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The ‘world’s most advanced keyboard’ finally hits our shores
Logitech’s new Edge, the self-professed ‘world’s most advanced keyboard’, is certainly one for those who have style in mind. It’s a very slim device finished in black plexiglass and brushed aluminium, boasting an array of technology that defines its claim.
Most notable is the Perfect Stroke key system, which evenly distributes the amount of pressure you place on each key to reduce typing errors. After a bit of getting used to it we were impressed.
The flat nature of the Edge and perfectly balanced key pressure sped up our typing, helped by the ergonomics of the base, which acts as a handy wrist-rest.
In addition to this you’ll find a circular touch-sensitive pad to control the mouse and another touch-sensitive volume control. It works well, but in the case of the volume slider we question the practicality of this design over a more conventional button control.
All these ‘special’ keys are managed effectively through Logitech’s Setpoint software, which makes it easy to redefine any of their functionality to custom actions.
The device connects instantly with the help of the Bluetooth dongle supplied and is charged by mounting it in a stylish docking stand; you can expect about two months of use from a full charge, and Logitech claims a range of 30 feet, which in our tests wasn’t far off.
Logitech’s aim with the Edge was to produce something stylish and minimalist for aesthetics-driven punters, and in this they have succeeded.
But sacrifices have been made. There’s no numeric keypad and to access the additional shortcut keys for web access, multimedia and custom controls, you have to press and hold the ‘Fn’ button to light up the controls above the function keys.
The Edge is expensive but the market Logitech has targeted it at will be impressed. While it’s not necessarily practical for the casual user, it appears worthy of its position as world’s most advanced.
Build quality is superb and in terms of general operation, it’s one of the most impressive keyboards we’ve used.
Also consider:
Logitech Cordless Desktop Comfort Laser
A decent desktop mouse and keyboard set for the masses
Steel Series Steelkeys 6G gaming keyboard
Great build quality, but the Steelkeys 6G is expensive for the features it
offers
Celluon Laserkey CL800BT laser keyboard
The Celluon Laserkey CL80 is a well-featured and well-designed laser keyboard,
but Bluetooth installation can be fiddly and it requires a change in typing
style
Read more reviews
Our verdict
Pros: Extremely slim and stylish, beautifully responsive, built-in touchpad Cons: Very expensive, no numeric keypad Overall: Although not quite as suited to the casual user, the Edge is great to use and is on of the most stylish keyboards on the market today
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Designed by a Committee
Dear Paul, I think you went a little bit too easy on the diNovo Edge. It's as if Logitech (a maker of some fine OTHER human input devices) couldn't decide whether to make a good wireless desktop keyboard, or one to be used with a HTPC or for presentations. While they packed enough technology to cover all, ultimately they failed and created something that is average to sub-par in all of those areas. The diNovo Edge does look good, I give that to Logitech, but that's where it all ends for me. It's as if the design brief was: "just make it look good!" I had mine for a few weeks now, long enough to get used to whatever you need to get used to and in my opinion, it is overpriced and overhyped. I could go into specific details, but my answer is probably already longer than what usually gets read. ;-) I checked out plenty of reviews, including yours. Interestingly many of them point out some pretty important flaws but then give high marks in the end. I guess superficiality wins out... Greg
Posted by Greg Shaman, 08 Apr 2007
In response...
Hi Greg, Thanks for your comments on the review. As mentioned, the keyboard isn't for everyone, and there are indeed other (far cheaper) keyboards out there that offer more functionality in terms of hotkeys, a numeric keypad etc. While these could be seen as negatives we wouldn't presume to judge a product solely based on what we'd personally like, more in determining whether it succeeds in doing the job it has been built to do. In the DiNovo's case we were appreciative of the style, responsiveness and build quality, and since this appears to be Logitech's main aim with the DiNovo considered it to be mostly a success. You didn't mention the specifics of your experiences in your comment so I'm unsure what aspects of the keyboard let you down. Perhaps something like the excellent Logitech MX3200 would have a bit more on offer.
Posted by Paul Lester, 12 Apr 2007