2005 at 9:17 AM: