Logitech diNovo Edge Touchpad

I bought this Logitech diNovo Edge Touchpad keyboard for entirely geeky--rather than aesthetic--reasons.

The keys are really nice to type fast on, and the integrated touchpad is handy. With my main mouse set to move really fast across my two-monitor setup, I can set this touchpad to be very slow and sensitive for detail work (very handy when switching to a sniper rifle in FPS games...)

More importantly, if you're using it for the PS3, or if you have limited desk space, you could use this quite happily without a separate mouse.

I do a lot of typing, and I was considering a Das Keyboard, with its "proper" microswitch keys, etc. However, I ended up settling on this, and I have no plans to change this keyboard in the foreseeable future.

The build is superb, from the precision-cut acrylic to the brushed aluminium heel-rest. The lighting is really cool, too. The additional function lights are not noticeable until you hit the Fn key, at which point, all available options light up in an orange glow. Similarly, a ring the touchpad glows orange whenever you use it.

No backlighting on the keys themselves, though, so if you've turned the lights down, and you can't touchtype, you may have problems...

As with all Logitech kit, customisation of keys and special functions is easy and convenient through the SetPoint software.

The battery life is also superb. When the software told me I had nearly two months of battery life remaining, I was sceptical. I was wrong. Having said that, I tend to keep the keyboard on the charging stand just because it looks good...

The only downside is that, out of the box, the keyboard used to freeze up occasionally. This meant that the last key pressed would just repeat endlessly for minutes at a time. This seems to be a common problem with Logitech Bluetooth devices. I had exactly the same problem with my Logitech MX Revolution mouse.

However, I isolated the problem to weak USB Bluetooth receivers. I bought a couple of USB extension cables to make sure the USB dongles for both devices were sitting on my desk, rather than at the back of the machine, and haven't had a problem with either device since.

Having said that, I should point out that unless the keyboard is actually locking up, the response was fantastic. I've never had glitches, or delayed responses from the keyboard at all, unlike some keyboards I can mention.

I would make sure you get a USB extension cable if you're planning to buy Logitech Bluetooth product. It's a tiny extra investment, and it would be a shame to miss out on the superb devices Logitech makes.

All in all, a superb piece of kit, and with prices becoming more reasonable than when I bought it, becoming more and more sensible purchase (especially as it doubles as a mouse). I really hate "form over function", but this keyboard has both.

I love it.