Easy-Peasy | Logitech diNovo Mini

No more keyboard, mouse and flashlight! Thank you! | Logitech diNovo Mini

electronics:


	• Logitech diNovo Mini Logitech Logitech average customer review:based on 58 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Great for Media Center PC

I've been looking for a decent wireless based keyboard for my Media Center PC I have setup in my living room. I stumbled across this one after viewing all the wireless keyboard/mouse solutions.

The Pros:
The rechargeable battery is real nice. I was worried I would have to keep an endless supply of batteries for the life of the product (See: Wii Controllers), but being able to recharge is great. I assume this is part of the reason the cost of the product is on the high side.

The keyboard itself is responsive and I don't seem to have any problems with typing in full statements, etc, without it missing a stroke. Typing on it feels like texting on a full QWERTY phone. I like the back light a lot, since most of the time I'm watching movies/TV at night. The built-in functionality keys are about what you'd expect. Play/pause/forward, etc.

Lastly, for pros, the size is just right. I really don't see why anyone would purchase this to do any real computing. I use it for the occasional youtube videos on my TV, as well as navigating Media Center. It serves that purpose very well.

The Cons:
The mouse pad can be a bit frustrating. It doesn't respond exactly as you want it to at times. There are times when I'm real close to just plugging in a wireless mouse real fast so I can get what I'm trying to do done in 3 seconds instead of 10-15. But again, that was when I was trying to do actual computing (installing a program, navigating the web, etc.) If I stick to just real basic menus and tabbing around, the occasional mouse movement is fine. I also recommend enabling the feature on Windows to automatically focus your mouse on key buttons. This should help reduce a lot of frustration of simply trying to click an "OK" button.

I agree with some of the other reviews that the case its in can be a little annoying. It's great to protect the keyboard, but it doesn't open as easily as you think it should. A release button or just a bigger slit to open it with would be appreciated. This is just a small gripe I have with it though--no deal breaker by any means.

Overall I'd say buying this was a good choice. I really enjoy all the functionality it provides with such a low profile. If you're looking for a more robust keyboard/mouse, though, I would say find something bigger. I really think the idea behind this is to just keep something in your living room near your remotes--certainly nothing to play Doom with, or code in .NET.

Finally, as with most (all?) Logitech products, the installation was a snap and the driver support is great. It worked from the second I connected it, without drivers initially, to when I put their SetPoint software on. (Running 32-Bit Vista Ultimate).

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Easy-Peasy

Honestly, things are getting entirely too easy to set up. This one even comes with the bluetooth dongle already prepaired to the Mini. Just plug the dongle into a USB slot and it's off-- no more sitting there holding two tiny buttons down and wondering when the blue light is going to stop flickering. And let me tell you what I really, really like about the diNovo Mini-- there is a storage place inside the bottom where you can store the dongle when you are not using it! How clever is that! How many small bits of tech do you have hanging around that should be able to attach to some part of the parent item?

I just got a really good Amazon deal on a Sylvania LC195SL8 19-Inch 720p LCD HDTV. Over the Fourth I hooked it up to a media center computer as well as all of the other stuff that makes my television a lot more fun than it used to be when it was black and white, mono and only received three channels through the antenna on the roof and added the internet and the diNovo Mini.

Besides being wowed by the idea of storage for the dongle built into the device, I agree the keyboard is pretty usable--though dismayingly small at first glance. I haven't tried it with a game console yet, but for noodling around on the internet it is perfect.

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No more keyboard, mouse and flashlight! Thank you!

Ok, I am a girl. I love this thing because it means no more wireless keyboard, mouse and flashlight with a piece of red cellophane covering the lens cluttering up my living room. (My husband never mentioned that when he set up the system) The keyboard was to enter info, the flashlight so I could see what the heck I was doing. To watch movies I wanted it dark but then to change anything without being blinded I needed the flashlight. Usually I ended up holding the flashlight in my mouth while trying to type on the keyboard balanced on my knees. Believe me, the diNovo is much more dignified. It senses how dark the room is and gives you the correct amount of light behind the keys, way better than a flashlight and you are not blinded in the process. I also love being able to mute quickly when the phone rings.

To get it work I plugged in the USB mini receiver (which to me looks like a thumb drive) in the back of the computer and turned it on. Our computer (A Dell XPS 600 running Windows XP) saw it right away. Pushed the lit up Windows Media button on the bottom and I was off and running, never bothered with the software included.

It is pretty small. I do need reading glasses to read the paper but I could see the keyboard and most of the keys without my glasses. I typed most of this review up to this point using the keyboard, it is slow but certainly do-able. There is no way I could use it as a regular keyboard, I must use my thumbs to type. The keyboard has a satisfying feel to it, with a quiet but audible "click" when you hit one of the slightly raised buttons.

I wish the cover would flip back behind the remote when using it. It is somewhat transparent so you can see through it, but it would be better if you could flip it around when you were using the remote. I also wish it had a dock to charge it (although the power pack is quite small so it can actually fit without blocking all the other outlets). It seems I would be more likely to recharge it every day if it had a "home".

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WORKS ON MAC!!!

the dinovo mini is awesome!!!! i use it for my external tv tuner on my macbook pro running leopard. it synced up perfectly with the built in bluetooth chip, and all the features work perfectly (except the windows media button obviously) all the controls work great, and the media controls even work in frontrow and itunes. I have read online that it also works on the xbox 360 too even though it also is supposedly not supported. i will have to try it when i get mine back from microsoft (stupid red ring of death). I couldnt be happier with this keyboard, as i am lazy as hell, and i now dont have to get up to change the channel

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Check One Out In Person

First, the demographics for this device are the typical teenager or college student. Sure, it looks cool and is about the size of your hand, but its size is not necessarily an advantage. It is easily charged and set up with a convenient CD package and a blue tooth USB stick.

You can text, play and watch TV/Movies from a distance (up to 30 feet), but that's if you have perfect vision. I did like the way the media-center instantly pops up and the mouse scroll is easy to work. If I want to text or write an Email, I found the keyboard to be just too small and the set-up is slightly different than a typical keyboard. If you are good at text messaging on a phone, you won't have a problem here. You can change the keyboard to be a `directional pad' or a `touch pad', which is kind of convenient.

As far as viewing anything on your television or in your stereo, you would need a direct cable connection from your PC to your entertainment center. Most people now have a mini-stereo system on their PC or a HTPC anyway. The battery life is plenty long enough and I just keep mine plugged in constantly. Like most Logitech items, the look is sleek and handsome, although the smoked plastic cover could easily be broken or cracked. I see this as a fun toy for teens or people in college or early twenties. Its interesting to see that so many modern items are getting smaller and smaller while the `boomers' group is getting older with less nimble fingers and poorer eyesight. I would inspect one in person before buying.

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