GCN Lab Review: Logitech Wave Pro wireless keyboard
Connecting state and local government leaders
Logitech’s Wave Pro wireless keyboard is easy to use, with a gentle touch and a powerful wireless signal.
Cons: Mouse is a bit heavy and takes some getting used to
Performance: A
Features: A
Ease of use: A
Value: B+
Price: $130
Logitech’s Wave Pro wireless keyboard and mouse duo has a lot going for it. It’s easy to use, with a gentle touch and a powerful wireless signal. And like most people, I welcome the prospect of fewer wires snaking around my cubicle and home office.
The Wave Pro comes with a CD we installed on a Dell OptiPlex. It also has a wireless receiver that plugs into a USB port. The mouse must be charged via a USB connection, but two AA batteries, which are included, power the keyboard.
The keyboard had a gentle feel and made a muffled sound, the opposite of the Das Keyboard’s clackety-clack. It would be a good choice for quieter offices. The keyboard had the eponymous wave pattern sculpted into it, probably for ergonomic reasons, but mostly it’s just fun to use. A generous cushioned palm rest added to the sense of cozy comfort.
I used to have a keyboard with a lot of buttons marked with mysterious symbols that looked vaguely like a music clef or an Internet screen. Presumably, a push of one of those buttons would take you to your music files or the Web, but nothing ever happened when I pressed them.
Not so with the Wave Pro. Press the button that looks like a camera, and it opens your picture files. Press the button marked Media Center, and it takes you to Microsoft Windows Media. Press a button that looks like a calculator, and guess what? Your calculator pops up on the screen. That approach will definitely save you a few keystrokes.
Another remarkable feature about the Wave Pro is that its wireless signal can transmit across quite a distance without a line-of-sight path. I typed on the keyboard from the courtyard outside my office, a distance of perhaps 40 feet. I don’t know why you would want to type when you’re 40 feet from your monitor unless you have superhero vision, but it was nice to know I could.
I did notice a slight delay between when I pressed a key and when the corresponding activity showed up on my monitor, but it was almost imperceptible. And you know how annoying it is when your mouse skips over its own cord? That will never happen with the Wave Pro. The mouse was a bit clunky for my taste, but I did enjoy the freedom from wires.
In short, the Logitech Wave Pro keyboard and mouse can free you from that sense of being shackled to your keyboard, without sacrificing input quality.
Logitech, 800-231-7717, www.logitech.com
NEXT STORY: Cloud computing has appeal for Web applications