Logitech Notebook Kit MK605

This kit is made up of three parts: a K340 keyboard an M505 mouse (see inset) and a stand for your laptop. This stand is not assigned. It's simply there hold the computer so you can slant it as you see best, notably to get the screen at the right height for your eyes.

It's a pretty good idea. You get home with your computer under your arm. You put it on its stand and, without having to play around, you can sit down to work or some gaming, now using the keyboard/mouse kit, rather than the little laptop keyboard and touchpad.

The stand first

The stand folds easily and it's easy to set it to the height you want. It's perfect for a netbook or for 14 or 15 inch laptops. We would avoid putting anything more than 3 kilos (15 to 17 inches) on it. We're not sure the system would stand it - balance might also be an issue.

It's a shame all the same that you can't link it to the computer's USB to assign it and provide additional USB ports. This would be very useful for a netbook.

The keyboard

What a paradox: they give you a keyboard for better ease-of-use compared to the one on your laptop, but in reality, you won't gain much by the exchange. The keys are small, narrower than usual. The arrow keys are only half-height and are quite impractical.



Keying is noisy and rather stiff. The space bar sounds like it's springing back each time you press it down.

Again, here's a photo to illustrate something that should be self-evident by now:


When will the mania for glossy plastics be over? Here's what the keyboard looked like after a few minutes of use. Housework addicts may like it, but the rest of us!