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<b>Intro</b>:
In my opinion, <a href="http://www.logitech.com">Logitech</a> makes the best computer input devices, period. They pioneered both desktop laser mice and wireless mice, paving the way for the amazing »MX1000 to come to fruition. Unfortunately, the MX mouse series is rather expensive, and the »MX3100 isn't exactly easy on the wallet, either. Finally, there is an affordable, cost-effective solution: the MX3000 Laser Combo. This nice kit combines the MX3000 keyboard with the MX600 Laser mouse.
<b>Box</b>:
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You can spot Logitech's products a mile away, since most of their gear is sold in their signature green and white boxes.
<b>Parts</b>:
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</center>
Here we have a pretty standard assortment of parts. You get two sets of AA batteries, the mouse and keyboard, the receiver, documentation, and some software. Missing from the box is the USB to PS2 converter. The spec sheet does list the convertor as being included, so this may be an isolated case. Nevertheless, it wasn't in the box that I picked up.
<b>The Receiver</b>:
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The receiver is very light in weight and comes in the usual black color. The combo comes pre-connected so there is no setup other than plugging in the receiver. It has some small, green indicator lights on its face as well.
<b>The Keyboard</b>:
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The MX3000 keyboard is very similar to the model that came with the »MX3100 combo that I previously reviewed, so I won't go into the keyboard in detail. However, there are some minor differences. The first, and most obvious, is the color. This keyboard and mouse combo has the pleasant (and now common) charcoal gray and black color scheme. The other difference you'll notice is located at the very top of the keyboard. The functionality is the same, but the key size and placement are asthetically different. Also located on the keyboard is a battery level indicator. I do not know why Logitech went with this newer layout for the function keys and such, but it is something I'm not entirely fond of. I actually liked design of the older, Elite keyboard better. The same minor quirks that I found with the »MX3100 are present with this keyboard as well. I installed the software to test the functionality of the extra keys, and found that I wouldn't really be missing anything important if I hadn't. I prefer to have my systems run with as little background apps as possible, so this is a good thing.
<b>The Mouse</b>:
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The real star of this kit is the new MX600 Laser mouse. It claims to have 6 months of use on one set of batteries. This is impressive considering that my »MX1000 and »MX3100 mice both die after about 16-20 days of heavy use. Both the »MX1000 and »MX3100 have Li-Ion batteries powering them. I emailed Logitech to find out how they get the power savings high enough for 6 months of use, but I haven't received a response just yet. I remember using the older Cordless Elite Duo and the mouse in that kit would die after about 3-5 weeks depending on the usage. I understand that the mouse saves power with the fact that it uses newer laser technology, and it also turns itself off more quickly when not in use, but jumping from 20 days to 6 months is a big increase. Time will tell.
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</center>
The mouse a bit curvier than the »MX1000. It is slightly longer and slightly thinner. The forward and back buttons require less reach to press, and there is a pretty useless zoom button on the top. The mouse wheel has the scroll and tilt feature as other models have had. The battery indicator light is visible only when the mouse is low on power. Needless to say, this mouse is not intended for left-handed people, but it does fit nicely into the right hand. The MX600 is slightly heavier than the »MX1000 (1/2 ounce more).
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</center>
Tracking is excellent with the mouse, but the »MX1000 responds to a cold start better. If the mouse is left on the desk and not moved for some time, it will take about a second to 'wake up' and start tracking again. Once this happens, the motion is again fluid and precise. In a nutshell, the mouse is pleasant to use and appropriate for most home users.
<center><big><b>Want to win some free cash and prizes? »Post in this thread and you could win!</b></big></center>
<b>Intro</b>:
In my opinion, <a href="http://www.logitech.com">Logitech</a> makes the best computer input devices, period. They pioneered both desktop laser mice and wireless mice, paving the way for the amazing »MX1000 to come to fruition. Unfortunately, the MX mouse series is rather expensive, and the »MX3100 isn't exactly easy on the wallet, either. Finally, there is an affordable, cost-effective solution: the MX3000 Laser Combo. This nice kit combines the MX3000 keyboard with the MX600 Laser mouse.
<b>Box</b>:
<center>
</center>You can spot Logitech's products a mile away, since most of their gear is sold in their signature green and white boxes.
<b>Parts</b>:
<center>
</center>Here we have a pretty standard assortment of parts. You get two sets of AA batteries, the mouse and keyboard, the receiver, documentation, and some software. Missing from the box is the USB to PS2 converter. The spec sheet does list the convertor as being included, so this may be an isolated case. Nevertheless, it wasn't in the box that I picked up.
<b>The Receiver</b>:
<center>
</center>The receiver is very light in weight and comes in the usual black color. The combo comes pre-connected so there is no setup other than plugging in the receiver. It has some small, green indicator lights on its face as well.
<b>The Keyboard</b>:
<center>
</center>The MX3000 keyboard is very similar to the model that came with the »MX3100 combo that I previously reviewed, so I won't go into the keyboard in detail. However, there are some minor differences. The first, and most obvious, is the color. This keyboard and mouse combo has the pleasant (and now common) charcoal gray and black color scheme. The other difference you'll notice is located at the very top of the keyboard. The functionality is the same, but the key size and placement are asthetically different. Also located on the keyboard is a battery level indicator. I do not know why Logitech went with this newer layout for the function keys and such, but it is something I'm not entirely fond of. I actually liked design of the older, Elite keyboard better. The same minor quirks that I found with the »MX3100 are present with this keyboard as well. I installed the software to test the functionality of the extra keys, and found that I wouldn't really be missing anything important if I hadn't. I prefer to have my systems run with as little background apps as possible, so this is a good thing.
<b>The Mouse</b>:
<center>
</center>The real star of this kit is the new MX600 Laser mouse. It claims to have 6 months of use on one set of batteries. This is impressive considering that my »MX1000 and »MX3100 mice both die after about 16-20 days of heavy use. Both the »MX1000 and »MX3100 have Li-Ion batteries powering them. I emailed Logitech to find out how they get the power savings high enough for 6 months of use, but I haven't received a response just yet. I remember using the older Cordless Elite Duo and the mouse in that kit would die after about 3-5 weeks depending on the usage. I understand that the mouse saves power with the fact that it uses newer laser technology, and it also turns itself off more quickly when not in use, but jumping from 20 days to 6 months is a big increase. Time will tell.
<center>
</center>The mouse a bit curvier than the »MX1000. It is slightly longer and slightly thinner. The forward and back buttons require less reach to press, and there is a pretty useless zoom button on the top. The mouse wheel has the scroll and tilt feature as other models have had. The battery indicator light is visible only when the mouse is low on power. Needless to say, this mouse is not intended for left-handed people, but it does fit nicely into the right hand. The MX600 is slightly heavier than the »MX1000 (1/2 ounce more).
<center>
</center>Tracking is excellent with the mouse, but the »MX1000 responds to a cold start better. If the mouse is left on the desk and not moved for some time, it will take about a second to 'wake up' and start tracking again. Once this happens, the motion is again fluid and precise. In a nutshell, the mouse is pleasant to use and appropriate for most home users.
Page 2
<b>SetPoint</b>:
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</center>
I really don't like to install "bloat" software, but since this is a home combo intended for the average user, I felt it was warranted for testing purposes. The SetPoint software makes the additional non-standard keys on top of the keyboard work. I found the software to be relatively lightweight and non-intrusive, but it did create problems when I used Firefox for web browsing. After installing the software, the middle-click button that is used to force links to open in a new tab wouldn't work properly. Shutting down the software fixed the issue. I uninstalled the software after finding out that zoom means a ctrl+mouse wheel in Firefox. I don't use zoom for websites, ever: It's really not needed in most cases, unless you're vision-impaired.
There is another piece of included software that I enjoyed checking out known as Media Life. Media Life is a well thought-out multimedia organizer that lays out your files into multiple categories and has a nice, user-friendly front end. I can see some home users finding it quite helpful.
<b>Testing</b>:
As stated before, the keyboard and the mouse work as expected. It comes ready to use right out of the box. Tracking is excellent within Windows or Linux and the shape fits very nicely in the palm of one's (right) hand. I do have to reiterate the fact that the mouse does take about a second to wake up after a cold start: some impatient users may find this slightly annoying. The keyboard also works as it should with the same little quirks as the previous kit. This combo is fine for home use, but hardcore PC gamers should look elsewhere for a kit a little more robust and high-performance.
<b>Conclusion</b>:
The Cordless Desktop MX3000 Laser is a nice keyboard and mouse combination for home use. If you do not want to spend the $150 MSRP (<a href="http://stat.dealtime.com/DealFrame/DealFrame.cmp?BEFID=1696&acode=204&code=204&aon=^162&crawler_Id=812077&dealId=oYK7axmxwJEUGEpfaf7TtA%3D%3D&prjID=ds&searchID=KerCDCU0wO&Mrt=^^^^^^&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newegg.com%2FProduct%2FProduct.asp%3FItem%3DN82E16823126169%26ATT%3DKeyboards%26CMP%3DOTC-d3alt1me&DealName=KB%26MS%20LOGITECH%7CCRDLSS%20DSKTP%20MX3100&MerchantID=300168&HasLink=yes&frameId=-1&category=77&AR=3&NG=17&GR=0&ND=1&PN=1&PT=0&RR=1&ST=7&DB=sdcprod&MT=nym-pmt8-1&MN=MT&FPT=DSR&NDS=17&NMS=17&NDP=17&MRS=&PD=23659484&brnId=3807&lnkId=3002062&IsFtr=1&IsSmart=0&crn=USD^USD&DlLng=1&istrsmrc=1&isathrsl=0&dlprc=121.47&TstId=&CT=3">$120 at Newegg</a>
on the MX3100 but still want its features, the MX3000 is a good alternative at $100. <a href="http://images.aselabs.com/adlink.php?do=adlink&id=6">Amazon sells it for $85</a>! It's important to personally test any input device before buying (as different people have varied requirements when it comes to comfort and feel) so I always suggest heading to a local store and testing them out firsthand. I recommend this combo to all home users, but do feel that gamers should look to the »MX3100 or the new gaming mice and keyboards, as their performance needs are higher than most. Thanks for reading, and remember to post in »this thread for a chance to win some cash and prizes.
I'd like to thank Kate from <a href="http://www.logitech.com">Logitech</a> for sponsoring this review.
<center><big><b>Like free cash and prizes? »Post in this thread and you could win!</b></big></center>
<b>SetPoint</b>:
<center>
</center>I really don't like to install "bloat" software, but since this is a home combo intended for the average user, I felt it was warranted for testing purposes. The SetPoint software makes the additional non-standard keys on top of the keyboard work. I found the software to be relatively lightweight and non-intrusive, but it did create problems when I used Firefox for web browsing. After installing the software, the middle-click button that is used to force links to open in a new tab wouldn't work properly. Shutting down the software fixed the issue. I uninstalled the software after finding out that zoom means a ctrl+mouse wheel in Firefox. I don't use zoom for websites, ever: It's really not needed in most cases, unless you're vision-impaired.
There is another piece of included software that I enjoyed checking out known as Media Life. Media Life is a well thought-out multimedia organizer that lays out your files into multiple categories and has a nice, user-friendly front end. I can see some home users finding it quite helpful.
<b>Testing</b>:
As stated before, the keyboard and the mouse work as expected. It comes ready to use right out of the box. Tracking is excellent within Windows or Linux and the shape fits very nicely in the palm of one's (right) hand. I do have to reiterate the fact that the mouse does take about a second to wake up after a cold start: some impatient users may find this slightly annoying. The keyboard also works as it should with the same little quirks as the previous kit. This combo is fine for home use, but hardcore PC gamers should look elsewhere for a kit a little more robust and high-performance.
<b>Conclusion</b>:
The Cordless Desktop MX3000 Laser is a nice keyboard and mouse combination for home use. If you do not want to spend the $150 MSRP (<a href="http://stat.dealtime.com/DealFrame/DealFrame.cmp?BEFID=1696&acode=204&code=204&aon=^162&crawler_Id=812077&dealId=oYK7axmxwJEUGEpfaf7TtA%3D%3D&prjID=ds&searchID=KerCDCU0wO&Mrt=^^^^^^&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newegg.com%2FProduct%2FProduct.asp%3FItem%3DN82E16823126169%26ATT%3DKeyboards%26CMP%3DOTC-d3alt1me&DealName=KB%26MS%20LOGITECH%7CCRDLSS%20DSKTP%20MX3100&MerchantID=300168&HasLink=yes&frameId=-1&category=77&AR=3&NG=17&GR=0&ND=1&PN=1&PT=0&RR=1&ST=7&DB=sdcprod&MT=nym-pmt8-1&MN=MT&FPT=DSR&NDS=17&NMS=17&NDP=17&MRS=&PD=23659484&brnId=3807&lnkId=3002062&IsFtr=1&IsSmart=0&crn=USD^USD&DlLng=1&istrsmrc=1&isathrsl=0&dlprc=121.47&TstId=&CT=3">$120 at Newegg</a>
on the MX3100 but still want its features, the MX3000 is a good alternative at $100. <a href="http://images.aselabs.com/adlink.php?do=adlink&id=6">Amazon sells it for $85</a>! It's important to personally test any input device before buying (as different people have varied requirements when it comes to comfort and feel) so I always suggest heading to a local store and testing them out firsthand. I recommend this combo to all home users, but do feel that gamers should look to the »MX3100 or the new gaming mice and keyboards, as their performance needs are higher than most. Thanks for reading, and remember to post in »this thread for a chance to win some cash and prizes.I'd like to thank Kate from <a href="http://www.logitech.com">Logitech</a> for sponsoring this review.
<center><big><b>Like free cash and prizes? »Post in this thread and you could win!</b></big></center>