diNovo Edge Mac Edition vs Apple Wireless Keyboard

[kha0s]

Hello
Last year I got a diNovo Edge for my "Mac Mini powered HTPC". It as worked like a charm since. In fact it has done so well that I decided to get one for my Macbook Pro. After a little fresh research I bumped into the diNovo Edge Mac Edition.

Found a very good comparison of the PC and Mac versions in this engadget article. Besides the Mac specific keys, both versions are basically identical. One quirk I did figure out is that since the Mac version doesn't pack the USB receiver, it will only kick after the OS loads the bluetooth drivers (i.e, say bye-bye to using it in BIOS/Boot CDs envinronments).

I thoroughly tested my Mac Mini diNovo Edge on Mac and Windows environments. It worked flawlessly on both. I was a little suspicious if the same would apply to the Mac version, but after reading a bunch of reviews about it, it seems that as long as you stay miles away from Logitech's proprietary drivers, everything should be nice and dandy.

Anyone with hands-on experience with the diNovo Edge Mac Edition? If so, do you recommend it? If not, what else it out there in terms of sleek bluetooth keyboards (Apple Wireless Keyboard)?

Thanks in advance

 

[kha0s]

My "diNovo Edge Mac Edition" arrived a couple days ago. Decided to put together a little review about it. Hope it's helpful for anyone that shares my initial "diNovo Edge Mac Edition vs Apple Wireless Keyboard" dilemma.

As mentioned in my first post, I've purchased this keyboard to use with my MacBook Pro. Since I use BootCamp to dual-boot LEOPARD and WINXP, I was somewhat concerned it wouldn't work under Windows. Couldn't have been more wrong!
The winning streak started soon during unpacking since, much for my surprise, my unit actually shipped with e "USB Mini-Receiver". Besides opening the door to "non-bluetooth-built-in" systems, this also meant the workability under Windows was pretty much assured. Some quick field-tests confirmed just that. It worked seamlessly under both OSs.
On the LEOPARD side, you get "passkey protected bluetooth connectivity" and basic functionality out the box. After installing the latest version of LCC, I've managed to get every single bell and whistle working. The corrosive bad press about LCC out there made me very reticent to install it. Nonetheless, it seems this latest version addressed many of the previous issues. So far I have no complaints about it.
On the WINDOWS side, bluetooth didn't work at first. After some extra research, the solution was found on this thread. The catch is that, although you can indeed get bluetooth working, there's seem to be no way to get a "passkey protected" connection. It only works in "no passkey" mode. It's also worth mentioning that the "Eject" key doesn't work. That said, everything else works like a Swiss clock! The TouchDisc, Volume slider, Media keys and Sleep button all work. Even the "Front Row" key works (launches Windows Media Player). I've used "SharpKeys" to create a "Windows friendly" layout (Left CMD->Left Control, Right CMD->Windows Key).

Bottom line: the right software and configurations will get you a keyboard that works flawlessly on both Mac and Windows! Here's a roundup of the steps required for achieving that:

MAC SETUP (tested under Leopard)
1 - Download and install the latest version of LCC (tested v3.2)
2 - Use "DoubleCommand" to map the "Shift+backspace-delete" combination to work as "forward-delete" (I've found this combo handier to use than the native "forward-delete button").

WINDOWS SETUP (tested under Windows XP)
1 - Check out this thread to learn the procedure for setting up a working bluetooth connection (no passkey).
2 - Use "SharpKeys" to create a "Windows friendly" keyboard layout.

Like many reviewers out there have noted, the "space" key, much in dissonance with the rest of the keyboard, is pretty noisy and feels pretty cheap. The good news is that you'll be to dazzled with the rest of the keyboard to pay any attention to it, .

The "diNovo Edge Mac Edition" is, by a clear mile, the best keyboard out there for the Mac. For reasons I can't fully grasp, Logitech has decided to discontinue this great keyboard. Get yours while you still can!

 

[chrispholt]

Do you know where I can buy this in the UK?

Thanks

 

[chrispholt]

Anyone?

 

[oldweirdharold]

I bought the diNovo Edge for Mac for my 15" MBP setup with Dell U2410 monitor. What I really wanted was a single consolidated keyboard like on a notebook where I had the track pad right next to the keys, so I didn't have to keep taking my hand off the keyboard.

I found the touch pad on the DiNovo Edge to be very user-unfriendly. Very unsatisfying compared with my MBP track pad. Also I kept hitting "return" accidentally by tapping the button. So I bought a magic mouse (which I like). Now I had this keyboard with a huge footprint, so I had to reach WAAAY over to the mouse. Ended up buying the basic Apple wireless keyboard, b/c it has a very small footprint and I am much more satisfied with the ergonomic experience (even though I don't love the feel of the Apple keyboard -- too shallow buttons) and a very clean desktop. So far the best solution for me.

Would love an integrated Apple wireless keyboard / track pad or even a smallish separate bluetooth track pad.

 

[kha0s]

The diNovo Edge Mac Edition was released exclusively in the US. This means it isn't available on your off-the-self European retailer. I got mine from eBay. Amazon.com is also worth checking out. They have it on sale but there are some uncanny "destination address" restrictions for this specific product.

Cheers

 

[chrispholt]

The diNovo Edge Mac Edition was released exclusively in the US. This means it isn't available on your off-the-self European retailer. I got mine from eBay. Amazon.com is also worth checking out. They have it on sale but there are some uncanny "destination address" restrictions for this specific product.

Cheers

That sucks! Does anyone know why they discontinued it, doesn't seem like there isn't a market pull.