Customer Reviews

Logitech DiNovo Cordless Media Bluetooth Desktop

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

I am actually using diNovo keyboard to type this review, and it is a bit of a struggle due to malfunctioning spacebar. :(

I did a bit of research on diNovo before buying it. Most online magazines (PCMag, CNet, etc.) highly recommend this product, noting its high price as the only drawback.

I got this keyboard/mouse combo a week ago, and I must say it looks and feels great. Separate keyboard and touchpad save you desk space. Mouse runs all day without a need for recharging.

I didn't experience any connection issues. It was only one time that I had to press the "connect" buttons on BlueTooth hub and mouse to have it re-detected because it stopped functioning all of the sudden.

The initial installation was smooth. I downloaded the latest drivers, got everything connected and everything went well from there... until yesterday.

All of the sudden the space bar (probably the most useable key on any keyboard) started losing response. I had to hit it harder to move the cursor and even then, at times, it would not respond. As I type this, I often have to hit the spacebar 4-5 times in order to make a single space between the words.

Another problem surfaced early this morning. The lower "fast scroll" mouse button would sometimes result in a "locked" fast scroll. This could be a software issue, I am not sure.

One thing is for certain, the assembly quality seems to be on the lower side. I reached this conclusion based not only on personal experience, but by reading other customer reviews and comments. Given the high price of this product, I am extremely disappointed, if not angry. This is probably the most expensive keyboard/mouse combo on the market, and one thing Logitech should have made sure is that it is of solid build quality. The product is produced by a Logitech plant in China, by the way.

***Update***
I have now received the replacement diNovo mouse/keyboard, and it's been working fine for 2 months now. The only complaint I have is that F6, F7, F8 keys are REAL stiff and hard to press.
Again, build quality is highly disappointing considering high product price.

On the bright side, I was pleased with Logitech support. They are easy to reach at toll-free number with virtually no waiting times. The replacement product was sent to me in timely manner.

I picked up a dinovo off eBay. No invoice or stuff like that, but basically brand new.

After about 3 intense weeks of use the enter key and right CTRL were toast. Realising I could not return it without an invoice and due to method of purchase, I decided to investigate the problem. However, 1 week prior to the death of the keys I noticed that the keyboard would be disconnected after running over night. Not a problem considering the PC was on its last legs anyway (5+ years old and suffering typical VIA USB problems). So I opened up the keyboard in an attempt to see the failure on the key and managed to short it out thanks to horribly unexpected static.

However, the keyboard sacrificed its life to find out why the keys tend to die. Note how they're usually along the edges of the continguous key regions. Note how most of the time (with the CTRL key anyway) one doesn't usually hit the key dead center due to how your hand moves. Well, under the keys is a rubber mat with nipples on it and these are aligned right under the keys. The angle of movement misaligns the nipple so when you press the key again it doesn't depress the nipple onto the circuit board. This is, in my opinion, why the keys die. The reason the pop out of alignment is due to the rubber mat not being secured along the edges. Only the keys hold it there, but it moves easily.

It's a design oversight, something a stress test robot will never pick up. The solution is to pry the key up on one edge (it's latched on both sides by 2 arms in a X shape), tilt the key and pop the nipple back into alignment, then push the key squarely back down.

Problem solved, unless you were dumb enough like me to see how static affects the internals. :)

I have since sourced a spare keyboard and have been using it for 2 weeks now and there's no faults on the keys. And I've hidden my screwdriver set away as well. :)

As for the unit itself... I like it. I do software development about 16-17 hours a day. The zero tilt is perfect. The keys nice to the touch even though it takes some time getting used to how light they are. And it's quiet. The old clack panel could be heard all around the house, but none of that anymore.

The MX900 mouse is a bit heavy, but that's normal for cordless mice. The accuracy is nice indeed and it's comfortable to use. Battery life isn't so great if you tend to like the mouse pointer speed slow. On high speed movement with accelleration set to medium the battery will last almost a week.

The media pad is cool too, although just an incomplete accessory. For example, nice calculator but no backspace to fix a mistyped number. No backlit LCD either, so in the dark there's no use seeing anything on it. Only works with Outlook Express with regards to e-mail notification. No big deal though.

For styling... this is spot on. The best looking setup I've ever seen and pleasing to the eye if you have to sit for hours trying to feel unstressed in front of a PC.

Connectivity was only a minor hassle. Without the Widcomm software there'd be times when the keyboard would not be picked up by the hub or software. Been happening on the replacement keyboard as well, but I am relating this to the lack of installing the widcomm bluetooth software.

Why is that important? Well, if you've gone and installed Service Pack 2 you might want to look at another product. The Widcomm software conflicts with th MS bluetooth stack. At present I have no bluetooth software, but all components are connected and functioning correctly. However, I cannot use my wonderful bluetooth hub to find other devices. WindowsXP reckons there is no bluetooth device. It's a known issue, with many a solution but they're all a pain. Thanks Microsoft. Logitech have also not provided a good solution to this problem.

So, other than driver (Widcomm and MS) software I really like this product. It's a very tidy setup indeed. I am still working on finding a decent solution to the software problem and the related disconnects.

I'm a software developer, and I rely on my keyboard, mouse, monitors, and chair for my livelihood. Recently, I bought a diNovo setup to replace my aging Microsoft Natural, and I'm more than pleased by the change.

Having worked almost exclusively on a laptop for the past few years, I've become accustomed to the short-keystroke keyboard, and the diNovo keyboard feels EXACTLY right. It lies perfectly flat in the keyboard tray and responds with a light touch for rapid, easy typing. It's unencumbered by wires or other connections to the desktop, and I can move it around at will to get closer to books or to just get in a comfortable "web-surfer" pose. I would imagine other keyboards to be more ergonomically sound from some points of view, but the diNovo keyboard feels right to me--large enough, light and easy to type, and a joy to behold.

The mouse is large and heavy--just right for my tastes, and also wireless. It has a few extra buttons, but unlike other manufacturers, Logitech did not place the extras in positions to be inadvertently pressed. It has good resolution, and is easy to use for extended periods.

The best features of the set is undoubtedly the software. The keypad display responds to Windows Media Player by displaying the current track, time, etc. Scroll-lock, Num-lock, System volume, and other settings are displayed in an on-screen display like those of your television, quickly alerting you to the accidental caps-lock press BEFORE you scream-and-backspace. All hot-keys and whatnot are controllable through the software; the set is easily configurable to your every whim.

I love it, and I haven't even USED Bluetooth yet for anything other than the included pieces. It will be interesting to see how the batteries hold up (4 in the keyboard, 2 for the pad, and 2 rechargeable in the mouse) in the long-term, but for now, I'm completely satisfied.

This is a really nice keyboard and mouse combo.. when it works. Being a top of the line product and the high price, you would expect that Logitech would place a big emphasis on quality control. Unfortunately this doesn't appear to be the case as I've had to return my keyboard after only two weeks. During the first week, two of the keys stopped working, then they became stuck on permanently and finally stopped working again.

The keyboard is also very battery hungry. The media pad range was diminished by about half after only two weeks of using it so you better keep a healthy supply of AA batteries on hand. The mouse runs flat after 2-3 days if you don't remember to put it in the recharge docking station at night. I also had reoccurring problems with connectivity whereby the software would prompt for a blue-tooth connection code.

Although Logitech claims full pre-boot support, I couldn't get into the windows pre-boot menu, only the BIOS.

All of this may sound like doom and gloom, but in reality it still is an awesome keyboard, especially the media pad with the LCD display. You'd put up with most of the problems if the whole combo was a lot cheaper, but given the top of the line cost, you should get top of the line product, which unfortunately you don't.

I bought this keyboard/mouse for the design, which I think is very nice, I also appreciate that the keyboard is moderately sized since the numeric keyboard can be placed elsewhere (I never use it anyway).
However had I known of all the trouble this product would give me, I would never have bought it. Some of the problems may be driver-related and hopefully solved some time. I think Logitech put this product to market too early, before it was mature. Just take a look at the Logitech Discussion Forum at http://forums.logitech.com/pe/action/forums/defaultview?msgBoardID=10100207.

The problems that I have with this product are:
* I cannot turn on the PC from the keyboard. It used to work but for some reason it stopped. I also cannot enter the BIOS, it seems the PS/2 connection has simply stopped working. Thank god I still have my old 20 $ keyboard.
* The keyboard/mouse regularly disconnects from Bluetooth when logging off, making it necessary to reconnnect and/or reset the mouse and keyboard.
* When logging in, the mouse/keyboard is initialized causing several 1-10 sec. periods where they don't react.

As a result of these problems, my wife is simply not able to use the PC anymore since the manual procedures needed to make it work are just too complex.

The only reason I still hold on to this product is that I hope that updated drivers or Windows SP2 will help solve these problems. Before you buy, take a look at the Logitech Discussion Forum to see if that is the case.

With the DiNovo Cordless Media Bluetooth Desktop, Logitech has produced a product with a sleek appearance. The product looks sharp and the mouse has a nice hand-feel. The mouse has a rechargeable battery and comes with a recharging cradle, so the disappointment of finding a dead battery in your cordless mouse has been relegated to "the old days." When the product works, there is a noticeable lag between keyboard entry or mouse movement and a response on the screen. Surprisingly, the lag time seems to be greater for this bluetooth device than my older non-bluetooth cordless desktop, but it is not so long as to make the product unusable. However, this product has two fatal flaws. First, as other reviewers have found, my experience with the DiNovo is that it crashes constantly. Secondly, Logitech is no help whatsoever with this product. A keyboard and mouse that work less than 50% of the time is simply not acceptable for my needs. Bottom line is this product didn't even help my clutter problem on my desk, because my corded keyboard and corded mouse have to sit right next to the computer, for rapid access whenever this product decides to stop working. This product is troublesome, unreliable and decidedly NOT RECOMMENDED.

This is one beautiful keyboard! But underneath the pretty skin, a beast lies within. Many times over I had to restart my computer (windows xp pro) after coming out of suspense because Bluetooth failed to reconnect. I got the latest Bluetooth software from Logitech but still having issues. And after a while, the left Ctrl key started to give me problems. I had to press the key hard enough, otherwise I would just type v's or c's when I try to copy or paste. That got annoying real quick since with my work, I use a lot of keyboard shortcuts. I am not using the keyboard or the mouse anymore. I replaced the keyboard with an old Dell and the mouse with MX1000 which is working fantastically. 2 stars that I am giving is for the design and the effort Logitech put into it.

I've been using the DiNovo media desktop since it was first released. At first, this was coolest keyboard I'd used in awhile, and it would have probably received a 5 star rating. But after having to RMA this keyboard twice, I've certainly lost faith in this model. First, the spacebar intermittently stopped working, and then the LCD on the media pad went out. Now, the most recent time I got it back, the battery in the mouse was dead. And just as I'm typing this, I had to move to another system since the spacebar is once again starting to stop working correctly.

Considering how expensive this keyboard/mouse combo is (in fact, by far, the most expensive at the time), I would certainly expect something a little more reliable. Such as the many other logitech hardware that I have, and still work as they did out of the box.

Pro:
- Very slim profile
- Unique and attractive design
- Media pad "can" be used as a remote
- Able to use Logitech Bluetooth devices with the receiver or your built-in Bluetooth (so you aren't stuck using the logitech receiver).

Cons:
- Media pad is not backlit (this would have been very cool)
- Media pad is a little too big to use as a remote
- Unreliable product

Basically, were it not for the reliability issues, I'd consider this product near-perfect. However, no matter how cool something is... if it doesn't work, I simply cannot recommend it. If you don't believe me, just check out all the returns at your local retail store. :)

I was first stricken with the beauty of the design of this set, Logitech hit the bullseye with the look. Once I got the set home and got it installed, all without a hitch I might add, I found myself most pleased with the feel of the keyboard, it is a very comfortable keyboard and it is very quiet.

But after about 2 months the beast began to emerge to my dismay and shock! I have been a loyal logitech user for sometime, never encountering any serious problems with any of their products, but after 2 months the left ctrl key just stopped working, nothing I could do to fix it. I also encountered frequent connection troubles with the bluetooth mostly with the mouse, I would often have to wait a few minutes after boot for the mouse to be connected.

The sudden malfunctioning keys issue seems to be common among many users of this particular Logitech product, as well as the connection issues, in light of this I strongly urge buyers to look elsewhere for a keyboard and mouse set.

I LOVE the look of the keyboard and media pad. The key action is smooth and feel perfect for my typing style. The mouse fits my hand perfectly.

However, I need a keyboard and mouse that work every time I sit down at my computer and this is where the product fails. Every 2 or 3 reboots results in at least one of the 3 devices not being found. While it doesn't take a lot of work to press the "connect" buttons, you shouldn't have to. A mouse and keyboard should work EVERY time - especially for a product at $200+.

Additionally, any time I try to connect another bluetooth device, I lose connection with at least one of the Logitech devices - usually the media pad but sometimes the keyboard or mouse. What a pain!

Finally, sometimes I would even lose connectivity while working. I could be happily typing or using the mouse and all of a sudden it stops responding. When I check, I've lost connectivity and have to manually reconnect.

I don't know if the problems are hardware or software issues but I know that Bluetooth itself isn't this flaky. I have a Logitec Bluetooth MX keyboard/mouse combo and it has performed flawlwessly for over 6 months now. So, why can't the DiNovo bluetooth perform in the same manner?

Since some people have written reviews that this product works great and others report connectivity issues similar to what I have experienced, I am guessing there must be some sort of software conflict on some computers. If you buy this, make sure you understand the return policies in case you are one of the unlucky ones whose computer this has problems with.

The software that came in the box was version 1.05 and it just didn't work properly. So, I went to the web site and downloaded the most recent version 2.22. The funny thing is that version 2.22 was dated November 2004. I bought my DiNovo in Feb. 2006. Does this mean that they have not updated the software for over 15 months? Considering the number of similar negative comments about connectivity issues, that's very surprising. Additionally, if 2.22 was released 15 months ago, why is the boxed product still shipping with version 1.05? While it was easy enough for me to download the 50 MB update, not everyone has high speed internet access so downloading the new software may be problematic.

If you want a keyboard/keypad/mouse that LOOK good, this is definately the product for you! If you want something that works reliably all the time, look to one of the other Logitech combos. I've used at least 6 different logitech wireless combo and the DiNovo Bluetooth is the only one I have been unhappy with.