Logitech diNovo Mini
by Logitech
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Logitech diNovo Mini
Customer Review: Couldn't live without it!
Summary: 5 Stars
We hated using the full-sized keyboard and mouse for our home media computer and hated even more storing them on the coffee table. The Logitech diNovo Mini was the perfect solution. I was a little concerned when I first saw the size of the keys but it really is fine. The size of the keys makes it feel more like texting on a cell phone than typing on a keyboard. I wouldn't want to sit and type a long email using this as it might get a little annoying but it's perfect for typing in movie titles in the search bar on iTunes. The touch pad also took some getting used to but we can now navigate easily to any point on the screen.
Some of the buttons are customizable. We can open up Firefox and Windows Media Player with the touch of one button and shut the computer down just as easily. I also love it that it has volume control and media control buttons (pause, play, stop, etc.) on it. It makes it SO convenient!
The gadget itself is small and fits easily in the basket that we throw all of our other remotes into. The battery life is great (I LOVE it that it's rechargeable!) and we get a popup message on the computer screen when the battery gets low. It's not a big deal if the battery gets low while you're using it...you can use it while it charges and a 10 minute charge will get you through the day just fine. The software gave us a little bit of a headache during setup but now we have no problems. We also have no problems with any sort of interference with the Bluetooth like some have mentioned but we used the receiver that came with it.
Our only complaint/suggestion is one others have mentioned...a scroller. It would be great to have a scroller and not have to either page down, which jumps quickly, or move the cursor over to grab the right scroll bar on the screen itself. We've just become spoiled with the scrollers on our mouse and even our laptop :)
Overall this is a great gadget and very worth the money to us. I have no regrets about purchasing it at all and highly recommend it to anyone who is tired of having a full-sized keyboard and mouse hanging out on their coffee table.
Update 2/9/2011:
It's been over two years since I reviewed this product and it still works great! We moved and, when we did, changed entertainment centers. I did have a problem with the device receiving the bluetooth signal when it was plugged into the back of the PC in the new entertainment center so I got a USB hub with a long connector and it now sits on the side of the PC. I haven't had any problems since. I also travel with it quite a bit now. I'm constantly removing the bluetooth dongle from the PC, storing it in the back of the device, and taking it with me to use with my laptop on my sister's TV. It still holds a charge for a very long time and I've even discovered some symbols that aren't marked on the keyboard (just hold down FN and press the number and letter keys to see what pops up). I haven't changed my mind at all about this being worth the money. In fact, my mom is setting up a home theater PC and I'm going to get one of these for her!
Customer Review: Stunning input device for HTPC's
Summary: 5 Stars
Ever since I saw and used this device at CES I knew I had to have it.
Well, it just showed up today and while it's not for touchtyping or long emails I am writing this review with it from the couch.
Most of the mini keyboards on the market are still quite large and have terrible ergonomics with some awful excuse for an integrated pointing device. The DiNovo Mini is different. The keyboard is small enough to keep with your remotes without anyone knowing you have an HTPC setup. I'm so tired of having a full size DiNovo Edge with a Gyration Remote Mouse taking up a ton of room. It's great for typing a lot on but there's no where to put it, and it's awkward using a real mouse on the couch or always holding your hands in the air and flicking around to use the Gyration.
The DiNovo has excellent backlighting that only has one flaw. It makes it too hard to see the blue function keys like the ' and " but you can see all the shifted keys easily. It turns on only the trackpad backlighting when using the mouse, probably to save power but you can light up the keyboard by tapping the large function or shift keys.
The buttons are all pretty small and the media (Play,Next,etc) are a little awkward compared to using them on a Harmony remote but it's nice to have everything on one pad and not have to pick up a remote or a keyboard or a mouse to do everything.
You can alt tab, use windows keys, launch media center and 3 programmable buttons.. There's even a CTRL+ALT+DEL FN key. Now that's planning.
One other minor issue is there is no scroll wheel for internet use. it would be nice if holding FN while using the mouse did a scroll, but it just turns the mouse into a up and down, kind of like scroll but you have to hold FN the whole time or keep moving the function switch (for mouse or Dpad) back and forth all the time.
I won't lie, it's just like using a AT&T Tilt or other landscape slider smartphone keyboard. Cramped, pecking or using thumbs and writing this review has gotten to be a pain.
But for opening up your media center files, even full WMP11 or iTunes interface, browsing the web, sending short IM's and emails, and most of what you do on an HTPC it's great.
I will still keep the larger Edge connected for gaming, but the gyration is going in the closet.
I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to use an HTPC in the living room, or actually uses their PS3 as a browser. It is not for desktop PC's at all, you will probably be better served with a much cheaper remote or something like the DiNovo Edge with it's media pad.
The bluetooth range is decent but not like Gyration's 100ft so it's not really a professional presentation tool, but could be used at short (15-20) feet distances reliably. It really does make a nice powerpoint tool since you can draw on slides and have full mouse and keyboard control in presentations while standing up. Just be careful about the range.
Thanks and hope this helps :)
Customer Review: AWESOME Media Keyboard
Summary: 5 Stars
I use this keyboard with my mac in my bedroom, works great, the windows button can be used for the command button and because bluetooth is built into my macbook I don't need the usb adapter. The windows button functions as the command (apple) key and all other functions work pretty much exactly the same as if I were using a pc. I have used several logitech products including mx-laser duo, diNovo edge, & harmony one (the harmony sadly went bad but was replaced FREE OF CHARGE by logitech despite the fact it was slightly past warranty coverage).
The only major complaint I have with the keyboard is that it makes a buzzing sound whenever the touchpad is glowing orange. Don't know why.. it doesn't buzz when set to media mode & pad is green, or when only keyboard is lit. But when the touchpad is lit orange it makes a buzz which isn't noticeable over the volume of a tv, but can be when you're laying in bed and the keyboard is lit (only until it goes to sleep 5-10 seconds). I have the standard sized diNovo edge in my den and it makes no buzzing sound (best media keyboard ever but too large for bedroom use & not backlit).
I was going to return the keyboard because of the buzzing but have read EVERYWHERE on the internet that the buzzing is just something that is there and can't be fixed. I would never return the keyboard for another keyboard because of the buzzing because as I said for what I use it for (bedroom media w/ mac/pc) THERE IS NOTHING better out there. I can use it for weeks (its a keyboard with sleep mode so it doesn't stay "on" for long usually or deplete battery) without recharging it.
The keypad is small, but I have an iphone so (and I think anyone who texts often with any phone can agree) the keyboard is easily big enough (especially with the backlight) to use at night (in the bedroom). I wouldn't trade my regular dinovo edge in the den anytime of day for it but like I said the edge is just too big to think about using the in the bedroom. I would never try typing a paper and don't really like chatting with the keyboard, although as I said its not bad compared with texting, but it is awesome for watching movies, listening to music, & other media applications (which I'm fairly certain is its intended usage).
Also works great with ps3 as we have used it for chat & text entry with my roommates ps3, with no problems.
I would very highly recommend this for use in home theatre setup. As I said, I have the diNovo edge and love it, but had the dinovo mini been available when I purchased the edge, I probably would have gotten the mini because it is smaller and fits in better than a regular sized keyboard in a entertainment system (large keyboard gives an office-y feel). The only thing I can think of that would make it better (besides eliminating the buzzing) would be to include an IR output so it could be used as a remote for tv/components.
Customer Review: Great for Media Center PC
Summary: 5 Stars
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).
Customer Review: It is as good as it seems.
Summary: 5 Stars
The diNovo Mini has turned out to be a great purchase for my HTPC Laptop. I am currently using an Alienware M11x as my HTPC. About a week ago I decided to finally figure out a good keyboard/remote/mouse combo for this device to make my HTPC experience complete. So after several reviews I chose diNovo Mini and let me say if people are having issues with this I am not sure how unless they dont follow the step by step instructions.
I recommend charging the diNovo Mini for 4 hours like instructed on the installation guide and don't turn the device on really till this is done. It gave me initially a full charge of 30days. One thing to note about the battery life is if you plan to use this to type a lot or surf the web a lot expect to eat up the battery life faster. This is because of all the lights associated with the diNovo Mini. I can tell you after 4 days of heavy uses I am down to 25 days on my charge.
While the device is charging install and upgrade the Setpoint software. I found the new software/firmware is very stable and easy to use. While the device is charging set up your 3 hot key function buttons that are associated with the diNovo Mini. This device works great with most multimedia viewing software packages.
I highly recommend using, that is if your pc has it, a built in bluetooth adapter. This will save you a USB port along with possible headaches a dongle may cause. Set up of the diNovo Mini was easy to sync up with my built in bluetooth. I synced the device entered the codes on the diNovo Mini and hit return. Also make sure you modified bluetooth settings to allow the device to sync when ever the HTPC is rebooted. Only negative is this device is unable to power on the HPTC when in sleep mode.
When using the diNovo Mini I found it easy to navigate around on the device by using just my thumbs and I have fairly fat fingers. The only thing is the number keys are offset to the left from the rest of the keys and it sometimes is hard to get centered. Because when you go to where the letter A key should be you end up hitting the windows key. There also at least on my device are no F and J center bumps that allow for easy guidance.
It will take awhile to get used to the device but once I do I feel that this was well worth the purchase.