As always, a big thanks out to Logitech for their outstanding support throughout the years.
Keyboards haven’t changed much in the last couple years. There have been some keyboard “fads” such as illuminated keys, but that seems to not have caught on. Other advancements such as the internet keyboard, complete with onboard buttons and extra deviations from the keyboard-norm, have longevity because of a combination of practicality and convenience. The Logitech Elite is one of the newer generations of internet keyboards; it comes packed with a plethora of extra features to make your computing life that much easier.
The Elite keyboard is built with the same two-tone scheme found on the MX series mice. Most of the keyboard is made with a matte black plastic while accents of charcoal can be found on the internet buttons. Logitech describes the keyboard as having a zero degree tilt, meaning the keyboard lies almost completely flat, aiding comfort and warding off the dreaded carpel tunnel syndrome for at least awhile. If you should prefer some degree of tilt, the keyboard comes equipped with small legs. And should you need some extra wrist support, bundled is a detachable wrist-rest.
The iTouch software is quite robust and simple to use. The configuration panel can be launch via the start menu or the taskbar icon where customization of the function keys can take place. However, like Logitech’s MouseWare software for their mice, only preset functions can be used. There is a wide range of choices, but a fully programmable macro would have been nice. Most of the keyboards functions will work without the use of the iTouch software, but at the loss of programmability and the on screen display for functions such as the volume control and media buttons.
Placed around the keyboard are four distinct groupings, providing the extra capabilities. The main grouping lies at the top of the keyboard, providing most of the multimedia functions. These include a volume dial (that’s another icon I can remove from my system tray), a mute button, a media button that launches a listing of the supported media players, and your standard video controls. Directly flanking both sides of the media center are two groups of five programmable buttons. The left bank includes an F-Lock button that toggles the F-Key shortcuts. When the F-Lock is on (there is an indicator LED) the F-Keys work normally; however when off, the F-Keys are another set of programmable buttons. Finally on the left edge of the keyboard lie the iNav functions consisting of a scroll wheel that can be programmed to switch between applications etc, a “back” button and a “go” button that opens a small dialogue box to open files or internet pages. Other than the extra functions, the Elite keyboard functions are a perfectly normal keyboard.
I consider myself pretty “old school” when it comes to keyboard use, meaning that I prefer launching a program from the start menu rather than programming one of the many available buttons. For the most part, this has remained true after using the Elite Keyboard for an extended time period. However, the media center, especially the mute and volume buttons, have been under heavy usage because of my odd addiction to playing America’s Army and watching anime between sessions of badminton and sitting around with the friends during these dog days of summer.
Final Ratings
Highs
- Tasteful Design
- Abundance of Programmable Buttons
- Comfortable
- Media Center!
Lows
- None
Conclusion
The Logitech Elite is a pretty flawless keyboard in my mind, unless you prefer a Natural keyboard like I once did. Nevertheless, Logitech has you covered there as well. The myriad of programmable buttons, essential media center, and tasteful design make the Elite quite a good buy. Although you will pay a slight price premium over the standard bare bone keyboard, it is well worth it. The Elite can be found for a sub-$30 price at many online retailers at the time of writing this review.
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