I've been a longtime user and fan of Microsoft input devices (keyboard/mouse)...pretty much ever since I made the move from Mac to Windows 9 years ago. That era is coming to an end as I'm transitioning over to Logitech hardware in my home office. Whereas Microsoft is all business with a touch of flash and a lot of comfort, Logitech is more about expanded functionality with a lot of flair. In the workplace, I'm sticking with the Microsoft Natural line of products since I do about 10x as much typing and mousing (I do write code for a living after all), plus looks don't really matter. Logitech's latest offerings are pretty damn slick though: I've moved to the MX Revolution wireless mouse (which is rechargeable...earns mucho bonus points), and I haven't quite settled on the specific keyboard since unfortunately all of their good ones are sold as a keyboard/mouse combo, so I'll have to pay extra just to get the keyboard I want. More than likely it will be MX 3200 Laser combo, but it's a shame to have to throw the included mouse in a box.

For anyone who knows me, or has kept up with this blog for a while, you'll notice one glaring thing about the keyboard I mentioned: It's not an ergonomic (aka split) design. I've long extolled the virtues of retraining your fingers on a split style keyboard...the problem is that they take up quite a bit of space and are pretty ugly. The Logitech Wave isn't that bad, but I went and test drove one earlier today and it just looked kind of cheap (the keyboard lettering is kind of cartoony looking...the characters are in boldfaced type), and still wasn't as small as I would have liked. That being said, I'll continue to hang with the big gawdy MS split keyboards at work...the 16 miles a day my fingers travel will thank me later, and I still highly recommend them for any knowledge worker based scenarios.

A couple of years ago, I was all about some big badass keyboards, the geekier looking the better. Now I'm leaning more towards sleek, and something that blends in with my desk rather than comandeering my workspace. Wires used to be cool (the more wires you had sticking out of your desk, the cooler you were right?), now I consider them passe. Also, the wireless transceivers that come with Logitech's wireless products are tiny...about the size of a USB thumb drive. Less clutter since MS's are huge, just one more thing to take up desk space. I used to view Logitech as kind of a toy brand...not to be taken seriously. Their new offerings are definitely changing my mind though. Definitely worth a look if you are in the market for some new input devices.