The Logitech EasyCall Desktop is a bit of everything. Part wireless keyboard and mouse, part music manager, part speakerphone, and part Skype manager. But is the sum greater than the parts? Skype Gear's got its hands on one and it could be just the thing for anyone who likes everything quite literally at their fingertips. Read on for full details...

First Impressions

Out of the box it's easy to see what makes the Logitech stand out from your common-or-garden wireless keyboard. The striking part is the little understated pyramid-shaped speaker. This is the what holds the whole thing together: connected to the USB port on the host computer, not only acting as the speakerphone for Skype calls, but also as the wireless hub for the keyboard and mouse. It also has all the buttons you need to place, end and mute calls as well as control volume. This neat design means you gain a speakerphone on the desktop, without adding any more clutter.

In use

Once the software's installed, the little green light on the speakerphone/hub lets you know you're in business. We're used to multi-function keyboards by now, but there is a tendency for manufacturers to put so many buttons on them that you can't see the wood for the trees. Logitech have sensibly paired down the functionality, and even I managed to quickly catch on that it's left hand side for music, right for Skype, top for volume or to open a browser. It also has 4 function keys you can set for frequently used Skype contacts.

Extending my left little finger 3 inches to the left and pressing the media button fires up the default media player, with the usual buttons to play/pause/skip or shuffle tracks.

Using Skype

Making a call involves stretching your right little finger about 5 inches to the right and pressing the 'S' button on the keyboard, scrolling to the contact you want and pressing the green call button. It can all be done without lifting your hands from the keys. Magically, your music is muted whilst you're on the call. The moment you hang up, the music resumes. This can be a bit weird at first: when on shuffle sometimes you pause in the middle of a track from the dustiest corner of your hard disk, have a long call, forget all about what you were listening to, and then wonder why Dolly Parton bursts out of your speakers as soon as you say goodbye to your colleagues at the end of a conf call. Once you get used to it though, it's very cool indeed.

The call quality through the speaker is very solid indeed, especially in the mid-range, with no background hiss which may or may not be due to Logitech's RightSound™ ambient noise reduction. I tried moving right across the room to make calls, and my colleagues didn't seem to have any trouble picking me up (in a manner of speaking...!). The supplied headset has a responsive mic and is of the 'wrap round the ears with the bar going round the back of your neck' type, which is my preferred type although this is very much down to personal preference.

The mouse also deserves a quick nod of appreciation. Beyond it's attractively chunky ergonomics, it has some neat buttons on top which allow you to zoom in in whichever app you happen to be using. This works great for design programs, but can also be used for web browsers, word processors and so forth.

Verdict

There's a truth universally acknowledged in design that designing inclusively, with the needs of disabled people at the heart of the design (sometimes called 'Universal design') can actually lead to great products as it makes designers to really think about how people interact with technology. For me, the Logitech Easycall Desktop really embodies this. I could actually keep touch typing, flick tracks on the music I was listening to, and place a call, all just through touch. Equally, being able to zoom in on web pages is great, but normally involved flicking through menus on Internet Explorer or memorising shortcut combinations. The Logitech mouse puts this right at underneath your finger, and will be valued by anyone who finds themselves squinting at the screen from time to time.

All of these features are nice, but without a quality speakerphone this would be nothing more than a fancy keyboard/mouse combo. Fortunately Logitech haven't forgotten this, and this really is a very good speaker, especially considering the £89.99 price tag.

The Logitech Easycall Desktop is Skype certified and available now from the Skype Shop in the UK, or in the European one here, or via stores such as Computer Brain in the US for $112.89 plus p&p. For more info check out ZDNet's excellent review.