Review: Logitech DiNovo Edge Keyboard

Posted: August 11th, 2009 | Author: Steve | Filed under: Gadgets | Tags: Apple, Bluetooth, Keyboards, Mac, wireless | View Comments

Over the past 2 years or so, I have spent an inordinate amount of time in coffee shops and cafés, either studying for one of my MBA classes or looking for work. While these places are great for getting out of the house and being around other people, they are an ergonomic nightmare for laptop users. The keyboard/mouse/trackpad is always too high, as when placed on a table, or the screen is too low, like when sitting in a big leather chair or couch. Either way, I was always in for a world of hurt. That is, until I discovered the Logitech DiNovo Wireless Keyboard, Mac Edition.

The DiNovo Edge is a Bluetooth wireless keyboard with a built-in trackpad. It’s combination of sleek looks, performance and features made it the perfect solution. After almost a year of constant use, I can honestly say that it is one of my favorite technology purchases, ever! Read on for my complete review.

When I began my search for a wireless keyboard to use at the cofeeshop, I knew exactly what I needed:

• Bluetooth wireless
• Mac compatible
• Does not require a USB dongle
• Built-in pointing device,
• Pointer on the right and the buttons on the left. This would allow me to use both hands.

It’s amazing how few wireless keyboards met these criteria. After weeks of searching and frustration I was only able to come up with a few options: either they did not have a built-in mouse, they did not work with the Mac, or they weren’t Bluetooth. At the time, my best two picks were a no-name Chinese-manufactured infrared keyboard or the $179 Logitech DiNovo Edge. On the one hand, the Chinese keyboard looked cheap, and I doubted infrared would work in this configuration (infrared is line-of-site, and the keyboard would be underneath the laptop most of the time.) On the other hand, the Edge was just too much more than I was willing to spend, despite the rave reviews. Luckily for me, just a few weeks later, the fine people on SlickDeals.net posted a deal on the Mac version of the Edge, which ended up being about $65. I was in!

Layout
The DiNovo Edge is a really nice, slim, wireless keyboard with a built-in touchpad. It is much wider than a standard keyboard, and is made to sit on your lap comfortably. This wide stance is where most other keyboards fail for this particular application, because it allows you to sit in a natural, relaxed position, and you don’t have to hold your knees together to keep it in place.

It has the touchpad on the left and mouse keys on both the left and right, so you can use it easily with two hands without having to move your hands all over the place. The pretty standard layout includes function keys across the top with home/end/forward delete/page up/page down and arrow keys on the right. Intended as a media center keyboard, there are play/pause/fast forward keys on the left and a neat volume touchpad on the right, including a handy mute button.

Mac users will appreciate the addition of the forward delete key, missing on Apple products, and the way that the media controls work as well as an Apple Remote. The media controls have turned out to be one of my favorite features, because they allow me to mute for a phone call, or to jump to the next song in iTunes, without moving my hands from the keyboard. This is a major improvement from the complex multiple-key Quicksilver commands that was my prior best solution.

The only real downside to the layout would be the lack of a numeric keypad. While a deal-breaker for some, I find this to me a minor inconvenience which the other features more than make up for.

Look and Feel
One of the best things about the Edge (among many good things), is how it feels to type on it. have a tendency to use a lot of force when typing, so a “chiclet” style keyboard, like the new Apple keyboards, is way too hard on my fingers. Logitech has been able to provide the feel of a long keystroke and solid bottom that is the hallmark of full-sized keyboards. What’s amazing is that they were able to do it in a keyboard that is only about 1/4 inch thick and extremely light. It is very comfortable for me to type on.

As if all of the other features weren’t enough, it even looks great! This is a keyboard that was designed to look good sitting in its charging cradle in your living room, and has the sleek minimalist looks that are the hallmark of Apple products. It’s definitely the best looking keyboard I’ve ever seen, and matches perfectly with my 15″ MacBook Pro.

Performance
It’s really hard to find an area where the Edge doesn’t excel. Consider the battery life: Logitech claims that the DiNovo Edge can go up to a month before having to be recharged! Although I have not conducted any type of scientific test, this claim seems to hold water. In the entire time I have owned it, I have never once run the battery completely out. This is saying a lot, since the Edge lives in my bag, and I frequently forget to charge anything the lives in my bag.

I haven’t had any problems with the DiNovo Edge, from a quality standpoint. It has held up quite well, so far.

Cons
It’s really hard to say anything bad about this keyboard. However, there are a few minor flaws that have popped up:

• Sticky touchpad: The touchpad has a very sensitive “touch to click” feature, which can’t be disabled. This has caused me some grief when it has caused me to inadvertently remove items from my Dock! According to the Logitech tech support forums, this is a hardware issue that cannot be fixed. While not a deal-breaker, it can be quite frustrating. I have learned to pull my hand off of the touchpad for a second when I see it dragging something that I had not intended.
• Bluetooth crashes the Mac: Quite often, my Mac will crash when attempting to connect to the keyboard. I’m pretty sure that this is a Mac problem not a problem with the DiNovo Edge Keyboard, specifically, because I have experienced a similar problem with my Mac wireless keyboard, but it is nonetheless extremely frustrating.
• Dust magnet: The Edge has a glossy finish, which looks nice, but is a magnet for dust.

Conclusion
As you can tell, I can’t say enough good things about the Logitech DiNovo Edge Mac Edition Keyboard. It has literally saved me from quite a bit of pain, and my repetitive stress injuries are improving because of it. I’ve come to love it so much, that I now use it in my home office, in place of my purchasing a keyboard tray. The fit, finish, layout and performance are all top-notch. Even with a couple of minor of annoyances, it still stands out for me as an example of what can be done with really good design.

The best part is that they can be had for under $100, if you search diligently. Don’t be afraid of the $179 sticker price shown on the Logitech site. I got my Mac version on Amazon for around $65 during a special sale. The current Mac version is on Amazon for $89 and the PC version is $134. I’m sure you can find the PC one even cheaper if you look around.

Have you had any experiences, good or bad, with this keyboard or others? I’d love to read you comments!

Steve