Home > Consumer Reviews > Logitech S510 Wireless Desktop Keyboard and Mouse Set

Note that there is a Logitech S510 cordless desktop, and also a Logitech S510 media edition cordless desktop. The latter includes a rather cool radio remote control that works through the same hub as mouse and keyboard. In conjunction with the supplied MediaLife software, you can get some way towards Windows Media Centre's capabilities at a fraction of the price. I picked up the media version for discounted price at a local Dixons (spit), I think the Amazon product is the lesser one so it isn't a great deal.

The keyboard has a very low profile and none of the rounded sides that have been popular for the last few years - if you store it on its side, it won't fall over! The action is reasonable and much of the remote's functionality is duplicated on the various extra buttons. There is no indication of shift- or num-lock status beyond a couple of seconds on screen when you change the status. Build quality is good. The letters are placed slightly bottom left on the keys, so if you're typing in a darkened room you might hit the gaps between the keys rather than the keys!

The mouse is symmetrical and should be a compromise between left- and right-hand use, but in practice I find it as comfortable as my ergonomically curved right-handed mouse from an earlier Logitech system. Recent non-budget cordless optical mice have tended to avoid the battery drain issue by including a charging base, which no doubt works well but requires both space and yet another mains socket. The S510 mouse takes a different approach and Logitech claim the supplied Duracell batteries are good for 6 months or more, with a warning light giving 12 days' notice. That's pretty impressive. There are only 2 buttons and scroll-wheel, but the latter has left-right switches too. Underneath there's an on-off toggle to get even more battery life, the connect button, and the sensor. This is unlike any other sensor I've seen in that it doesn't glow red, in fact it doesn't glow at all. Oddly enough, if you pick it up to look, after a fraction of a second a small green light near the sensor comes on - I haven't read what it's for!

The usb end is small, more like a memory stick or usb dongle. In case your usb ports aren't conveniently located, there's also an extender with a small footprint.

First time I plugged it in, mouse, keyboard and remote all started working without so much as a usb hotswap message, albeit without the remote's full functionality. Loading the software required a reboot then everything worked fine. Then after coming out of standby mode a bit later, Windows suddenly identified the usb dongle as a bluetooth device, which according to the specs it isn't; however it reloaded the software and hasn't said anything since.

The whole kit is very nice looking, very well built and handles well. A skype phone on the reverse of the remote would have been icing on the cake! One possible issue: on one occasion I left the PC for a couple of hours, and when I came back I thought it had hung because the mouse and keyboard weren't responding. Reinserting the dongle cured the problem - but I don't know why it happened and I'd be worried if it became a regular occurence.

Botton line - I bought this to replace Logitech's top-of-the-range cordless desktop of 3 years ago, and at half the price this is a far better piece of kit.

Firstly, this keyboard and mouse set does look pretty good with a satin silver and black finish which complements my laptop well. It is a flat design but thankfully does have some feet at the front to enable you to angle the board if you want to. I say thankfully because I hadn't got the feeling from the spec that it would have this and wasn't sure how I'd get on with something which was that flat to the desk. It also has flat ends which means you can store it upright should you want to. The mouse is also very comfortable to use, with the usual on-screen features to adjust settings, and looks to be one of the more expensive Logitech models if bought separately so that's no bad thing.

Installation was easy and the wireless aspect has worked without a hitch with no delay from the keyboard or mouse. The small receiver plugs into a USB socket of a laptop or PS2 socket of a PC and strangely has about a metre & a half of cable attached - not exactly needed if you sit it right next to your laptop/PC but I guess means you could pop the receiver up on a shelf somewhere should you want to. Make sure you know which model of the S510 you are buying - this usual one or the media one which comes with a remote. The software loads up the Logitech Musicbox system on your machine which isn't really required if you already have itunes or Windows Media Player but thankfully uninstalled without any problems.

Only two downsides to this purchase. One is that the keys are a bit 'clunky' - some more than others. I wouldn't let this put you off as otherwise it's all fine but perhaps I was expecting a slightly softer or more cushioned feel to the keystrokes. The other thing is that the first keyboard turned up with about one third of the keys not working - mystifying when on the reverse of the keyboard was the little sticker that said 'Passed' (just trying each key in a word document would have told you it clearly shouldn't have been!). Thankfully Amazon get 5 stars for their very quick and organised replacement system - I reported the issue on the Friday afternoon and had this replacement working on the Monday morning.

Keyboard Plus points - Stylish design, compact, programmable function keys, audio controls, doesn't miss keystrokes (unlike my last wireless desktop), wireless connector is very compact, easy install, good range, quality feel.

Keyboard Bad points - I'll contradict myself by saying the layout may be a tiny bit too compact, they have moved around the configeration of the home/page up etc keys, no caps/scroll/num lock indicator on keyboard (but there is one on the connector and also an option to view onscreen),

Mouse is a little bit small and doesn't have any additional buttons (left click/rightclick/scroll wheel only).
Personally I just use the keyboard with my microsoft explorer 3.0 mouse as I have yet to find a mouse I prefer.

Overall a decent, good looking set - but I would suggest heading to the shops first to have a closer inspection before investing in anything like a keyboard or mouse. Then but online for the price.

Further to Steve's review, although the mouse has only the usual 3 buttons, the scroll wheel can click to the left and to the right, which is just as good really as separate buttons - it's quite useful for scrolling left and right in Excel.
Also a handy feature for the security-conscious - the keyboard can be linked securely via encryption so that others can't snoop in on the keypresses - at least that's the theory.
Mouse is a little thirsty,but there's a button to turn it off - handy after the day's work.

Very little to fault on this. It works pretty well straight from the box - there's a Quick Start card to tell you how to get the thing connected. The media control keys - which are usefully tucked away at the edges and don't dominate as they do some other cordless keyboards - require you to install the software from the CD in the box, but this is painless too.

Typing is comfortable. I find the keys nicely weighted, if just a tiny bit rattly - but then I grew up with 1980s steel-plate IBM keyboards that no-one would pay to build now. It's certainly far more comfortable than even a big laptop's built-in keyboard.

I give this keyboard high marks for its overall design. I like the black and silver finish - although it's only painted plastic and does attract dust - and the slim case and square edges, which make it easy to store out of the way when necessary. And three months in, it's still on its first set of batteries.

I like the mouse less, although it's not bad - I just find the angular sides fit my hand less well than a rounded Microsoft mouse. It tracks and scrolls well enough, though, and the sideways scrolling feature is useful for photo editing and spreadsheets.

You can spend a lot more than this on a cordless desktop set, but I'm not sure why you'd want to. I've docked it one star for its assorted minor imperfections but it's well worth the other four.