THE STORY
After a rather long gadget dry spell, I finally picked up some new toys last night. I ended up spending a little more than I planned, but for good reason…it wasn’t really my money. You see, each year my company allocates money to all employees to be used to purchase gadgets or to assist in the hectic lifestyle of traveling consultants. Therefore, I don’t feel as bad when I spend a ludicrous amount of money on gadgets.
Anyhoo, I went out to help my wife look for a keyboard and mouse to use at work, since developing on a laptop can get old really quick. As consultants, we sometimes have to supply our own equipment. The company gives us laptops, but the rest of the stuff is up to us. I decided I was getting tired of my flexible keyboard and travel mouse. Don’t get me wrong. They’re great for travel, but for constant use they are annoying.
As I perused the endless array of options at my local CompUSA (I know, I can usually get stuff cheaper online, but sometimes I’m willing to pay the lazy tax), I found myself drawn to Logitech’s top of the line models for both keyboard and mouse. This basically means I was attracted to the most expensive keyboard and mouse in the place.
THE KEYBOARD
The keyboard I chose is the Logitech G15. This keyboard is designed for and marketed to gamers. However, upon closer inspection what I found was a keyboard with 18 additional, programmable keys broken into 3 banks. In other words, this keyboard has 54 additional keys that can do virtually anything when you touch them. Plus, the banks dynamically switch out based on the focused application, so I really get 54 additional macro keys for any application. For development, this is beyond awesome.
I’ve been playing with if for about a day now, and it’s a nice keyboard. The keys are backlit and the LCD display adds a whole new realm of information. There’s even an SDK for people who want to write their own apps for it, like a Virtual Pet (see the listing for Buggy). This is without a doubt a total nerd keyboard, so I like it.
I’m also fond of the two extra USB ports on the keyboard. The keyboard is not wireless, because gamers don’t dig that sort of thing. Having the keyboard give me back the USB port it used as well as another one is very nice. The last thing I wanted to do was a USB hub to my desk.
So far the keyboard is impressive. I’m looking forward to playing around with the SDK and writing some worthwhile (and worthless) utilities to run on it.
THE MOUSE
I chose the Logitech MX Revolution for my mouse. It’s touted at “the world’s most advanced mouse,” and I’d have to agree. It doesn’t have a bunch more buttons, but it does have a nice feel and free spinning scroll wheel. In fact, the scroll wheel clicks until it detects a large amount of scrolling, at which point it releases and goes into free spin mode (Logitech calls it SmartShift technology). Like the keyboard, virtually all behavior is customizable on a per application basis.
They also added a thumb toggle that lets you either zoom or switch programs. I would’ve preferred this to be completely customizable like the other buttons. It has a rubberized feel to it that actually makes it a little slippery. Also, the rocker action versus push action can get a bit challenging. I may end up using it for zoom instead of application switching.
It has a rechargeable battery that, according to the admin page, lasts about two weeks. I like that is actually has a display on the mouse telling you how much battery life is remaining. It comes with a completely separate charging dock (w00t), so it doesn’t have to be connected to a USB port to charge.
I would’ve preferred it to be Bluetooth instead or RF, but the wireless USB fob that comes with it is very small and doesn’t get in the way. It’s about the size of a stick of Dentyne, so I hope I don’t find this thing in my mouth someday.
Like every other super mouse, it uses a laser instead of an optical. This is my first laser mouse, so I don’t really have a basis for comparison. So far it’s better than my old optical mouse on my work desk, which is something.