Filed under: Peripherals

Not only are specialized products with anti-microbial stuff on ‘em coming out left and right, but some gadgets will protect you even when you didn’t know about it. For example, you know that Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 3200 Laser keyboard and mouse combo that you just dropped $100 on? Well, we just found out today that it packs AgION’s silver-based anti-microbial protection as a hidden feature — so if you already have one you just scored yourself some awesome protection against germs, microorganisms and also discoloration to boot. Now of course, you could just wash your hands every time you start or stop using your keyboard and mouse, but we all know that geeks are pretty lazy — so the obvious solution is to just buy one of these keyboards and mice. So, we’re totally ditching our bacteria-infested keyboards for this one right this very second, because that whole hand-washing thing is so 20th century.

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Filed under: Features, Peripherals

We got to take an early look at Logitech’s new flagship keyboard — the diNovo Edge — and we liked what we saw. Sure, we could go on about the lack of a Mac diNovo version (or about the fact that the control and Windows keys are no longer the same size, making it impossible to rearrange them in a Mac-like fashion), but there’s still so much good to find. The soft touch plastic wrist-rest has been replaced by a slick aluminum finish; the surface of the 0.75-inch thick keyboard, while now the same fingerprint-magnetized plastic finish as one would expect to find on their iPod or like devices, is refreshing amongst the many-shades-of-gray diNovo line. The sensors both on the volume strip and on the touch pad both worked well, and the circular scrolling motion on the pad is a nice touch. Watching the function keys light up from beneath is rather entertaining for those easily amused by LEDs (such as ourselves), and it finally solves the issue of knowing which key mode one’s keyboard is in (i.e. no more hitting F5 ten times during a Jobsnote until remembering to hit the function key to re-enable it). All in all we think Logitech is off to a great start on their new line, even though it’s still sans numeric keypad in the same unit. But as a HTPC / Media Center keyboard that you might move off the desk and onto the couch every once in a while, we’d be more than happy to have this thing furnishing our living room. Click on for a up-close of the light up keys.

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SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time.

Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio, Portable Video

The FCC’s handed us yet another tasty morsel today: the new Logitech FreePulse Wireless headset, and what a headset she is. The minuscule looking device features Bluetooth 2.0+ EDR with A2DP (huzzah!) to control your iPod (via a dongle, of course) if that’s how you want swing it, or other A2DP-compliant devices like that swanky LG Fusic that you’ve got your eye on. And according to the user’s manual the FreePulse will also play nice with other MP3 players too, like that just-released Zune, for example. Unfortunately, the friendly Feds didn’t tell us when these ‘phones would be released, nor how much they would retail for. We do have to applaud Logitech for coming up with a name better than those other Bluetooth iPod packages that we’ve already seen, like the D.Muse iBlue and the horribly named iMuff.

[Via TGDaily]

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SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time.

Filed under: Peripherals

It’s a little painful and hideous to watch, but some of us are still a little curious as to just how Logitech managed to fit those dozens of moving parts (and a few motors) in their new Revolution mice to give that wheel its free-spinning abilities. We’re not firm believers in animal testing ’round these parts, but this mouse was just begging to be opened up for the betterment of human knowledge.

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Filed under: Peripherals

Logitech went back to the drawing board on the MX Revolution and VX Revolution mice, and here’s what they came up with: the MicroGear Precision Scroll Wheel, which enables force feedback application support. Basically the heavy-feeling alloy wheels (of which there are two on the MX, and one on the VX) can spin freely and smoothly for up to seven seconds with a flick of your finger, or lock into the regular ratcheted scrolling motion like most of us are used to, depending on usage (the VX requires a flipped switch to toggle between the modes), the application, and your system’s settings. It’s kinda one of those things you have to try for yourself to really appreciate (we got to play with one a few weeks back), but if you’re already sold and don’t have any problems with your mice once again having dozens of moving parts, the Revolution series will set you back $99 or $79, respectively.

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Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Audio

If you’re looking for something a bit beefier-looking than Apple’s own much-maligned iPod Hi-Fi, Logitech may have just the speaker system for you. At $299, their just announced AudioStation (pictured above) isn’t all that much cheaper than the Hi-Fi, but it does look to stack up pretty well against it, with two 1-inch dome tweeters, a pair of 4-inch woofers, and a total power output of 80W. For the audiophiles out there, it also promises a maximum sound pressure level of 110dB, and a frequency response of 36Hz to 23kHz plus/minus 3dB. Specs the rest of us can understand include an AM/FM radio, built-in LCD that displays a clock or radio info, a standard 3.5mm input, and an S-Video output for iPods with video, as well as a 16-button remote. Look for it to drop this October, along with a portable version, the AudioStation Express (pictured after the break), which is much more Hi-Fi-inspired design-wise, although quite a bit less capable in the audio department — it’s set to retail for $129.99.

Read - Logitech AudioStation
Read - Logitech AudioStation Express

[Via PC Mag]

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Filed under: Digital Cameras, Peripherals

While the iSight built into your new Macbook (or any laptop-integrated webcam for that matter) might meet your day-to-day needs, Logitech is hoping that their new QuickCam Ultra Vision can significantly raise the production value on your next YouTube masterpiece. For $129, you get a mostly glass lens — there are still a few plastic elements in there, just less than usual — that’ll open all the way up to f/1.6, making acceptable results possible even in darkness that would turn normal cams into digital noise-filled nightmares. The press release also boasts “high definition” capability from its wide format, interpolation-free 1.3-megapixel sensor, but skimps on the hard resolution numbers, with the product page only making mention of its capability to do “live video up to 640 x 480″ at 30fps. (That doesn’t sound very HD to us.) Other amenities include a 4-megapixel (there’s the interpolation) still camera, USB 2.0 connectivity, RightSound microphone, a heap of cheesy effects and the RightLight 2 metering system, which promises “twice the image clarity of conventional webcams.” If you still feel your cinematic needs aren’t being met, you can check out the rest of the updated QuickCam line, including the Orbit MP, Fusion, Pro 5000 and the Communicate STX, all which received minor spec bumps. These all should be available by the end of August, so you still have a little time to clean your room before exposing it to the world — or at least your Skype contacts.

[Via Tech Digest]

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Filed under: Displays, Misc. Gadgets, Home Entertainment, Peripherals

Microsoft seems to have big plans for their SideShow auxiliary display technology -- besides the laptop and remote control implementations we've been expecting, they're also using the software for products that we didn't even know we needed, such as digital photo frames that overlay the picture with IMs and Outlook data. The frame, which is being manufactured by a company called A Living Picture, was one of three devices that Microsoft's senior project manager for Windows Client Greg Graceffo showed off at today's Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC), along with a modified Logitech G15 gaming keyboard and a universal remote from Exceptional Innovations. EI's remote, which will launch at the same time as Vista (whenever that is), looks particularly promising, as it allows the user to view program guides, RSS feeds, and other infoswag on the same gadget that can control both home theater equipment and home automation devices. As for the keyboard, well, keep reading if you're interested in seeing what an Outlook appointment looks like on a three-line LCD...

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

Logitech showed up at E3 with a steering wheel of their own, the G25 system. And let us say, this thing is probably nicer than the wheel on our own automobile -- well, when we still had it. Their $299.99 rig features a leather-wrapped 11-inch wheel with 900° rotation, paddle shifters, dual-motor force feedback, and a very nice external clicky six-speed shifter. This'll be ready to roll in early October, long before the July launches of the force-feedback equipped DriveFX Wheel (shown after the break) for the Xbox 360, which will go for $99, and more entry level G-series devices Logitech's rolling out, such as the G3 laser mouse and G11 keyboard (which is basically the G15 with no display).