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Videoconferencing Headed for the Mainstream

Paul Lilly — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 07:03:21 -0600

Recent maneuvers by networking bigwigs Cisco and Logitech seem to indicate that videoconferencing technology may be headed towards the mainstream market. That hasn't been the case up to this point, as high prices and somewhat complicated equipment have relegated virtual face-to-face meetings to enterprise applications.

But that's rapidly changing. Cisco, Logitech, and a handful of smaller companies have been wheeling and dealing with a focus towards morphing the market into a mainstream gold rush. Cisco, for example, increased its $3 billion bid for Tandberg to roughly $3.4 billion in an attempt to entice investors who felt that the original bid wasn't enough. In addition, Cisco is expected to introduce a consumer-level videoconferencing product at CES this January, Businessweek reports.

Logitech meanwhile has opend up its purse and will pay $405 million for LifeSize Communications, a company which makes high-end HD videoconferencing equipment.

By themselves, each deal isn't particularly telling, but when looking at the overall picture, it appears imminent that videoconferencing is headed towards becoming a natural part of business, both big and small, with the cost of entry on its way to being removed as a barrier.

Image Credit: nextlevel4success.com

Logitech Moves into Video Conferencing with $400 Million Acquisition

Paul Lilly — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 07:05:06 -0600

Logitech announced it has agreed to acquire LifeSize Communications, a privately held company specializing in high-definition video conferencing equipment, for $405 million in cash. The deal gives Logitech instant access to some 9,000 video conferencing customers across 80 countries in businesses both big and small.

"We expect this acquisition to enable Logitech to extend our leadership in video communication beyond the desktop," said Gerald P. Quindlen, Logitech president and chief executive office. "Together we can make life-like, HD-quality video communication as mainstream and seamless as a telephone, for meeting participants in the boardroom, at their office desk, in a remote-location meeting room, telecommuting from, or on the go with a laptop."

Logitech said it plans for LifeSize to continue to operate as a separate division under the direction of Craig Malloy, the start-up's co-founder and CEO.

The deal also thrusts Logitech into direct competition with market heavyweights such as Cisco, Microsoft, HP, IBM, and others. Cisco especially will be one to look out for, as the company just recently announced it would spend $3 billion acquiring Tandberg, a Norwegian video communications company, following share holder approval.

Logitech G500

Will Smith — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 22:00:00 -0600

This throwback laser mouse is sure to please fans of the classic MX518

At first glance, Logitech’s new G500 mouse looks like yesterday’s model. Its chassis is almost identical to the classic G5, which was in turn a slight redesign of the MX510/518 series. The G500 takes the classic hump design of the MX510/518 and updates the sensor with one similar to the sensor used in the newer G9x line of mice. That’s very nice.

When we say the same laser sensor as the G9x, we really mean that Logitech included an ever-so-slightly upgraded version of the G9x’s sensor. The G500’s adjustable sensor lets you select a setting from 200–5,700dpi, while the G9x limits you to 200–5,000dpi. This isn’t really a significant upgrade, as even the 5,000dpi setting is unplayable outside the small subset of games that let you set an incredibly low sensitivity. Still, we love the silky-smooth action of this mouse.

Logitech's G500 gaming mouse takes the gamer-friendly sensor of the G9x and puts it in a mouse reminiscent of the classic MX518.

With five programmable buttons, plus the clicky mouse-wheel, there are plenty of options for the button-crazed gamer. We’re not necessarily fans of the triple thumb-button cluster, though; it sacrifices simplicity and the ability to instantly know which button you’re pressing for an extra button that we rarely use. Still, players of macro-friendly games—like RTSes and World of Warcraft—will find that it’s simple to program, although getting the timing perfect can be tricky. We absolutely love that the switch that alternates the mouse wheel between its detente-less smooth scroll setting and the more traditional one-click stop setting is squarely front and center—on top of the mouse, directly below the scroll wheel. However, its placement does mean that it’s possible to accidently click should you lose your grip.

Like the other G-series mice from Logitech, the G500 includes a weight tray, allowing you to customize the weight of your mouse in increments of 2g or 5g. Additionally, like the G9 and G9x, you can store profiles containing everything from button assignments to dpi and mouse polling settings on the mouse. This lets you utilize your custom profiles on whatever computer you’re playing on. This is perfect for LAN parties, where you may or may not be competing on a computer you built. While you can save multiple profiles on the G500, you can’t manually switch between them on the mouse itself. It’s a minor feature, but something we liked with the G9-series mice. We were able to set as many as five different sensitivity settings in the Logitech control panel app, but we couldn’t access more than three in our tests with the actual hardware. Which three could we use? No idea, the mouse simply tells you whether you’re using the slow, medium, or fast setting, without displaying the actual dpi setting you’re using.

Where does that leave the G500? While we love the classic shape of the G500, we miss the G9-series’ ability to switch between profiles using just the mouse. If you absolutely detest the shape and interchangeable bodies of the G9 mice, this is an acceptable rodent. However, if you can adjust to the G9x, it’s a superior product.

Logitech Speaker System Z520

Michael Brown — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:30:39 -0600

Damn-good cheap speakers

We haven’t auditioned many cheap speaker systems lately. Why? Well, let’s just say we don’t enjoy subjecting our ears to the sonic equivalent of waterboarding. But Logitech has a knack for packing big sound into inexpensive boxes, so we agreed to review its new two-channel Z520 system.

You’ll have to decide for yourself if the Z520 system’s $130 price tag really puts it in the “cheap” category, and we imagine the folks at Logitech will cringe to hear us describe them as such; but you can cut only so many corners before we begin to ask, “Why bother?” Judging by these speakers’ performance, Logitech’s engineers know just how low they can go.

When we see small speakers, we usually pigeon-hole them as near-field monitors: short-throw speakers that produce a small stereo soundstage that collapses as soon as you move more than three feet away from the cabinets. There’s nothing inherently wrong with near-fields, especially in a PC environment, but they have their limitations. So we were surprised to hear Logitech boast that the Z520 could provide a “great listening experience throughout the room.” We decided to put that claim to the test as soon as we took the speakers out of the box.

An auxilary input on the side of the right cabinet can accommodate an MP3 player; there's a headphone output there, too.

We connected the set to Asus’s kick-ass two-channel soundcard, the Xonar Essence STX, which meant we had to find an adapter to convert the speakers’ six-foot hardwired cable. The cable ends in a 1/8-inch stereo plug, but the soundcard’s jacks are stereo RCA. The six-foot cable connecting the left speaker cabinet to the right, which houses the amp, is hardwired to the left cabinet. We realize that renders setup fairly idiot-proof, but it also limits where you can put the speakers.

We played a number of tracks that we’d ripped from CD and encoded in FLAC, starting with an old favorite: Joe Jackson’s “Rant and Rave” from his Blaze of Glory release. We expected the speakers to be bright, since there’s no subwoofer (and no way to add one), but we were pleasantly surprised with their range and definition. Listen to a song like this on most inexpensive speaker systems and the acoustic piano, horns, and vocals will peel your ear drums. The Z520 produced the congas, acoustic piano, trumpet, and vocal as thoroughly distinct elements. The system even delivered respectable bass response from its three-inch woofers, without having to resort to devices such as reflex ports and passive radiators. The cabinets are fabricated from thick plastic and flare out with a wide bottom that renders them very stable. There’s not enough bass here to satisfy hardcore gamers or movie buffs; but for the price, we think most music listeners will be satisfied.

The Z520’s integrated amp produces just 26 watts per channel, so don’t expect it to fill a large room with sound, especially if you’re throwing a party. With the volume control knob turned about three-quarters full, however, it did manage to fill our 14x8-foot home office. But the speaker’s ability to present a stereo image almost anywhere in the room is what really impressed us; in fact, the soundstage didn’t begin to decay until we were standing at a nearly 90-degree angle to the speakers. Remarkable.

Logitech Announces Gaming Keyboard G110

Bart Salisbury — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:21:55 -0500

It’s not going to help my game, but it just might yours: Logitech has introduced a new gaming keyboard, the G110. The G110 takes a big numerical leap over the Logitech’s existing G15 and G19 keyboards, and comes with some interesting new features--new for Logitech anyhow.

The G110 personalization starts with backlit keys, in your choice of red, blue, or any combination of red and blue (which makes purple!). There are 12 programmable “G-keys” and three “M-keys” which allow you to assign up to 26 single keystrokes, multi-key macros, or complex LUA scripts for each game you play. Logitech’s contribution to the keyboard arms race is the inclusion of integrated USB audio, simplifying the hook-ups for in-game chatter.

Logitech expects to have the G110 in the stores in November for a suggested retail price of $79.99.

Image Credit: Logitech

Logitech G19 Gaming Keyboard

Logan Decker — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 14:44:38 -0500

Bringing out the big guns

If you ask a gun enthusiast why he needs that M4 SOPMOD to hunt squirrel, you’re asking the wrong question. It’s not that the average squirrel in the Adirondacks is on PCP and likely to require two magazines to put down; it’s that the M4 SOPMOD is a fine and uniquely crafted weapon regardless of whether it ever sees action worthy of its true potential. So, please, don’t ask us why you’d want to spend $200 on a keyboard with up to 36 macros available across 12 programmable macro keys (recordable on the fly from the keyboard itself), customizable keyboard backlighting, and even a 320x240 color display. If you’re a gamer, understand that you’re buying more power than you may ever need, but absolutely should have.

The key action is cush and quiet (preferred by most gamers and characteristic of Logitech’s boards), and the plastic is smooth yet never slippery beneath sweaty digits. The keyboard itself includes a hardware switch to disable the Windows key, and both macro and function keys are slightly elevated for easier nailing. We appreciate the slightly larger than usual Mute button below the media control keys to the upper right, and love the barrel-style volume control (if only it were reprogrammable for use as a scrubber or dial).

The G19 keyboard is sweet, but it ain't cheap.

The 2.5-inch tiltable LCD is surprisingly crisp and bright—certainly good enough for movies and recorded TV and whatever else you’ve got in your My Videos folder. The bundled applications for the LCD (including an image viewer, RSS feed and POP3 displays, and CPU utilization monitor) work right out of the box and—unlike your second monitor—independently from the OS. They’re also navigable from the keyboard itself, so you don’t have to Alt-Tab out of a game to fast-forward through a TV show or read the story behind a headline, for instance. Of course, games may also use the auxiliary display (and the ones that do, do so automatically—nice), but this support must be provided by the developer, and the list of games remains fairly modest. Sure, it’s easy to think of the display as a superfluous and expensive feature, but once you’ve passed a few moments during a long jaunt or loading screen by reading email or watching YouTube, a keyboard without an auxiliary screen seems like a pet with one eye; still lovable, but a bit sad.

So much attention was paid to detail (macros, for example, can record up to five simultaneous key presses, and the keyboard still works if you don’t plug in the power adapter for the display) that it’s strange that the G19 lacks adjustable risers, or headphone/mic jacks next to the dual USB 2.0 ports. But those are annoying but manageable deficits in an otherwise precise and beautifully executed slab of overkill.

Logitech Releases Rechargeable Remote

Paul Lilly — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 08:30:13 -0500

Forget about fumbling for batteries in your kitchen junk drawer once your remote loses its juice. If you owned Logitech's new Harmony 700, you could just plug it into the wall with the included adapter to bring it back to life. According to Logitech, the Harmony 700 can go several weeks between charges.

Other tricks include one-click activity buttons for tasks such as "Watch a DVD," a color LCD screen, support for more than 5,000 brands and over 225,000 devices, online setup so you don't have to punch in codes on the remote, and the ability to replace up to six other remotes.

Logitech is taking pre-orders for the $150 rechargeable Harmony, which the company says will ship this month.

Image Credit: Logitech

Logitech Announces G27 Racing Wheel for Die-Hard Fans, People with Too Much Money

Paul Lilly — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 09:45:39 -0500

Whether you lost your license for racking up too many points for speeding and reckless driving or just can't stand to be anywhere else other than behind the wheel, Logitech has you covered. The gaming peripheral company today announced the G27 Racing Wheel, which it says is "designed to deliver the definitive sim racing experience."

For three Benjamins, the G27 will have you gripping tight corners and feeling the road courtesy of a dual-motor force feedback mechanism. A hand-stitched leather wheel helps justify the cost of admission, as does a six-speed gated shifter complimented by a new LED RPM/shift indicator. Other features include steel-constructed gas, brake, and clutch pedals, and more programmable buttons than the G25.

Logitech says the G27 will be available in the U.S. and Europe sometime in September and will work with both PCs and the Playstation 3.

Image Credit: Logitech via Engadget