Summary: Logitech Wireless Desktop MK710 is a keyboard/mice combo with some nice features like a laser mouse, long battery life and good ergonomics, but I also found some issues with it.

INTRODUCTION

Normally when we review mice or keyboards we go for high end stuff directed towards gamers. This time we are instead looking at an office/multimedia type mouse and keyboard combo, the Logitech Wireless Desktop MK710.

Here are the specifications:

The Wireless Desktop MK710 kit consists of the mouse Logitech Marathon Mouse M705 and the MK700 keyboard. It is possible to acquire the mouse separately, but the MK700 keyboard is only available in this kit.

The kit has some nice new features like the Logitech “Unifying” technology which I will explain further down in this review.

LOGITECH WIRELESS DESKTOP MK710: THE KEYBOARD

OK so let’s start by having a look at the MK700 keyboard and its features, which I must say are quite numerable especially considering that this is not a gaming keyboard. The first detail that catches the eye is the LCD screen; it alone makes this keyboard look advanced.

Another detail is the FN-key which allows us to assign multiple functions to a key. This immediately gives us double the amount of possible keyboard functions. The same idea is commonly used with notebooks. Yet another detail is the “Incurve Keys”, which means that the keys have a central concavity and softened edges.

There are two sets of multimedia buttons on the board. The first set is located to the left and right side of the LCD panel. Those are start/pause/stop/next/previous and the volume control buttons.

The rest of the multimedia functions are called by simultaneously pressing the FN button, a total of 16 pre programmed macro-keys which for instance start you mail client, starts your browser etc.

The monochrome LCD panel is centered in the top of the keyboard. The panel shows battery and audio sound level as well as if Num Lock or Caps Lock is active. The keyboard also features a soft and flexible surface to rest you palms on while typing.

Another nice detail is the on/off switch in the top right corner which is of course there to save battery. Logitech actually claims that the batteries for this combo will last for three years, and that goes for the mouse to.

The back side of the keyboard has two set of “feet” of different lengths. The back side also holds the battery compartment for two AA of 1.5V (included).

LOGITECH WIRELESS DESKTOP MK710: THE MOUSE

The included mouse is the Logitech Marathon Mouse M705, a wireless laser mouse of a smaller size than average laser mice. This mouse can be purchased alone from Logitech unlike the keyboard.

The Marathon Mouse M705’s body is made of plastic but the sides are made of rubber which gives it a nice feel in the hand.

The mouse has 3 buttons and the wheel which allows us to do scrolling both vertically and horizontally. This mouse incorporates one of Logitech’s newer technologies which enables “Hyper-fast scrolling” which can be practical many times. The small button just above the mice wheel controls how the scrolling is done, smoothly or by smaller “jumps”.

The laser sensor has a wavelength of 848nm and a resolution of 1000dpi. The laser sensor is placed a bit to the right which might annoy gamers which usually prefer to have the laser sensor placed centrally. But then again, this is not a gaming kit.

The pivot points are made of Teflon to maximize their durability and the displacement speed. The mouse feels balanced so they have succeeded in the placement of the pivot points.

LOGITECH WIRELESS DESKTOP MK710: ACCESSORIES

The manual is very good and explains in detail how to use the kit. For example the pages above explain the indications in the LCD panel and the Hyper-fast system scrolling of the mouse.

Above is a picture of the very small “Unifying” connector, which controls both devices and it is also possible to connect other Logitech peripherals which support the Unifying technology. Logitech has also included an extension cable for the connector which may come in handy if you are using a desktop computer placed under the table or somewhere else where the connector does not have clear view to the keyboard and mouse.

I would also just like to briefly mention that Logitech has included high quality batteries from Duracell in this package.

USER EXPERIENCE

I have used the Logitech Wireless Desktop MK710 during a month approximately. The general experience is very good, mainly with office tasks where the keyboard offers a very high comfort level even in longer sessions. What I have been most impressed by is the soft palm rest which really makes a difference.

The “Incurve technology keys” didn’t really make too much difference from normal keys but they feel a little softer for the fingers.

The weak point of the keyboard is the LCD panel which is just not powerful enough. It was hard to read what it said in a dark room or from a slightly skew angle.

In my view, the weak link in this package is the mouse. I am a gamer with big hands so I am used to big mice. This mouse is just too small for me. I know that many of you are used to smaller sized mice since you use mice indented to be used with laptops on the road, but I just cannot appreciate smaller sized mice.  Otherwise the mouse is exact and responsive.

The best thing about this rather advanced kit is really the simple fact of the extended battery life. Of course I cannot confirm that the batteries will last for three years but I can confirm that the battery indicator didn’t move from “full” during my testing period.

CONCLUSIONS

Logitech usually do solid products and they have succeeded here as well. However there are some minor faults which I recommend them to fix for newer revisions of this product.

One of the things that annoyed me a bit was the low luminosity of the LCD screen. In some conditions I just couldn’t read it properly. The second thing is the fact that the mouse just feels a little too small for a desktop set mouse. I would have liked to see a little better mouse at this price level, perhaps the Performance Mouse MX? Again, what you think about the size of the mouse is of course something that differs from person to person, but for me it was too small.

Overall this is a good kit though, especially if you can deal with a mouse of smaller dimensions. The long battery times; the Incurve keys; the padded palm rest are all things which are very convenient for a desktop kit. Also, we shouldn’t forget about the Unifying technology and the FN button.

The price level at around 100€ is a little steep for a desktop kit, at least in my opinion. If the keyboard had been of the ergonomic “natural” type it would have made more sense to me. Still, I do recommend this kit mainly for office workers who are sitting long hours in front of the computer and who need a wireless kit.

Pros:

• Construction quality and materials
• Ergonomics
• Extra features
• Comfort of use
• Drivers with excellent functionality

Cons:

• High price
• Poor LCD screen
• Too small mouse

The final score is 81 out of 100 owls, and we give the “Logitech Wireless Desktop MK710″ our Recommended Award.

Author: Manuel González Fernández

Translator: Vince Emiloz Sanderson

Summary: A quality mouse pad is an absolute necessity if you want to be successful with your FPS gaming. Today I will be taking a closer look at the “Ground Level S mouse pad” from Ozone, a new manufacturer of gaming gear, at least to me.

The first day of what was supposed to be my vacation, I received a press note from Computer science Atlas, in which they announced the imminent arrival of a new manufacturer, Ozone, to its catalog. In the press release they presented the mouse “Smog”, the “Oxid” headphones and the mouse pad “Ground Level”, which I will take a closer look at in this review.

INTRODUCTION

I really liked the looks of these new products from Ozone and it’s always nice to see a manufacturer who directs their products exclusively towards the gaming scene so I just had to test one of them.

The Ozone Ground Level appears in two sizes: normal (285x320mm) and small (210x250mm). This review is based upon the small model. This model, like its big brother, is based on a rubber surface which holds it in place on the surface on which you place it upon. The upper surface is made of some kind of textile of high quality that allows a perfect sliding surface for the mouse.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

The mouse pad comes in a box with Ozone’s colors and logo which looks aggressively nice with its black and red combo. On the box, Ozone explains the composition of the mouse pad to us. On the sides, they have placed smaller illustrations of the mouse pad.

Inside the box we found an extra protective plastic box in which the mouse pad itself was placed. This extra box gave me the feeling that Ozone is a company that pays attention to details

OZONE GROUND LEVEL S IN DETAIL

Ok, so let’s take a closer look at the product itself. When taking out the product from the box and holding it in my hands, it gives me the impression of high quality and the Ozone logo looks remarkably cool in the bottom right corner.

As I mentioned above the mouse pad is made of two different materials. The bottom material facing the table surface is a high friction rubber material and the top mousing surface is made of a fine textile weave. This combination has two aims, the first one is to secure that to the mouse pad is not slipping around on the table which it’s placed upon and the second aim is to provide an exact positioning surface with a low friction coefficient.

Another important specification is the height (thickness) of the mouse pad, in my opinion the smaller the better so I don’t have to angle my wrist in a way that creates unnecessary tension. The Ground Level S has a thickness of only 2mm, which feels perfect to me.

OZONE GROUND LEVEL S IN USE

Before beginning my evaluation of the Ozone Ground Level S I would like to show you another picture of the mouse pad together with a mouse so you can appreciate the size of the mouse pad. As you can see, this is a small mouse pad so it should be used with mice with high resolution. Normally you will never need it to be bigger, at least not for gaming or normal use.

When I started using the mouse pad, I was away from work and home, thus my ordinary testing equipment so I only tested it with normal Windows use and it worked beautifully. But this is a mouse mat intended for gamers so of course I had to test it in games as well. I tried it with the games “Officers’ Club of Revolutionary Armed Forces 2 Cry” and “CoD: World AT War” and it was truly a dream to do some serious FPS gaming with this mat, it’s very smooth and lets me do fast movements of high accuracy.

CONCLUSIONS

Clearly, when a new manufacturer wants to enter the market they must offer something extra of value, no matter which market we are talking about. In the case of Ozone, I feel they offer the extra value in terms of high quality, aggressively designed and branded products and at an interesting price level. The Ground Level S mouse mat goes for around $8.

I will keep looking out for new products from Ozone in the future; they definitely caught my attention with the Ground Level S. I can only hope that they will follow it up with many more interesting gaming products.

The final score is 95 out of 100 owls, and we give the “Ozone Ground Level S” our Editor’s Choice Award.

Don’t forget that TestSeek.com has a special category for gaming mouse pads, here are some of the most popular:

• Razer Goliathus
• SteelSeries Steelpad 4D
• Roccat Sense
• SteelSeries Steelpad SX
• Razer Mantis Control

Thanks goes out to Ozone.

Author: Manuel González Fernández

Translator: Vince Emiloz Sanderson

INTRODUCTION

We have previously only reviewed graphics cards from Gigabyte. This time we will be taking a look at a rather exclusive product, a stylish mouse called “Gigabyte GM-M7800S Swarovski Crystal Mouse”. By the name and looks of it, we can be sure that Gigabyte is aiming this product towards people who are sensitive to fashion and trends.

This is actually a bit of a sub trend we have noticed amongst manufacturers of computer accessories the last couple of years, they have started to produce technical gadgets with a touch of stylishness to them. We have for instance seen mobile phones with crystals and gold plated buttons and USB memory sticks with cold plated casing. Let’s take a look at its technical characteristics:

As you can see from the specifications above, Gigabyte did not hold back when creating the M7800S mouse. Already in the pagacking, we can see that this is a bit of a luxary item. An opening in the brown cardboard box shows the most outstanding features of the mouse, the Swarovski crystals located on top of the mouse.

On the other side of the box, there is some text describing the technical specifications of the mouse.

When removing the cardboard box, we find a neater looking black box in which the mouse and the accessories are located. In the box, we found the mouse itself, a protecting pouch, the USB connector, batteries, CD with drivers and last the certificate of authenticity of the Svarovski crystals.

GIGABYTE GM-M7800S IN DETAIL

It’s quite hard to describe the details of the GM-M7800S, it’s something you should see for yourself. However, I will give it a try. It’s a standard three button wheel mouse with wireless connectivity and a laser tracking system. What really separates this mouse from the rest are the leather surface and of course the crystals.

On top of the mouse, there is another outstanding feature, apart from the 4 Swarovski crystals and the leather surface. I am talking about the golden button which allows us to change the resolution of the laser sensor “on the go”. The are two modes available; 800 and 1600 DPI. In addition to this, there are two buttons placed on the left side of the mouse, these are regular “back and forward” buttons which allows you to switch windows or move back and forward in your web page browsing history.

On the underside of the mouse, there are a number of features. Starting with the laser sensor, we really whished it was more centered, since it helps when playing videogames. The fact that it isn’t centered actually suggests that Gigabyte does not direct this mouse towards gamers. On the underside in the image below you can also see the socket for the batteries (2 units of AAA). There’s also a reconnect button and a small compartment for the USB connector which is very useful and helps the portability of the mouse.

One of the aspects that I liked about this mouse is its small receiver, which when connected, is practically invisible and doesn’t bother us in any way apart from taking up an extra USB port at our laptop.

INSTALLATION OF SOFTWARE AND USE OF THE GM-M7800S

The installation of the software of the mouse is very simple, just put in the CD and the installation screen is prompted. There are not too many possible settings which again suggests that this mouse is not oriented towards gaming, but there are enough settings to let us adjust it to our preferencies.

First, I must admit that none of the smaller sized mice I have tested has impressed on me.  I am a guy with quite large hands so I need somting to grip. Still, the M7800S feels guite good in my hand. I guess it must be due to the leather on top of it, it just feels comfortable.

The operation of the mouse is impeccable, especially when operating it in 1600 dpi mode. When using it in Windows, it’s a dream. There are no jumps and the responsiveness is excellent. However, I wouldn’t recommend it for gaming, it’s just not made for it, but also, the size of this mouse is a bit to small, at least for me.

Something that I really enjoyed was the horizontal and vertical scrolling capabilites. It’s one of those things you can’t live without once you have gotten used to it.

CONCLUSIONS

After having reviewed some products from Gigabyte earlier, we already knew they make quality motherboards and graphics cards. To be honest, when they sent me this mouse I was a bit sceptical. But after having reviewed this mouse for some time now, it’s safe to say that Gigabyte makes quality products on other areas as well.

What we really liked about this mouse was the laser sensor, the selectable resolution, and of course the finish of the product. Even though I’m not the jewelery kind of guy, I enjoyed the feel of high quality and exclusivity.

Its price is around $60. Somewhat expensive for a laptop mouse, but given its exclusive features and the technical specifications, it still seems OK.

The final score is 88 out of 100 owls, and we give the “GM-M7800S” our Recommended Award.

Don’t forget to check out some other interesting mice and their overall ratings from expert reviews at TestSeek.com, these are the most popular:

• Logitech MX Revolution
• Logitech G9
• Logitech MX Air

Also check out the top 20 scorers from our mice category.

Thanks goes out to Gigabyte for letting us test this mouse.

Author: Manuel González Fernández

Translator: Vince Emiloz Sanderson

Genius EasyPen i405: The pen is mightier than the mouse.

Genius never ceases to surprise us with efficient, high-quality products with competitive features and prices. This time we will take a look at a very effective product for lovers of digital imaging, the EasyPen i405.

Introduction

A drawing tablet is becoming every man’s gadget. We believe it’s a fun and useful product both for consumers and professionals. Genius now offers us a tool that lets us digitize our artwork in design programs, the EasyPen i405 graphics tablet.

A graphics tablet is a device that lets you create art and designs by using a pen in place of the usual mouse. This gives artists greater control of their artwork and lets them express their ideas as easily as on paper.

First Look

The modest packaging simply shows the product itself. All you see is the tablet and the pen, which functions as a mouse.

The back of the box shows some of the ways in which the Genius EasyPen i405 graphics tablet can be used, from creating and editing drawings, to editing text, notes, and handwriting by hand. You can even use the tablet in MSN Messenger. There are also lists of the product’s specs and of what Genius includes with it.

Once you open the package, you see that the additional content is limited to a pen with its battery, a Quick User Guide, a CD, and a pair of replacement tips for the pen (something we don’t think will be necessary). We think an accessory for holding the pen would also have been very useful.

Here’s the star of the show, the Genius EasyPen i405 graphics tablet. It looks like a solidly built, high quality unit. The workspace is about 50% of the tablet’s total area, which is a bit more than the size of a DVD movie box.

The tablet’s workspace has a series of ovals that provide a type of margin. Some of them let you access preset functions, such as New, Open, Print, etc. Others let you add and customize the functions that you need.

On the bottom of the tablet are four rubber feet that keep it from slipping when you press on it as you work.

The pen isn’t as well made as the tablet. The silver part is made of somewhat rigid plastic, which looks like it could break easily. The black area is better finished, with better materials. It includes the “Grip”, a rubber covering that keeps it from slipping in your hands. It also includes two buttons, which correspond to the left and right buttons of a mouse.

Specifications

Results

As mentioned earlier, a graphics tablet lets you create, edit, and personalize drawings. To show you, here are some examples from a light overclocking session. (“Ya ganamos!!” means “We won!!”).

Chuck’s energy drink (secret recipe)

Our next president, alias Versork

Conclusions

As with most peripherals, the results of using a graphics tablet are subjective, depending on the user’s tastes. According to our very personal way of evaluating, the Genius EasyPen i405 is an efficient product that definitely does its job. Unfortunately, it doesn’t offer anything beyond that. Its one outstanding point is its low price, compared to similar products from other brands.

We’d like to see a larger work area, higher quality finishing on the pen, and additional accessories, such as a box or cover for transport, and a base to hold the pen.

The EasyPen’s sensitivity let you easily create drawings. But it can be a little hard to learn how to use it to navigate on the desktop.

The included software lets you customize the tablet’s functions. It includes a detailed interactive tutorial which helps you get used to the product.

Its cost should generally be around $60-$80. This makes it accessible for lovers of drawing and the digital arts.

The final score is 82.5 out of 100 owls, and we give the “Genius EasyPen i405” our Recommended Award.

Author: Jorge A. Corona

Translator: Ed Winograd

Summary: Logitech has given us a chance to take a look at one of its latest creations, the Logitech G13 gameboard. It’s a real jewel for game addicts like us.

Logitech’s G13 gameboard is a revolutionary peripheral, and well worth a look.

INTRODUCTION

Gamers spend a lot of time using keyboards specially designed for gameplay, called gameboards. Although Logitech entered this market only a couple of months ago, it has used all its experience and knowledge in the world of keyboards to give players what is possibly the best gameboard on the market.

The Logitech G13 is a small board that brings together a large number of keys, a small joystick, and a big LCD screen that gives you all the information you need about your game.

Let’s see exactly what Logitech says in its packaging for the G13:

Dig in. Get comfortable.

• Naturally contoured design: Follows the natural shape of your hand and fingers for increased comfort during long sessions.
• Large, concave buttons: Let you locate buttons by touch on the home row.
• Solid, stable design: Helps assure that your gameboard will keep up when your game gets intense. Strategically placed feet. Stable weight (650 grams).

Take command.

• Twenty-five programmable keys: Customize keys to suit your style of play.
• Quick macros: Assign complex actions to single keystrokes—on the fly.
• Programmable mini-joystick: Maneuver quickly and easily. The control you need is under your thumb.
• Backlit keys: Let you easily locate the right key in low-light conditions or lights-out play. Plus, you can customize the keys with any backlight color that you want.

Go mobile.

• Onboard memory: Saves your profiles so you can take your personal preferences with you.
• Portable design: Keeps the game going wherever you go.

Stay informed.

• High-visibility GamePanel™ LCD: Gather tactical information, including live stats, system info, and communications from fellow players.
• Public software development kit (SDK): Upload the latest enhancements developed exclusively for GamePanel™ by the Logitech open-source community.

Logitech’s G13 can definitely be a special gameboard for the most interesting games on the market, with features that are clearly superior to the competition’s.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

As soon as we saw the packaging of the Logitech G13, we thought, “this looks great!” The serigraphy is striking, with nicely contrasting colors. The back briefly lists the main features that Logitech has given the product: its ergonomic shape, keys with configurable LEDs, LCD screen, and many other features that we’ll cover, little by little.

The back of the box describes the G13 in six languages and explains some references included in the description.

The images on the package don’t show a lot, but they don’t need to, since you can see almost the entire product without taking it out. When you open the box, there’s not much to see: just the gameboard, user manuals, and a CD with G13 drivers and programs. That’s all you need, so we won’t say anything more here.

A DETAILED LOOK AT THE LOGITECH G13

At first glance, the G13 is very impressive. Though you may not notice it at first, it’s pretty big. But even more than by its size, the G13 impressed us by its large number of keys, its built-in joystick, and the large LCD.

Logitech has worked hard on the G13. You can see it in its shape, which is designed to provide the greatest possible comfort. The wrist rest has a rubber base, which keeps your hand from slipping during long gameplay sessions.

The built-in joystick is to the right of the keyboard. It’s well located so you can use it with your thumb. But at first, it was somewhat hard to use the joystick and the two joystick buttons at the same time with the same thumb.

The most important thing is the keys, right? That’s what dominates most of the gameboard. There are 22. They’re large, and quite high. The main ones, which you would use to move around in most games, have a notch that lets you easily recognize them by touch.

The area below the LCD screen has four rectangular function keys. You can use the first 3 to load profiles that you’ve created. The round keys let you turn the LCD and the keyboard LEDs on and off, as well as navigate the various applications that you can use with the G13 and see on the LCD screen.

The screen may be the G13′s strongest point. As with Logitech’s G15 or its newer version, the G19, it can display lots of information, either from programs supplied by Logitech or by others. It displays 160×43 pixels. You can completely customize the lighting color for the LCD and the keys, within the RGB palette.

There’s nothing notable about the base of the G13, although Logitech has installed a fairly large metal plate with the model name on it. The gameboard is supported by 6 feet, of which 2 are on the upper part, 2 below the joystick, and 2 on the lower part. They all have a small rubber pad, which ensures that the G13 stays securely on the table, offering a perfect grip.

INSTALLING THE G13 SOFTWARE

As soon as we connected the Logitech G13 to our Windows PC, the system automatically recognized it. But to use it, you still have to configure many options. The installation process is pretty standard, but the interface is outstanding. We opted to install only the Logitech software.

After the installation is done, you are offered various options. These include two configuration screens. The right-hand picture is in Spanish, but English is of course available. The screen shown there thanks users for buying the product. It lets users see compatible software online, gives information on profiles and macros, offers info about the LCD screen and included applications, and lets users create profiles.

Before you do anything else, we recommend that you watch the Flash presentation that Logitech has created for G13 users. It explains all of the gameboard’s important features and shows some of the things you can do with it, like saving game profiles in the unit’s built-in memory.

The left-hand “Global Configuration” screen lets users configure what they see onscreen in various ways. The right-hand one lets users set how to switch between applications, and adjust the screen’s brightness and contrast.

Among other things, the screen show above lets users activate and deactivate various included Logitech programs, such as its LCD countdown program, a multimedia function, a performance monitor, an RSS reader, and an e-mail application. You can also configure programs that you install yourself.

The screen above shows the result of searching for user-configured profiles for various games. The first two lines are “Find new games…” and “The profiler has completed the search.”

The key configuration screen offers incredible customization power. You can configure the lighting for the LCDs and the keys, customize all of the programmable keys, and create time-saving macros. You can also save profiles here, using the G13′s built-in memory. This is very useful if you use the unit with more than one PC.

The screen above lets you configure profiles for various games.

PLAYING WITH THE LOGITECH G13

Logitech is noted for giving users practical, high-quality solutions. The G13 is no exception. When we started using it, it took us awhile to adapt, especially because of the lack of references for the various keys, and because it took awhile to learn to handle the joystick well. We suppose that’s normal, since it always takes some time to adapt to new peripherals, or at least it always takes us awhile.

The screen above shows the LCD countdown on the left and includes a chronometer on the right.

After over 3 weeks with the G13, we’ve become accustomed to its feel, and the location of its keys. Above all, we’ve learned to handle the joystick. The G13 offers so many keys and possible configurations that it’s almost not necessary to use the macros, or to change profiles during play.

It’s clear that you can use this gameboard in any type of game. But in our experience, its virtues are clearest when you play FPSs or strategy games, since in both genres you use many action keys and lots of motion, just what the G13 offers.

Logitech offers practically unlimited options with its G13, and we’ll surely use them all at some time, though not intensively. The LCD screen is tremendously useful when you need information about a game, such as the FPS rate or CPU memory use. It can also be very useful beyond games, for checking if you have new e-mail or seeing what time it is.

CONCLUSIONS

Logitech is always improving its products. Because it understands users’ needs, it released the G13, a special keyboard for gamers, with great materials quality and finishing.

The options are almost infinite, thanks to the 3 profiles that you can create for each game, along with customized macros, which give you complete control over any kind of game. However, our testing shows that it will give you the best performance in strategy games and FPSs.

The LCD screen is another of its great advantages. It lets you monitor a multitude of system options, from e-mail, to the use of system resources, to the FPS rates you get while you play.

Any videogame fan who wants to have the best tools and get extra performance should keep the Logitech G13 in mind. It’s the best gameboard on the market today.

The final score is 92 out of 100 owls, and we give the “Logitech G13 Gameboard” our Editor’s Choice Award.

Thanks to Logitech for letting us try out its G13 gameboard.

Author: Manuel González Fernández

Translator: Ed Winograd