Logitech diNovo Edge Review

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You really, really don't want to spill coffee on Logitech's newest keyboard. Or eat lunch near it, either.

On one level, that's because what the company calls the world's most advanced keyboard is one of the world's most expensive: At $200, the diNovo Edge tops both Logitech's and Microsoft's other PC keyboards (though Kinesis Corp.'s and other specialized ergonomic models cost still more, and Microsoft says its forthcoming flagship Wireless Entertainment Desktop 8000 keyboard-and-mouse combo will be $250).

On another level, that's because the Edge is flat-out gorgeous, or gorgeously flat at less than half an inch thick. Cut from a single piece of black Plexiglas and trimmed with a silver aluminum wrist rest, the Bluetooth wireless keyboard is the handsomest desk accessory since the days when LCD monitors were rare status symbols.

Not for Accountants

So elegant that it comes with a special cleaning cloth -- assuming you remove the thin plastic film that protects the Edge in its box, you'll spend minutes a day wiping fingerprints and crud from its glossy surface -- the device measures about 8.5 by 16.25 inches, saving a bit of desk space compared to your average keyboard.

One obvious reason: The board has no numeric keypad, which will have number-crunchers crossing it off their wish lists right away. (Don't confuse the one-piece diNovo Edge with older Logitech diNovo Desktop bundles, which teamed a keyboard, mouse, and separate keypad usable as a calculator and/or multimedia remote control.)

Instead, to the right of the cursor-control keys you'll find a vertical strip or touch-sensitive slider that increases or decreases audio volume as you move your fingertip up or down. A flush-fitting mute button is below the strip; a button to launch the Media Center interface of Windows Vista Home Premium or Win XP Media Center Edition -- or, for regular Win XP, Windows Media Player -- is above. Logitech's SetPoint 3.1 software lets you reprogram the media button to launch a different application, Web page, or multiple-choice pop-up menu of your own creation.

Another button at top left puts your PC into standby or sleep mode; you can reprogram that one to perform a system shutdown, restart, or log off the current user if you like. Also ready for left-hand operation are three flush-fitting buttons to zoom in, zoom out, or return to a 100-percent view when editing an image or perusing a spreadsheet or Web page.

These features are handy, if not compelling -- the slider is somewhat awkward, requiring at least four or five swipes of a finger to turn volume all the way up or down. But the diNovo's most original feature is what Logitech calls the TouchDisc in the bottom right corner. You can use this silver-dollar-sized circle just as you would a notebook PC's touchpad, moving the mouse pointer about and tapping to click or double-click; after some time spent adjusting the pointer speed to your preference, it works fine.

There are also left and right mouse buttons below the disc, plus an additional left-click button near your left pinky. Given the 30-foot range of the Edge's no-fuss Bluetooth wireless link -- a flash-drive-sized USB adapter is provided if your PC doesn't have Bluetooth built in -- and its modest weight -- 2 pounds -- the Logitech is our new favorite keyboard for couch-potato control of a Media Center PC.

But we haven't mentioned the TouchDisc's fanciest feature: the ability to scroll vertically or horizontally through a document by moving your fingertip in a circle around the touchpad's circumference.

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