Tech Review

Whoopi! A keyboard review! It's not all about buying sexy cell phones, laptops, and mp3 players. Sometimes, we have to buy unexciting stuff, and keyboards have qualified for that title, for me at least, since I started using a laptop as my main computer in 2005. The fact that there haven't been any advances in keyboard technology since wireless also puts them just above analog modems in tech excitement.

Still, if you do use a desktop, a good keyboard is the device with the most expense to computer experience impact than any other computer related equipment.

Now, we all know that the best keyboard of all time is still the IBM model M. If it came in a wireless model, I'd buy one in an instant.

I feel like buying one just to remind me of my most blissful typing experiences.

Alas, my desktop computer is in the living room. I have it hooked up to my Westinghouse LCD and use it as my television receiver and DVD player. The kids use it as a computer, of course, and the fact that it's in the living room where everybody can what they're looking at ("you better not be going on Daily Kos") is better.

We use the mouse on the carpet and sofa arm most of the time. That means that we needed a laser mouse which is much better on difficult surfaces. Range is important and need a strong signal from at least ten feet. Bluetooth is not good as the only keyboard on a computer as the signal is flaky and you sometimes need to press keys before the operating system boots. I usually go for the middle, the "sweet spot," in computing when it comes to pricing.

As of today, there are really only two companies worth mentioning for mainstream mice and keyboards, Microsoft and Logitech. Remember when Microsoft came out with the first wheel mouse, the Intellimouse in 1997? I never really liked their wavy keyboard--it seemed more gimmick, but I still bought one, as I was so into computers that even these things provoked intense interest in me, as well as CDroms (especially encyclopedias), games, and utilities like RAM Doubler. After those initial successes, however, Microsoft has come a distant second to Logitech in quality and innovation.

Sale on LX710; I took it home.

Logitech Cordless Desktop LX 710 Laser

I like it. It has a traditional form factor and the keys are...don't know any adjectives for describing keys...errr...good to type on. They don't "click" so it's kind of quiet. I've never used one single shortcut key that manufacturers litter their keyboards with besides the Windows one and the volume control, so I don't care that the LX710 has a bunch. If you swing that way, however, you'll be happy for the bunch. The only complaint that I have about the LX710 is the buttons on the side. They get in the way if you pick up the keyboard a lot. On many occasions, we've accidentally pressed the zoom buttons.

The mouse is great. Substantial feeling and comfortable. So, there you have it, my most exciting product review since I expounded at length one day in the teacher lounge on the advantages of rubber paper clips over the ridged metal variety.