Logitech diNovo Cordless Desktop review

Last year's Logitech DiNovo Wireless Media Desktop wowed pretty much everyone who came across it. Its minimalist, aquiline styling and $250 price tag elevated a fancy mouse-and-keyboard set to luxury-item status. And we readily admit, we were taken as much by its good looks as its utility. We cast a warier eye, however, on Logitech's new $150 DiNovo Cordless Desktop set for its pared-down features and cheap mouse--presumably intended to encourage portability.

The keyboard and the detachable media pad look the same as those on the original DiNovo. The keys still have a quick, shallow response similar to that of a laptop keyboard, and all of the media-control buttons and hot keys remain intact and programmable. This time around, the media pad includes a digital temperature readout--perhaps not the most urgent new feature, but not a negative one, either. The most obvious change to the keyboard is the color, which has gone from black to matte metal gray.

Unlike the then top-of-the-line MX900 Cordless Optical Mouse that shipped with the first DiNovo Media Desktop, the DiNovo Cordless Desktop comes with Logitech's Cordless Optical Mouse for Notebooks. While it is more substantial compared to other portable mice, it still has a shortened base length and no extra buttons. For everyday desktop use, you'll want a larger, more full-featured mouse to accompany this set.

The idea behind the smaller, battery-powered mouse is presumably that you no longer need the bulky receiver for the rechargeable mouse that came in the original set. This makes the DiNovo Cordless Desktop more portable. Instead of the big base station, Logitech includes a standard USB RF minireceiver (not Bluetooth like the original) that is relatively easy to throw into a travel bag along with the mouse. But have you been clamoring for a full-size keyboard (an expensive one, no less) to take on business trips? We haven't. Logitech's attempt at filling the bill for both deskbound workers and road warriors falls short at both ends. Still, the keyboard itself is outstanding.