Logitech Cordless Desktop S 510 with Media Remote

• Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 7 reviews
• My rating: 0 stars

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• 9 stars

  Extremely impressed all-round

  by Scotto1971 on February 28, 2006

  Pros: Simple setup, sleek & stylish, very functional

  Cons: Mouse isn't brilliant

  Summary: I have to admit I was a tad sceptical when I bought this setup. I had read some mixed reviews so with some trepidation, I unpacked it and set about ...

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  Summary: I have to admit I was a tad sceptical when I bought this setup. I had read some mixed reviews so with some trepidation, I unpacked it and set about the installation.
  
  To my great delight all my fears quickly disappeared as the setup was a breeze. I should add here that I was replacing my existing keyboard, a Logitech MXDuo. I didn't particularly like the keyboard as it was uncomfortable and the mouse was no longer in use as the recharge station simply refused to recognise when I put the mouse in it. That being the case I uninstalled all previous Logitech software to avoid any conflicts.
  
  Detection couldn't be any smoother, press the connect button on the receiver, then on the mouse, then do the keyboard and finally the remote. Now I didn't use the mouse bundled with it as it's a little bit basic for my liking, there's nothing wrong with it but I have been using the Logitech MediaPlay mouse which is substantially better. Even so, the receiver was fine detecting that mouse and recognising it for what it was.
  
  Setting up the SetPoint software is very straight forward and quite customisable but I wouldn't mind seeing an option to completely customise a function like shutting down the PC. Overall, the level of customisation is excellent.
  
  I use iTunes for my music and after configuring a button on the remote to open iTunes it worked a charm. You should note that if you use iTunes 5 then you need v2.4 of the SetPoint software. I also tried the MediaPlay software bundled and I have to say it is quite impressive. You can navigate through your system via the remote and play music or movies or look at your pictures.
  
  The range of the remote is quite literally astounding. I first tested it at about 15 feet with no problem at all, then 20 feet around a corner, still works, then at 25 feet around 2 corners and through a couple of walls...not even a delay! I can't see me needing to use it from that far but it's reassuring that it has such a good range. A minor gripe with the remote is that although you can control the volume, it resets whenever you restart so if your volume dial on your speakers is way up, but turned down via the remote, be prepared to be blasted through the wall if you forget to adjust the volume before you shutdown. Also maybe an LCD screen would have been cool but not essential.
  
  The keyboard is very sweet, great feel to the keys, not clunky but not too soft. The build is sturdy despite its extremely slim form factor. For me the wrist rest at the front is comfortable once you get used to it. This keyboard does feel slightly 'out' when you first use it and for the first 10 minutes found myself to be hitting the keys below the ones I wanted. I think this is due to the wrist rest which gives a subconcious illusion that everything is lower down than it appears. This really is minor as it takes very little time to adapt. All that said, I love the keyboard.
  
  Overall this is one of Logitech's better offerings. I was initially looking at the diNovo bundle but this wins out by having the remote included. I deducted a point for the minor gripes I had before and also because the instructions are quite basic and could make an inexperienced user a bit nervous. When all is said and done though, this is by far the easiest way to convert your PC in to a Media PC without having to shell out for a new OS as well.

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  2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 7 stars

  Very good for a Media PC on the Cheap

  by brentlyv on December 30, 2005

  Pros: Remote and Software worked well

  Cons: Keyboard and mouse could have been better

  Summary: The Logitech S510 Media Remote is a great way to save some money building a media type PC on the cheap. The Medialife software that came in the box is ...

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  Summary: The Logitech S510 Media Remote is a great way to save some money building a media type PC on the cheap. The Medialife software that came in the box is surprisingly useful considering it’s bundled with hardware.
  
  Keyboard: The keyboard is not great, but useful. The large area from the bottom of the keys to the front edge of the keyboard seems excessive, and the angle when lying flat is well, flat, very flat. I prefer a flat keyboard and whoa! They almost went too far!
  
  Compared to older wireless keyboards from Logitech its much sturdier and has a good amount of the extra’s, like volume controls, play, stop, pause and the like. For a media PC keyboard that will never compose a full review, but surf the web on the couch, it’s just what the doctor ordered.
  
  Mouse: Not quite as comfortable to use as my other Logitech mouse, but id give it an overall thumbs up. As always I like the thumbwheel, but no side buttons. I would/could use this mouse on my desktop without missing my current mouse. I use it straight on the couch, or couch pad without a problem.
  
  Media Remote: The first unit I had the thumbwheel did not work. When I got back from the store the second one worked just fine. The remote without the included software is not of much use. It does work with Windows Media Player 9 with limited functionality and the box tells me it works with itunes, whatever that is, and winamp. But I suspect it will be with similar results.
  
  It is certainly not the Microsoft remote, but inside the Logitech software it comes to life. This is where the remote becomes useful, and the thumbwheel which I love on the mouse is front and center. The remote is comfortable to use and works fairly well. With this remote and the software you can pretty much do what I wanted to do, watch movies without using a keyboard and mouse.
  
  One thing about the button layout is I keep hitting the “Next” jump instead of fast forward. As the software will not let you skip ahead through a flick, it loads the next video in the directory. If your ½ way through a movie there is no way to get back to where you left off.
  
  Range: The range on all this stuff is around 10 feet. I happen to be very close to my PC therefore I have not suffered any range problems. I did a quick test just for giggles, I went into the very next room +/- 15 feet and the letters I hit on the keyboard showed up, but there was a very noticeable delay. When the dog stood in the doorway, it was ruff. The enter key would not work. Id stay as close to 10 feet as I could. The box says 16, and through the walls ain’t gunna happen.
  
  Medialife Software: For what it’s built for, it does pretty good. I am not impressed with the software so much as I am impressed it basically delivered on what it said it would do. Just about the only thing you can set is the aspect ratio, 4:3 or 16:9. I cannot stress enough the lack of settings, no default directory or favorites. It does show you the last video’s played and has a clean appearance.
  
  While playing movies however a big let down was that unless the media meets certain requirements it will not fast forward more than 2x and you cannot jump or skip through the movie. You start at the beginning every time and you can’t nor is there any kind of “slider bar” to get to any particular spot in the movie.
  
  You can use the Windows Media Player 9 and jump around, but it’s back to the mouse. One night I hit the thumb wheel on the remote and it jumped like 3 or 5 minutes and all. Cool, but I haven’t got it to work since and that was in WMP 9 and not inside the Logitech software, go figure.
  
  I have played many different formats including Divx and several Mpeg-2 no problems. I did have some problems playing a few files but just a couple 2 or 3 Something somewhere did say you have to have the Codec loaded in order for those formats to work!
  
  I played with the music thing briefly, and again, no settings, so no default directories, you have to scan through the folders on your hard drive. Most files played just fine. I did have a fair amount (20%) of music files that would not play. Didn’t quite understand that one. Maybe it’s that Codec thing or I need something somewhere I didn’t have on this machine.
  
  If you have pictures in the spot the software is looking for them I hear tell it’ll rotate through them as it’s playing music, or maybe the other way around, but there is NO documentation so I blew it off as I don’t often do music or pictures.
  
  I still haven’t even gone into the picture menu, so I dunno what your going to find. Id wager like everything else, it’ll work, nothing more.
  
  Documentation: Documentation is a joke, in fact it’s a bad joke. Nothing is offered online and the help inside Medialife is worthless. If the thing did not pretty much fall into place id have to get Logitech on the phone, and when the Thumbwheel on the first unit went bad I did, but I ended up in a call pool with a who knows how long of a wait, back to the store I went!
  
  My best advice with this product if you have a question or run into a problem, “Use the force” if that doesn’t work buy it from a seller that will refund your money and take it back. Maybe if they get enough returns the good folks at Logitech will hire programmers and engineers who can write.
  
  That all having been said maybe I can do some of the things id like but I have no way to know what they are, or how to set them up.
  
  Overall: I was more impressed with the software and usefulness of the remote than the keyboard and mouse. All the components included were average or better and I thought the little USB interface was pretty slick.
  
  I bought this instead of coughing up over 200 bucks for the Microsoft solution, which legends have said is a far better and more complete answer to a media PC. I gave 69 scoots at PC Club, threw it on a spare PC and wheeled the thing next to the tube badda bing! Im sure the new wireless multimedia thing from Dlink would not have the limits that I have with this, and im certain a Microsoft Media PC would be the bomb but you can’t touch this combo for 69 bucks! Well worth every undocumented dollar.

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  1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 4 stars

  Disappointing; poor mouse

  by Galley on December 8, 2005

  Pros: Beautiful keyboard

  Cons: The mouse is terrible

  Summary: I used this set for two weeks. I really tried to like it, but I ended up dumping it on eBay. The keyboard is smartly designed, but it's keys ...

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  Summary: I used this set for two weeks. I really tried to like it, but I ended up dumping it on eBay. The keyboard is smartly designed, but it's keys just don't feel right. Plus, it is a fingerprint magnet! The remote was OK, but it suffered from the same problems that the Harmony remotes have, namely the buttons located towards the SIDES of the device. The mouse was terrible. The middle button was hard to click, and there is no left and right buttons. When I set the left and right scroll to "back" and "forward" in my browser, I often ended up going one way or another when I was trying to click the middle button. The mouse just isn't comfortable, and it seems cheaply built. The wireless portion of the set worked flawlessly. The setup was a no-brainer. The included media software was decent, but it does not support AAC, so I had no way to import any of my 20,000 audio files.

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  1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 10 stars

  Great set at a great price

  by kwik5oh on March 20, 2007

  Pros: Looks awesome...works flawlessly...no more wires!

  Cons: None so far

  Summary: I have to admit, I was hesitant to cross over to the world of cordless peripherals, but after shopping for replacements & seeing that the corded selection was limited (having ...

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  Summary: I have to admit, I was hesitant to cross over to the world of cordless peripherals, but after shopping for replacements & seeing that the corded selection was limited (having tried two different corded sets that proved sub-standard), I bought this set.
  
  I have to say that I couldn't be happier. Both the keyboard and mouse work exactly as I expected them to...I simply wanted a reliable, comfortable mouse with standard functionality and a slim, attractive keyboard with a few extras like media controls.
  
  That's exactly what I got.
  
  I would recommend this to anyone who doesn't need 16 buttons on their mice, and who wants something to compliment their flat-panel monitor.

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• 7 stars

  Nice profile and decent layout, with the exception of ONE key...

  by abcommercial on December 14, 2006

  Pros: Slim profile, fits comfortably in hands, easy to press keys

  Cons: The annoying 100% key

  Summary: I think I figured out why there is a huge rebate on this one at Micro Center. The 100% key is placed where my left hand likes to roll out ...

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  Summary: I think I figured out why there is a huge rebate on this one at Micro Center. The 100% key is placed where my left hand likes to roll out onto the edge of the keyboard. It's annoying for my zoom to be reset every few moments. Logitech could have easily avoided this problem by moving this set of buttons up about an inch. Not difficult to foresee...
  
  Other than that, I happen to be OK with the layout of media keys. Small, yes, but I don't use that often. I like the wireless aspect and the slim profile, w/all the functions I need to control Itunes. I threw the mouse away because I already have a MX1000 laser mouse...fortunately the existing mouse software detected the new keyboard with no overlapping driver probs. I didn't need to install the CD software.
  
  I am either going to pry out the 100% key, or else return the unit.

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• 3 stars

  I feel sorry for logitech

  by kingsimba0511 on August 9, 2006

  Pros: Sensitive mouse, stylish keyboard

  Cons: Keyboard malfuncion after one week

  Summary: The mouse doesn't suffer the same lag as EX110 does. It's more sensitive. But the middle key is hard to press. There is an on/off key under ...

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  Summary: The mouse doesn't suffer the same lag as EX110 does. It's more sensitive. But the middle key is hard to press. There is an on/off key under the mouse. But it does nothing.
  
  The keyboard is fine in every aspect. But after one week, it doesn't response to any key stroke. At first I doubt it's the battery. But after I changed them, it only back to life for another two minutes. After some investigation, I found you'd have to remove the battery and wait for some time before installing them back. And then the keyboard can work for one minute or to before going down again. I contacted the custom service and sceduled a change in the next week. But keyboard circuit malfunction is rare as far as I know. So I hope is not a design flaw.
  
  BTW, I bought it in China. There is no remote controller in the combo. And the receptor is an old style one which looks like a L from the side view. I feel really hurt by this. I think the Logitech may has taken China market as a absorber for the old receptors. I'll surely go after Microsoft next time if I find myself treated like this next time.

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  1 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 5 stars

  Another Logitech Regret

  by trebor121 on December 14, 2005

  Pros: Slim,space-saving keyboard

  Cons: Mouse is absolutely useless

  Summary: What does Logitech think about when combining a keyboard and a mouse? I chucked the mouse, when out and got a Logitech G-7 mouse (which now sits idely on my ...

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  Summary: What does Logitech think about when combining a keyboard and a mouse? I chucked the mouse, when out and got a Logitech G-7 mouse (which now sits idely on my test) and went back to my old mouse.
  
  Still searching for the ultimate combo....but it won't be Logitech....another thing,Logitech....get a better handle on what people want and do some surveys before your designer-geeks bring out the "next, greatest Logitech, ever"

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  0 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.

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