Customer Reviews

Logitech Keyboard Elite Black

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

SPYWARE.
GATOR IS EVIL.
LOGITECH IS EVIL FOR ALLOWING GATOR (or in this case, it's alias, WILD TANGENT) TO SNEAK INTO OUR COMPUTERS VIA THEIR SOFTWARE.

When you install the software that you NEED in order to use all your nice fancy keyboard shortcuts, you're unwittingly installing HIDDEN AND DEFINITE SPYWARE FROM GATOR. This is absolutely ridiculous, and we as consumers SHOULD NOT TOLERATE THIS TYPE OF SHADY BEHAVIOR FROM COMPANIES LIKE LOGITECH. This is ABSOLUTELY INEXCUSABLE because:

1) LOGITECH DOES NOT TELL YOU YOU ARE INSTALLING SPYWARE.
2) LOGITECH DOES NOT GIVE YOU THE OPTION TO INSTALL THEIR SOFTWARE WITHOUT THE SPYWARE.
3) LOGITECH DOES NOT GIVE YOU THE OPTION TO REMOVE THE SPYWARE.
DO NOT promote this kind of offensive business behavior. Tell Logitech that you don't support their utter lack of business ethics by NOT BUYING THEIR PRODUCTS.

PS - The default OFF setting for the F-Lock is also stupid. Maybe Logitech intends to fix this issue with a software patch that, SURPRISE, comes piggybacked with more SPYWARE.

Logitech Keyboard Issue

On 22-Nov-2004 I called Logitech at 1-702-269-3457 to arrange for an RMA. They said no need to send the broken unit back, they would send a replacement keyboard out within 24-48 hours. They assigned Case #XXXXXX and RMA# XXXXXX.

On 29-Nov-2004 spoke to a nice person(name witheld) who was pleasant and polite. I told her that the good news was that I just received the replacement keyboard, the bad news is that it is the wrong one. It is a "Media" model which is a lower model than the "Elite" that I purchased. I pointed out that this model is missing 2 key features, the thumb wheel on the left and the volume dial on the top; the 2 main reasons for which I bought the Elite model.

She put me on hold and when she came back, she proceeded to try to convince me that the model they sent me was an "upgrade" from the "Elite". I explained to her that her assertion was incorrect and the "Media" model was clearly an inferior model. I pointed out that on Newegg.com, the "Media" sells for $18 while the "Elite" sells for $29. I again pointed out that this model is missing 2 key features, the thumb wheel on the left and the volume dial on the top; the 2 main reasons for which I bought the Elite model.

She put me on hold several times during the call which, by the way, lasted for 55 minutes. Each time she came back she continued to try to sell the idea that I was getting an upgrade. I was patient for the first 50 minutes of this but I'm not a saint and finally stopped her. I told her that I was an Engineer, a very technical and computer savvy person and that no one, any where would consider what they did an upgrade. I told her that I didn't appreciate being treated this way. And requested to speak to a supervisor.

At that point, she admitted that the "Media" model was missing features and that she understood my concerns. She then said that they had no more "Elite" models and that's why they sent the "Media" model. I suggested they get one from one of their vendors like Newegg.com; she said I WOULD HAVE TO BUY IT FROM THEM DIRECTLY and they had no way of compensating me for that. She then said that the "Elites" were no longer being manufactured. What should I believe here????

So in the end, they did not comply with the terms of their own warranty. When I pointed that out, she said that they did by sending me the inferior keyboard.

How ridiculous is this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was appalled! If it didn't happed to me, I would have doubted that it really happened. Finally, I asked if she was going to comply with my earlier request to speak to a supervisor. She said yes and went on hold yet again...she came back and we waited for another 5 or so minutes for the supervisor (Todd) who never answered. She then asked if she could have him call me back in a few minutes and confirmed my phone number.

What nonsense! I have never seen a company tell such bold falsehoods to avoid fulfilling its warranty commitments, especially considering that this was all for a lousy $30 product. Wouldn't it have been easier to just make the customer happy and handle this? They won the battle, but I'll win the war by never buying another Logitech product again and I urge all of you who read this sad tale to also avoid buying from them.

The supervisor NEVER CALLED. Run, don't walk away from these guys.

This is far superior to any other keyboard I have ever seen! OK, the F-Lock is a pain, but if you have Windows XP, it's not an issue. In XP, the F-Lock will be on if it was on before you shut down. The scroll wheel is pretty cool, even if you have a scroll mouse. The Programmable function keys are very useful, and the regular keys (standard 104) bounce back like I've never seen before. Overall rank - 6 out of 5!

I'll keep this short and sweet and to the point: Get this keyboard! Now! Not only is it whisper quiet (and I mean your boss will think you're not working from the lack of keyboard clacking), but extremely responsive. Whether it's the cordless or the corded Elite, Logitech got it right with just the right amount of buttons, all of which are placed within easy reach of your typing position. And if you can't tell from the picture shown by Amazon, it's also one heck of a smooth looking technology, and at a great price. The system preference software (this refers to the Mac OS X version) is a delight to use, and you can reassign just about any function key or navigation/internet key to anything you like. Want the CD-ROM eject key assigned to function key 4? No problem. Wanna raise or lower your computer's volume quickly? The ribbed wheel is right there at your disposal. It even has multimedia keys for most of the music software out there on the market, like iTunes and DVD player (stop, forward, back, pause).

Can I say anything else? Yes. The price is phenomenal compared with what Microsoft wants for an ugly beige keyboard that basically offers the same thing (Mac users need not apply). This is one keyboard that won't disappoint.

This is a phenominal gaming keyboard. The keys have that mushy quality feeling that gives the right edge to gaming. This helps you allow the ones living with you to sleep peacefully while you stay up gaming all night. But if you're like me and don't play games your whole life, then you may want a different keyboard. For people that type a lot (programmers, linux users, people that have jobs) this may be a worse choice. The keys are so soft that they require you to push harder (or maybe they just make you think you need to push harder). This creates unecessary strain on your fingers and wrist. Gamers, this is the keyboard to get. But if you want more than a gaming keyboard, you MAY want to try a different one. Right now I am using a Dell keyboard that i am perfectly happy with. However, if you are looking for an upgrade, I'd suggest a Logitech keyboard.

Whether you are a hardcore computer gamer or just use it for word processing and Email, you'll love this keyboard. The keys are whisper quiet and the iTouch (shortcut) buttons are very helpful. I don't need to scroll-knob because I already have on on my mouse, so I use it to toggle through open programs. It's very helpful. Additionally, it has shortcut buttons for your Email application, Instant Messenger progran, media application, and more, all of which you can customize.

Okay, so iTouch function keys are unneeded, but so what? You can easily disable them. And who knows... You may like them.

Good luck!

I bought this keyboard over six months ago to add to a new 2.8Ghz home built computer sytem with Windows XP Pro. The keyboard is heavy enough to make you feel that it isn't cheap despite the low price. This puppy comes with a wide range of programable buttons, internet navigation wheel, F-key functions. The wrist rest is a nice feature making it comfortable to use. The keyboard comes with fairly good software. I downloaded the latest updates before I installed everything. I had to make sure that background running programs like Norton Antivirus, etc. were disabled to alleviate any potential problems or conflicts. Another nice feature are the CD keys (Play/Pause etc) will work even in other apps. I used these keys with Windows Media Player and it worked without any problems. This baby looks sharp and will last for a long time if you take care of it.

I did find a couple of things that Logitech could improve on for future models: The clips that allow you to raise the keyboard open backwards compared to other keyboards. If you pull the keyboard toward you, those clips tend to close on you and you have to fish for them out to open them again. The volume button can be flaky at times. It might skip serveral levels at one time. It's just a little sensitive but it's no big deal. You can program other buttons to perform volume control. Like any program, Logitech includes a piece of software that might be viewed as SPYWARE. I does try to go back to the website to see if new versions are available. Windows XP does the same thing but you can disable that. I really don't use it, because I regularly go to their website to see if they have any software/driver updates. Besides, I regulary run antispyware software so I don't have an issue with it. I did notice that the F-lock is automatically turned off at system startup. If you want to enable the function keys, you have to press the f-lock button. This issue might be related to your BIOS setting and not the software that comes with the keyboard. I know for a fact that my AMI BIOS has a feature that allows me to turn on the function keys at startup. I just never got around to changing the setting. I plan to check it out in the coming days. I didn't give this product 5-stars because I think they could have done better with their manual. Overall, Logitech did a very good job with this keyboard. It really deserves your attention.

Great keyboard. What can I say? Works fine with XP...
Pros:

1. Very handy iNav wheel, 20 million buttons
2. Improved F-key functionality
3. Even the included plastic wrist rest was comfortable
4. Overall, very flexible software, infinitely programmable
5. CD keys (Play/Pause etc) will work even in other apps.
6. Sturdy, will last you years

Cons:

1. Laggy volume button, I just use the iNav wheel for volume instead.
2. Stinkin' SPYWARE: The Wildtangent software is unavoidable and is really a Gator clone that records your Internet activity. Kill this with a program like Spybot.
3. There's no way to turn F-lock on at system startup. Maybe that'll be fixed with a future software patch, assuming the patch doesn't just reinstall the stinkin' SPYWARE.

Overall, though, great keyboard from Logitech.
Simply the best wired has to offer.
Don't be a playa hata.
Buy it.

I have to say the comparison between a Dell keyboard and this Logitech Elite is a sad comparison indeed. I've used Dell keyboards...I hate them, they always felt cheap and flimsy. The last one I had, well let's say it wasn't fun.

This keyboard is great, though it doesn't have support for applications like Firefox right off the bat, if you have some computer knowledge you can tell it to open Firefox as a Program, though it gets overly complex.

Had the keyboard not been so easy to work with, and so easy to type with, it'd be four stars due to the lack of third party program support. Logitechs software is rather crappy, in all honesty, but at least it offers options to manually extend support via the programs functionality.

I have heard keys stick later in its use, I've yet to have any sticky keys, but then again I keep my keyboard very clean, I hope that doesn't happen, but keep it in mind, as it happens to all keyboards eventually, some sooner than others.

I love the volume dial, it's easy, quick, and much more precise than it's Microsoft counterpart, which uses a plus and minus Button opposed to this more precise dial. The email, messenger, and song scrolling buttons are amazingly useful.

The default On setting for F-Lock, (or off) is annoying as hell, I have to turn the green light *on* to use the normal F# keys, and the light grows a tad annoying.

I have not seen any spyware, I keep my computer highly protected with the best scoring (Benchmarks, and not by whored out 'review' sites) Anti-Adware, Firewall, and Anti-Virus I could find, perhaps this fabled spyware was removed. I never saw anything like it in my Processes, which I watch obsessively, and nothing ever came out in scans relating to Logitech.

I highly recommend this to keyboard enthusiasts who love having a keyboard which has many functions and, ironically, tons of functionality.

I am a C++ programmer therefore I type on a keyboard for over 8 hours every week day. On Mavis Beacon 16 I am rated at 155wpm so keyboards are very important to me. This keyboard is very solid, very quiet and allows you to type fast without any problems. All of the special buttons work to my utmost satisfaction. The stability of this keyboard is simply amazing. An A++ keyboard I would recommend to anyone.