Keyboard Reviews

I still remember when I bought my first Palm III: it was a cool product, but the replacement of batteries made it a very annoying toy. I also find it very un-ecological. Fortunately, the Palm V eventually came out, with a rechargeable battery built in. That made the whole difference to me.

Any cordless device is bound to have this problem, since we haven't yet discovered how to transfer power through airwaves (wouldn't that be a great invention).

The Logitech Cordless Desktop MX for Bluetooth is a perfect example of the above. The mouse ahs a built-in battery that can be recharged in a station, just like a cordless phone. More unfortunately, the keyboard uses four AA batteries.

Any desk product that trades off batteries for a power cable is very questionable in my opinion. If it was hardly justifiable for a Palm, I just can't find a reason to do so for your desktop keyboard. The mouse, on the other hand, is an excellent item. I see that it can be bought without the keyboard--probably a smart trade-off.

The set itself is very beautiful and sturdy, and the installation on XP was extremely easy. I cannot wait to use Bluetooth with my Palm m515. Whether it will drain the battery in two hours is a question I would like to know the answer to.

I bought this set after a long search for a wireless set with a USB keyboard connector for my laptop (thanks to Toshiba for not putting one on my P10). When I opened the box and installed it on my laptop (prior to installing the drivers, which I had to download from Logitech's website) and no problems of detection (both on my Windows XP and Gentoo Linux systems). And everything worked like a dream after installing the software packages. If you take to time to play with the iTouch settings you can create a monster of the keyboard (attaching menus (instead of direct commands) to the hot keys, etc.)

I actually had no intentions of writing a review for this set, I didn't even buy it from Amazon but some of the reviews here gave such a bad impression that I had to. First the bluetooth hub works fine with non-Logitech devices, however if a bluetooth hub or similar device is installed prior to this set, the setup utility limits the hub to the keyboard+mouse set in order not to screw your existing Bluetooth configuration.

Someone made a point about the hotkey icons.
"Shopping Cart" for Shopping

How can you better describe shopping. The same goes for all the other hotkeys. I'm starting to doubt that you are talking about this particular product.

Also the keyboards battery consumption is quite economic, compared to my heavy usage (about 10-15 hours per day)

Why 4 stars? No users manual or software is included with the box. Downloading the software (around a total of 40 MB) can be frustrating for people using Dial-up.

I purchased this product due to its Bluetooth capabilities. While it takes a bit more setup than your standard keyboard and mouse, it works extremely well. The keyboard and mouse work very well and have a great feel. The keyboard is extremely comfortable. The mouse charger also acts as a Bluetooth hub, which I used to connect my Palm Pilot and hope to use with a Bluetooth enabled phone soon.

The software also provides a few nice extras, such as onscreen volume display. Cap Lock/Num Lock/Scroll Lock onscreen display.

It came down to this product or the Microsoft Bluetooth setup. I chose Logitech both because of my previous success with their products and because the keyboard is a standard layout. The Microsoft version moves the Insert/Delete// block of six keys into a two column formation and doubles the size of the delete key. As a programmer, this frustrated me to no end.

Overall I am very impressed and I am planning on purchasing a duplicate set for my home.

No way does this stylus fit the m130.

Well, they fit, but they don't click in like the originals did so they are loose in the holder. Looking at them I can't see the difference but these just don't lock in.

When I first got my Palm m100, I don't know how many times I couldn't find my stylus when I needed it. It's nice to carry an extra one with you. Before I got these, I've had to use a crochet needle, mechanical pencil and a toothpick. Just get these and save yourself the hassle.

This keyboard is one of the best designed pieces of hardware I've ever seen. You can see the attention they gave to details, from the lock that becomes the pda support, to the rubber strips that won't let the keyboard and the pda slip. You'll never write as fast as in your desktop, but It's a nice package for the portability you get.

If the hardware is great, I can't say the same about the keyboard driver. If you are writing in a language with a lot of accented letters (portuguese, french, spanish...) the software makes it almost useless for any serious writing. It's so clumsy that to put a simple tilde (~) in a letter you have to push 4 keys at the same time! Great to slow you to death and to give you some RSI. Why you can't just press the accent, and then the letter (as you do in all international keyboards) is beyond my understanding. You'll be able to use it just for some notetaking without accents.

I've bought the wireless version because I have a Clié palmtop. Palm licenses this keyboard from Thinkoutside, the makers of the Stowaway keybards, and their site says that the wireless model is compatible with almost all palm models. Since I plan to go back to a palm sometime soon, I've bought this for compatibility. After reading the README file, everything worked fine. Unfortunately the price for the infrared connection is a more intensive use of the pda battery.

Basically to compare it with the palm portable keyboard which I had before, I'd rather have the universal PPK. The wireless keyboard:
-needs batteries to run
-deactivates the IR if you're idle for a certain amount of time so you'd have to go back to keyboard preferences to reactivate it. You can set the length of time before it turns the IR off (for "power users"), though, but I guess this option is given so that you can try to conserve batteries.
-IR connection affected but external factors like was said in other posts
-the way it folds up: won't that plastic thing that keeps it shut wear in time? PPK just clicks closed.
-the plastic material that the IR keyboard is made up of, including the IR wand: doesn't seem to be very durable. I had to look for a case for my unit to keep it protected.
-you need to press extra buttons just to type numbers & stuff

-I guess the advantage of it's being wireless is if you're having problems with your unit's hotsync port - but you can always have that repaired by palm (you need it to hotsync, too)

I suppose it depends on the needs of the user, but for me, I'd rather have the PPK. :)

Bought this last week. After loading the keyboard driver I was able to place my Palm T3 on the keyboard holder and begin typing.

I have used other keyboards for the Palm and by the time I got the PDA docked properly ont he connector I usually forgot what I was going to type...

This works exactly as designed. The only knock on it that I've read is that you must turn your T3 to left handed mode if you want to type in landscape format.

This is a very useful device.

I bought the mouse, followed the instructions, and "found" the device with no problems. However, since the mouse was "discovered" it was promptly lost. The mouse has remained dead. No response. I have re-discovered and reinstalled the firmware many times with no success.

This mouse is dead.

I will take the little white corpse of a mouse back to the retailer and stick with USB. I don't need wireless THIS bad.

Avoid this purchase at all costs.

When I first got this keyboard, I was very pleased. Functionally, I could tell no difference between using this keyboard and a wired one. However, after I used the keyboard for a couple of days, it suddenly stopped connecting to the Mac. I went into the Bluetooth preferences to work with the pairings, and nothing that I did re-established the connection -- every time I tried it, I got an "authentication failed" error.

I followed all installation instructions, including upgrading the Bluetooth firmware before installing the keyboard. I also followed all standard troubleshooting procedures. The keyboard simply stopped working and refused to start again. I would assume that this is an unusual occurrence, based on so many other people being so much more enthusiastic about the keyboard, but for my own part, this keyboard goes back to Amazon, and I'm sticking with USB for the foreseeable future. Based on my experiences with this keyboard, and my similarly dismal experiences with the Apple Wireless Mouse, it does not appear to me that Bluetooth input devices are "ready for prime time".

I bought this keyboard for a really dumb reason - to press the right arrow key to skip to the next song when I had iTunes (music playing program for anyone who isn't familar with Macs) open. Needless to say the keyboard has performed wonderfully for this function.

It doesn't eat too many batteries and looks extremely cool as well. The only complaint I have on this keyboard is the feel of the buttons, they're kind of crappy compared to say, the keyboard on the Powerbooks...

I purchased the Psion 56k Travel Modem as an experiment and in the end I couldn't be (much) happier. I use a Windows CE-based Casio, a Palm IIIe, and a Compaq IPAQ Pocket PC an a regular basis and I hoped to find a modem that would work with all three. Setup of the modem connection with the Casio and the Compaq was effortless, and with a little web-time to download system updates for the Palm (and a little help from PSION to get the proper software)I now have a modem that I can use with my hand-held devices, as well as my laptop. Overall, an excellent product at a price that gets better every month. The biggest plus? it works *well* beyond the one foot distance advertised. I can put it high on a bookshelf and sit comfortably anywhere within about 6 feet. The largest drawback, and the reason for only four stars? It is not Fax capable.

This is a great way to get on the internet while on the go. It works with almost all platforms of PDA, be it a Palm, Pocket PC or Psion. Also, because it uses the IRDA port, you can get on the net and still use your expansion slot for memory. My only complaint is the battery life... which falls somewhat short of the advertised "4 hours". If you plan on doing a lot of traveling, you might want to pick up the optional AC adapter for this while you are at it. Other than the battery life, this is a great little unit and well worth the money.

I just ordered a psion 56K travel modem and wanted to hook it up to a cell phone. I was wondering if i could hook the Palm GSM Upgrade Kit - Nokia to the Psion 56K travel Modem

The mouse is optical which is good, and sturdy and good quality. Easy to install, although you may need to go to the Logitech website for updates. So what about the tactile feedback? I simply don't like the way it feels when moving over objects. Also, the feedback isn't "smart". Basically anywhere your cursor would change to a hand cursor, it turns on vibration. The clickable region of file icons and many other onscreen objects though does not match the visible border of the object. To put it another way, it turns on tactile feedback even when the mouse is not visually over a file icon. I know that seems irrevelant, but the end result is constant pesky vibrating when you are moving the mouse over a group of file icons or a list of links for example. Luckily, I can turn off tactile feedback easily, and enable it whenever I want to try it again. I have yet to try it in a game.
Bottom line, if you want a good quality mouse but don't want something as expensive and complicated as the intellimouse explorer, this is a neat mouse to have. But don't expect much from the tactile feedback. And of course you know this, but tactile feedback has absolutely nothing to do with force feedback like with joysticks.

I was in the market for a new mouse and picked this one on a lark. I travel a great deal and always seemed to pick up a lot of dust, dirt, and ...well... who knows what's in the mouse, so this time I knew that I wanted to try an optical mouse. While I was looking through the offerings, I came across the iFeel mouse for just a few dollars more. Hmmm...could this help me navigate windows, buttons, links, and other stuff?

During my first attempt at installing the software (regular drivers plus something called Immersion Desktop), the mouse worked, but no 'feel'. A call to tech support went great (friendly, knowledgable, didn't try to rush me off the phone) but still no feel.

I kept the mouse. Months later, a hard drive crash required me to start all over again and... it worked! Suddenly, as I moved the mouse over anything that was clickable (Window edges, Buttons, Hyperlinks, Menu Bars, Task Bar Items, Icons, etc.) there was a slight buzzing sound and feel to the mouse. Sort of a vibration, but not what I expected. I fiddled with the Immersion settings and found a configuration that seemed to work for me (less sound, less buzz).

So know I have a mouse that sort of reacts to clickable things... Does it help? No, not really. Is is distracting? Sometimes. Does it really freak others out when they use it? Definitely. Would I buy it again? No, but I would pick out the non-feeling optical version of this product line again.

So the product gets 3 stars. As a general purpose mouse, I love it. As an iFeel mouse, I don't think it does anything for me. I base this on the fact that I don't miss the feedback when I use other mouse products on other machines. I give the overall product 4 stars, though, because good, helpful, friendly tech support means a great deal to me.

This is an awesome mouse, I've been using it for almost 3 years and now and I can't see myself using anything else. I wish Logitech would incorporate the iFeel technology in some of their newer mice as well. This isn't something you really need in a mouse, but it makes it seem as if you're interacting with the web page or your computer, you can "feel" the links or icons. At first it does feel kind of weird, but once you get used to it, you can't go back to a regular mouse.

Ease of setup and the mouse performance gets a big nod of approval. The keyboard, however, is a different story. I bought the combo for two reasons: 1) I like the idea of the mouse being able to function "in air" vice being restricted to a flat surface, and 2) the keyboard was small, sexy, and very seductive. Turns out looks aren't everything. The keyboard is VERY compact and to that end, a great choice if you are short on desk space. However, I found myself missing a number pad--especially when using Quicken or calculator functions, and my typing errors were through the roof. The keyboard is on par with that of a laptop keyboard, which is ok if you are using a laptop, but when I am using a desktop, I want the convenience of a full-sized keyboard...and you probably will also.

I *love* the narrow laptop-layout keyboard: it's the only one I've seen yet that doesn't stick seven inches' worth of miscellaneous navigation and numpad keys between typing surface and mouse. It eliminates the wrist-and-shoulder strain of right hand jutting out toward mouse. My Kensington trackball can sit neatly close. It's the best ergonomic advance for my desktop experience since switching over to dvorak input.

The keyboard alone is worth the price; it was a real bonus to get this gyro-pointer (which used to cost much more!) for free. It takes some practice, but it's the best specialized tool for presentations.

Tip: attach velcro patches to crucial keys (return, delete, command) to help you use them confidently while touch-typing. It's especially helpful on this keyboard because there's one column of navigation keys to the right of return and delete.

Mac users: use DoubleCommand shareware to fix Windows' switched positions of the command and option keys.

The Gyration mouse is your average optical mice, but with one big difference: a gyroscope inside the mouse that let's you operate the mouse 'in the air' and without line of sight, up to 25ft. Personally, I prefer a normal desktop mouse when I have a desk, but in 'deskless' situations, such as surfing the net from your couch or in boardroom meetings, this is the definitive solution. There is a 2 hour learning curve with this mouse, but it becomes natural after a while.

A wireless, tiny keyboard also comes with this combo. The keyboard is *very* light and also has excellent range, although it is a little too small for comfort as it has the exact dimensions of a typical laptop keyboard. Great if you have very tiny hands and are used to a laptop , but I much prefer the big desktop keyboards, and my fingers are a little slimmer than the average male's.

Aesthetically, the keyboard/mouse combo also look very nice.

The Mouse
------------------
Pros:
- The gyroscope works extremely well when you don't have a desk or are in a deskless situation (ie. your couch)
- You can use it on a surface like a normal mouse in addition to 'in the air'
- 25ft of range is accurate (worked great for me at 20ft through walls)
- *the* boardroom/presentation mouse

Cons:
- Battery drains a little faster than conventional wireless mice, and will require a charge every two days
- you will have a hard time with games in 'gyroscope' mode, unless you're very accurate in making small movements with just your wrist
- Does not have the conventient 'back' and 'forward' buttons other mice have
- Mostly convenient when one needs to do tasks without a desk

The Keyboard
-----------------
Pros:
- *very* light
- good operating range
- small
- looks nice

Cons:

- no convenient keypad on keyboard (except if you use the awkward function key)
- because it's small, it may be uncomfortable for some with bigger fingers
- The media keys are not configurable, and there is no software/drivers for it

Overall, I'm very pleased with the mouse. I rarely use the keyboard, however, due it's small size that is less comfortable as a full sized keyboard. I would immediately recommended it if you're really need it for deskless situations, but otherwise if you work at your desk most of the time, a conventional wireless with more features is the way to go.

Hint: Double click the trigger button to go into 'triggerless' mode

I rarely use this product because it seldom worked when it did work. Most of the time when pushing on the power button via the keypad my handspring would enter into hotsync mode. Now, even with the updated driver, the Thumboard just fails to work! Ive called Seiko-Austin in the past and they told me it was just a fault with their product and nothing they could do about it. The nerve of some people! Ive emailed Amazon but sadly the return date under their policy has expired. I now keep the ThumBoard handy as a cautionary reminder which effectively prevents me from engaging in impulsive online shopping.

1. Love the design. It doesn't add to the size of the Visor, since it envelops the bottom half of the PDA. There are buttons on the top of the ThumBoard that let you hit the "menu" "calc" and other functions down in the graffiti area. Also, it naturally sits in your hand and is easy to type on.

2. Very odd glitch that on occasion it will attempt to do a sync instead of turn on/off.

3. Mine did not work. I've got 5 computers in my apt (5 PCs, 1 Mac) and know how to use my Palm very well. The ThumBoard simply refused to work...it only wanted to sync. After a total of about 4-5 hours over 2 days of working on it (between myself, my boyfriend, and techsupport @ Seiko) it simply did not want to work. I could not get the Visor to recognize it. I realize this may be one faulty unit - but when the only place I can seem to find it is online, that is too much hassle to exchange items and hope that it works.

From what I've seen online, people love the design of this keyboard. If it works, you'll love it. If you can't get it to work (or it constantly syncs), you're just better off using Graffiti or upgrading to a PDA with a built in keyboard (Treo or Clie).

I purchased this keyboard last January. I could live without it, but I've found that it makes entering text a lot easier. I have had some of the same problems that others have had with it. I've found that if you wiggle the keyboard while its connected to your visor, and the visor is on, then problems with hotsync are more likely.

My biggest issue with this product is that I couldn't ship it outside USA. I had to ship it to a US address and then get it forwarded to Canada. Well I have it now, and you can't have it back.

Im using this product to type this maeesage. Well, I must say Im dissapointed with the product. The buttons dont require much force to push down. (which is nice) But the keys do NOT go down smoothly. I have never mistreated this keyboard.... so I know its not that. I bought it around 5 to 6 months ago. And in the last 2 months the problem began to occur. If some of the keys arent pressed down EXACTLY strait, the key will rub on the cheap platic shaft that its on. :( It makes it VERY irritating sometimes. Infact while typing this message, it happened 4 or 5 times. Im getting a Logitech next.

If you play fps games and need to hold down keys for long periods of time, don't get this keyboard! I essentially can no longer play CS because any time I hold a key down with any amount of force, it seems to stick and continue moving me even after I release the key. Maybe for office purposes this is a decent keyboard, but for gaming, it's just bad.

this keyboard was a big improvement to my old compaq.
i find the keys are smooth to operate and i play many fps games and chat a lot so this was one of the first things i noticed.

the moved insert key might not bother you at all, depending on how you use the keys normally. i dont use the insert key at all, id rather just use the mouse so it didnt fase me in the slightest.

i had a problem with the larger delete key, mostly because it moved the HOME and END keys beside eachother instead of ontop of each other which bothered me when i was browsing web pages. but now im used to it, plus now its harder to miss when hitting ctrl + alt + delete (maybe someone had a sense of humour when designing this keyboard)

moving on to the extra programable keys and f lock key.
except for the windows media player, media, web/home, messenger and calculator keys the rest i find never get used. i would re-assign the useless keys if they didnt have little pictures on them that refer to their default settings.
the f lock key does cause small problems at first, for instance it has to be on to operate the F1 - F12 keys, but by default it is turned off. this would not be a problem if i didnt use the alt + F4 and F5 short cuts a lot (and perhaps for other people that use the insert key a lot). if you use outlook express a lot and you dont use the F keys, then you might find the new short-cut keys that are now available very usefull; reply, fwd, send etc.

i would call this keyboard user-friendly. everything is straight forward if you can adjust. if you cant adjust -> then this isnt the keyboard for you <-

The first thing I noticed when making the switch from the Intellimouse Explorer 3.0 to the 4.0 (yes, this mouse is the 4.0, not the 3.0 like Amazon suggests) was the scroll wheel. It is incredibly smooth, and feels great to move up and down. It is the best feeling wheel I've ever used, and it's extremely nice on long documents, as there are acceleration options for the wheel itself. However, in a lot of games, gamers will set the scroll wheel to change weapons. The fact that this wheel is so smooth to scroll, makes it very difficult to just change to the next weapon. You always end up skipping 4 or 5 weapons, so you just have to scroll back. Takes a lot of getting used to, if your previous mouse had tactile clicks to let you know when you've scrolled one unit.

In all honesty, the only thing that even made me switch was the new tilt-wheel feature. I later learned that this new feature isn't really so great... it feels real clunky, and is hard to press in either direction. And the scrolling that happens onscreen is real jerky, and slow (even when set to the highest speed). It's also not performing a universal application side-scroll, as it only works in a few programs that could potentially utilize it.

I am primarily a gamer, so the mouse I use has to be very precise, responsive, and comfortable. To me it seems like my hand gets cramped much faster than it did with the 3.0 under extensive use and long gaming sessions. However, it is extremely accurate, and very precise in first-person shooters and Photoshop, the two areas where extreme precision are important in my computer usage. It has a nice weight, and feels very solid. The thumb buttons are were huge design mistake though. They were moved from a neutral thumb-rest position, to the top of this ridge that is above where your thumb rests. The result is a very awkward reach, and it's much more difficult to execute in high-pressure situations like online gaming. Also, the middle button (the scroll-wheel) is very hard to press down properly. If the wheel rolls at all, then it cancels the button-press, and you have to redo it. Also, it seems to lag a bit after you press it down, leaving you waiting for results. Very annoying if you are used to pressing the middle button in an FPS, where your timing is more crucial than on the desktop.

Overall, the Intellimouse 4.0 is a very nice mouse for casual/everyday users. However, if you are a gamer, or graphic artist, or anyone that will be doing any extensive mousing around, will probably want to test the mouse out before you buy it. The hand cramps are my number one complaint after 3 or 4 weeks of usage.

Always liked MS mice for their effortless clicking switches. I do not think I ever had one fail... The scroll wheel on this mouse is what brings it to a 5. The scroll is silky smooth and without annoying clicks.The side buttons work fine with practice. I never bother with the tilt function as it is too hard to switch and rarely a time saver.The mouse wheel switch is about the same as the old versions.
The wireless is the exact same shape as the wired. It is heavier of course with the batteries. What I do not like is that in order for me to scroll occasionally, I need to wiggle the mouse to "wake it up". This wake up process is quick but necessary even after the most brief of pauses.
To recap, fine mouse with superior click switches on the buttons and a fantastic scroll wheel.

This is probably the best mouse out there. With no need for batteries this mouse is not just comfortable and beautiful, he's 5 buttons are really great. The position of the thumb buttons are in the right spot and the new Tilt-Wheel is very useful. I had the old version of this mouse and I just can't keep my hands of this one!!!
This mouse is a must have and the logitech guys should learn something from this mouse.