Illuminated Keyboard is Comfortable

The Logitech Illuminated Keyboard is about as simple as it gets, so you get no built-in USB ports, scroll dials, or any of the other features in more expensive devices such as the Logitech G15.

Instead, for $80 it offers a sexy, quiet keyboard with a very minimalist design that looks just as good as it performs. If you're a night owl gamer or just want an attractive, comfortable input device, the Logitech Illuminated Keyboard is an outstanding choice.

The keyboard has a very subtle, professional appearance; aside from the extremely thin 9.3mm profile, the entire keyboard is black with a small clear plastic border that doesn't serve a purpose other than to highlight the flat surface of the keys.

A built-in wrist rest fixed beneath the keys is covered in a soft rubber material to prevent your hands from slipping while you type. After using the keyboard for a few days, the natural oil on our hands made small prints on the wrist rest, creating blotches that marred the otherwise clean design.

Underneath the keyboard, you'll find two small plastic feet that extend from the base, letting you slightly angle the keyboard forward. Finally, as the title says, the keyboard comes with embedded microlens reflectors under each individual key that produce a light-blue backlit effect. You can adjust the intensity of the light to three predetermined settings; you can also turn it off, if you so choose.

The keyboard is plug-and-play, so you don't have to install drivers, but if you want to specify macros or customize any of the 12 shortcut keys, you need to install Logitech's SetPoint 4.6KB software.

The included CD lets you designate each key to perform a variety of functions including opening a Web page, showing a custom menu, opening a specified file, or launching a program. The SetPoint desktop software also includes a help center that contains tips on how to get the most comfortable experience out of the Logitech keyboard.

Similar to Logitech's higher-end diNovo Edge, the Illuminated Keyboard features Logitech's PerfectStroke key design. PerfectStroke allows for 3.2mm of space between each key and uniform tactile feedback across the entire flat key surface.

In practice, the key response is similar to that of an IBM Thinkpad laptop. If you're used to typing on a regular keyboard with concave keys, the Illuminated Keyboard will be an acquired taste. Your accuracy might suffer in the interim, but we found ourselves typing significantly faster after less than a week of using it.

Although it is undoubtedly attractive and works well, the Logitech can use some improvement in the hardware design. First, the keyboard lacks the extra USB ports that we typically see on keyboards at this price. We complained about the Logitech G15's outdated USB 1.1 ports, so we have to ding Logitech again for not even including one port into this design.

Granted, the keyboard's slim profile doesn't allow for much room for hardware extensions, but we'd sacrifice a slightly thicker housing for the increased functionality. We're also disappointed to see that the keyboard uses USB 2.0 instead a wireless RFID transmitter for connectivity.

The clean aesthetic of the keyboard is almost spoiled by the unsightly gray wire protruding from the top, but if you're a closet gamer you'll appreciate the accuracy you get in a wired set up.

For your consideration, the Saitek Eclipse II Illuminated Keyboard is another illuminated keyboard that came out two years ago for $70. Its price is now down to $45; the Logitech is almost double the price, and we're quick to complain about its lack of features, but we think the higher price is justified by its elevated comfort and modern style

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OutCast offers top-notch wireless sound

Soundcast Systems focuses its efforts on a very limited line of wireless audio products and it shows: the company consistently earns praise for its top-notch wireless sound quality.

Competitive pricing, however, is not Soundcast's strong suit, and the OutCast is no exception.

This $700 weatherproof, wireless speaker setup is definitely not your average iPod speaker, but that's a good thing. It's innovative, extremely easy to use, and offers great sound quality.

It could use some help in the looks department, though.

The Soundcast OutCast includes two main parts: the speaker unit and an iCast, which contains the wireless transmitter and acts as a base station for your iPod or other audio source.

The iCast is a rather compact and nondescript-looking device that's shaped like a crescent moon lying face down and colored in computer white, muted gray, and a bit of neon green. A cradle that fits any dock-connecting iPod is built into the top, while a port for attaching other audio sources is housed in the back.

Soundcast includes both an RCA-to-minijack cable and a minijack-to-minijack cable for connecting various devices. There's also a power input and a channel switch, which allows the iCast to transmit to one of three possible receivers. One of these is the included speaker, but Soundcast also makes a couple standalone receivers that can be purchased separately.

The OutCast speaker unit is patently not compact, nor is it the most stylish piece of audio equipment we've come across. That's not to say it's ugly, per se; rather, it has a nondescript look that will probably blend into most patio or garage settings nicely. However, it showed dirt and scuff marks very easily after just one jaunt outside (black would have been a better color option). And we'd be remiss if we failed to mention that several observers at our test site asked if it was a diaper genie.

Namely, the OutCast is huge (it measures about 25-inches tall and 10-inches in diameter) and cylindrical, and it weighs 40 pounds. Thus, despite the fact that it's battery operated, it's not precisely portable; in other words, you can move it from place to place if needed, but you probably won't want to do it often.

The good: The Soundcast OutCast speaker system is extremely innovative, featuring a weatherproof and completely wireless design that's a snap to set up.

The included base station offers an iPod dock as well as multiple other audio-connection options; the transmitter works on a proprietary 2.4GHz frequency and can send a signal several hundred feet away; the speaker unit has a rechargeable, user-replaceable battery; wired and wireless audio quality is impressive.

The bad: The Soundcast OutCast is expensive and the speaker unit is large and heavy, which limits portability; the design is nondescript to the point of lacking any style.

The bottom line: The Soundcast OutCast speaker system is an excellent--though expensive--choice for those who want all the benefits of great-sounding, outdoor wireless audio without the hassles of tricky setup and weather-damaged equipment.

Specs: Type of speaker: indoor / outdoor; Amplification type: Active

All this heft bodes well for durability, and also suggests that the OutCast is of the quality that the price tag implies. Of course, the niftiest aspect of the OutCast's design is its ability to be completely wireless and weatherproof. Once you charge up the battery (rated for 10 hours) and close the port flaps, the speaker can withstand a healthy dose of wet while receiving wireless audio from the iCast, which can be up to 350 feet away, inside and out of the elements.

The OutCast features an array of buttons on the top, including play/pause and track shuttle keys that can be used to control an iPod docked in the iCast. There are also power and volume buttons, as well as a key that controls a blue ambient light at the bottom of the speaker.

The OutCast can be used as a standalone speaker as well, though that takes away from its water-resistance, since the audio-in port must be uncovered in order to connect a source.

Setting up the OutCast couldn't be simpler. The first thing you'll need to do is install the OutCast's battery, which is a bit of a chore and requires a screwdriver, but it's not a difficult process.

Then, just plop your iPod into the iCast, connect the power cable, make sure the iCast and OutCast are on the same channel, and hit play. Music pumps out immediately. The playback controls on the speaker work just fine, though the response delay increases the further the speaker is from the base.

The wireless performance in general is great: no hiccups from more than 100 feet away through several office walls.

The star of the show, though, is sound quality. The OutCast features four 3-inch tweeters, which are arranged around the center of the speaker in order to output sound in all directions. There's also a 100-watt digital amplifier and an 8-inch downward firing subwoofer. This means that music not only gets exceptionally loud, it also offers truly powerful bass--you can feel it thumping in your chest (the true test of any good speaker, in our book).

Audio is expansive, encompassing, and clear--all things we expect from a unit in this price range. If you're looking for an easy way to port impressive wireless audio from your living room to your patio, the

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