| Logitech T650 Wireless Touchpad |
| Reviews - Featured Reviews: Input Devices | |
| Written by Tom Jaskulka | |
| Monday, 22 April 2013 | |
Logitech T650 Wireless Touchpad Review
Manufacturer: Logitech International Full Disclosure: The product sample used in this article has been provided by Logitech. With the introduction of Windows 8, Microsoft had done its best to accommodate multiple forms of input. Along with the traditional keyboard and mouse, touch had finally become a "built-in" consideration rather than a tacked-on addition. Helped along by Apple, the rapidly growing mobile device market and proliferation of touch interfaces, touch became a far more commonplace method of interfacing with a computer. Logitech, well known for their peripherals, wasted no time in updating their line of devices with the T650 Wireless Touchpad which Benchmark Reviews will be taking a look at today. There's a good chance if you're reading this, you can look down at your desk and see a Logitech branded device somewhere. Logitech has become a name almost synonymous with "computer peripheral," and for good reason. It shouldn't be that surprising as they've been at it for more than thirty years (about twenty years longer than most of the manufacturers of peripherals I've reviewed lately)! First starting with mice in 1981, they have since developed into a company that distributes products worldwide with offices in the US, Switzerland, China and Japan. Of course, computers (and the way we interact with them) have changed since 1981 and Logitech has been there every step of the way. Still, for thirty years the mouse and keyboard have been the primary way we interact with desktop and laptop computers. What does the T650 Wireless Touchpad accomplish that the mouse cannot? Will touch enabled devices become as mainstream as the mouse? Let's find out.
System Requirements:
Package Contents
Source: Logitech Closer Look: Logitech T650 Wireless TouchpadThere isn't a whole lot to see - we can just get that out of the way right away. The T650 Wireless Touchpad is exactly like you would expect a large touchpad to be: a large, smooth surface that rests at a very slight angle.
The box contains all you'll need to get going. A setup guide, neatly wrapped cable and Logitech Unifying nano-receiver accompany the touchpad itself, all neatly stored in a small package. 
Again, there isn't much to it - the only moving parts are the switch on the side to turn the device on and off, and the "mouse click" rubber pads on the bottom which serve double-duty by keeping the touchpad from sliding around on your desk. The surface has a nice texture to it - if you see a touchpad and immediately think "cheap laptop pointing device, no thanks" you've probably never experienced a glass-covered touchpad.
I've always avoided using laptop touchpads if possible (preferring a mouse instead), but I'd consider using the T650 Wireless Touchpad in lieu of almost any manufacturer's built-in touchpad. It is that much better. Thankfully it is fingerprint resistant as well, an advantage a device like this has over a touchscreen monitor. There is a small built-in LED in the upper right corner that lights up to notify you the touchpad has been turned on and connected; otherwise, it stays off during use.
Another advantage - the T650 Wireless Touchpad is thin. While the width and height still make for a sizeable device, I'm willing to bet this would pack alongside a laptop much more easily than even a mobile mouse. Couple that aspect with the nano receiver and one month (rechargeable) battery life, and you have an effective mobile pointing device as well.
Just under half of an inch at its thickest point, the touchpad almost blends in with your desk as it slopes towards the front. I found this flat surface surprisingly ergonomic; there isn't anything to support your hand, but that means there aren't any awkward shapes or surfaces to hold either. You are free to relax your hand into whatever shape feels most natural to you while using the trackpad (the rest of the time your hands will probably be on the keyboard anyway).
For comparison, here is a photo of the T650 Wireless Touchpad next to a Razer DeathAdder (which uses a very common size and shape). If your hand fits fine on a mouse like the DeathAdder, your finger will probably be able to reach the entire touchpad without moving your palm if it is resting in front of the pad. I found this to be a very usable size, although some of the side-to-side gestures left me wanting a bit more room. Granted, any "taller" and it would be hard to rest your palm without touching part of the pad...but why not a "widescreen" profile to fit the ratio of most LCD monitors today? This would definitely make the T650 feel less cramped when using the four-finger gestures. Logitech T650 Touchpad SoftwareThe T650 Wireless Touchpad will work (with most gestures enabled) without installing the Logitech SetPoint driver. Of course, if you want to customize any aspect of the touchpad's functionality you'll need the driver to do it. Thankfully, the process is simple and straightforward. Logitech has always delivered a pretty good package when it comes to software for the products I've used, and the T650 is no exception. It uses the latest version of the SetPoint software, containing very helpful video demonstrations of the various gestures (a nice touch). All of the following screenshots are taken from the Windows 8 version of SetPoint - the Windows 7 version is similar, with slightly different gestures on the second tab.
This first page is the only one where I had to change a setting from the default. I'm accustomed to tapping two fingers to right click; the default is set to an actual press in the lower right corner of the touchpad. The front two rubber pads underneath serve as mouse "buttons" allowing you to press down anywhere on the entire pad for a left click or in the lower right for a right click. For anyone familiar with Apple's Multi-Touch trackpad on the MacBook series of laptops, the feeling is quite similar. Apple manages to have a slightly crisper click, but the Logitech is right up there (and you'd probably only notice if you compared them side by side).
This tab is where you'll spend a lot of time initially, utilizing the helpful videos embedded by Logitech to learn the various actions required to activate the gestures. If you find that you are accidentally activating a certain gesture, you can turn off individual gestures here.
This is a screenshot of the "Switch Applications" gesture, one of the most useful and helpful abilities of the T650 Wireless Touchpad. This is the Windows 7 version, which activates an Exposé-like display of your open windows. It will helpfully auto size or layer windows as necessary to provide the ability to click on whichever application you'd like to switch to. This is vastly superior to the standard alt-tab shortcut, even the Flip-3D version in Windows 7 (which doesn't exist in Windows 8 - this gesture instead activates the app switcher sidebar in Windows 8). Instead of forcing you to cycle through the running applications, the app switcher allows you to just tap on the one you need. This feature is almost worth the price of admission alone for productivity if you find yourself constantly switching through applications (and wishing alt-tab was a little more powerful).
All scrolling options are enabled by default. Unless you have a mouse with a tilting scroll wheel (that pays the necessary royalties to enable horizontal scrolling), this is a trick the T650 Wireless Touchpad performs that enhances your productivity a noticeable amount over most devices that you may currently be using. The ability to scroll in any direction is available as well through the "Scroll Options" button on this tab. It may seem like a minor addition at first, but navigating through web pages is where this feature really shines. There is something intuitive about most of the gestures, and after a short learning curve you'll find you can perform some real productivity enhancing gestures in tandem with the mouse movements you are used to. Flipping back and forth between web pages, snapping windows to each side of the screen, zooming in and out all become second nature and very fluid. It is nice that the T650 enables all of these features using one device, and really brings out the potential in touch-enabled devices.
The next tab in the SetPoint software just displays some battery information. With a one-month estimated use before the lithium-ion battery needs recharging, you may not need to use this screen very often. If you can't wait for the touchpad to charge, it is perfectly usable wired as well. The final tab launches the Unifying software. Unfortunately, I don't have any other Logitech peripherals on hand to test this feature, but the concept is great - each receiver can "pair" up to six devices. No need to swap out receivers to accommodate more than one Logitech peripheral, and this ensures you can easily integrate the T650 Wireless Touchpad into your current Logitech peripheral setup. Wireless Touchpad Final ThoughtsOver the course of two weeks, I used the T650 Wireless Touchpad for most of the tasks I normally perform on a variety of computers, running both Windows 7 and Windows 8. I tried some photo editing and gaming as well, just to see how it would perform outside of its intended use (amusingly, some online stores have a product page for the T650 Wireless Touchpad that lists "Gaming: No" under the product specifications). Even though it performed admirably in a round of MechWarrior Online, rapidly clicking with any semblance of accuracy is not something touch interfaces are designed for. If you don't currently play games with a touchpad, you won't find anything here that will convince you to start. Photo editing was a little better (scrolling and zooming were much more natural on a touchpad), but clicking and dragging to draw or erase lines was much more difficult (and less precise) than using a mouse - or better yet, a graphics tablet. However, none of those environments are what this device is for. In all honesty, I didn't anticipate the level of productivity the gestures would add for general desktop use - and the real kicker is how fluidly you can activate them with a little practice (without interrupting your workflow). Want to place that spreadsheet on the left side of the screen? Swipe - and there it is. Need to switch back to that tab in Chrome? Swipe and click. Zooming is something I can perform fine on a mouse using the Ctrl key + mouse wheel, but the pinch-to-zoom gesture is one almost everyone is familiar with. Although many of these gestures can also be performed easily with an $80 programmable gaming mouse, I've yet to find a single mouse than can perform all 13 gestures well. The application switcher gesture was especially useful. I would go so far as to say the T650 Wireless Touchpad is a better pointing device for general desktop use than any I've used when the gestures are taken into consideration. 
The T650 really came alive on the Windows 8 platform. Swiping in from the edges activate the various charms and menus in Windows 8, just as you would expect when using a Windows 8 based tablet (the T650 is compatible with Windows RT as well). It is hard to describe, but you can really develop a "flow" when working using a gesture-enabled touchpad. I was able to work for the duration of a normal work day without any discomfort, and soon grew used to the different gestures and their functions. The problem comes when having to perform a precision pointing action (which the T650 manages remarkably well for a touchpad), or clicking and dragging something over a long distance. I'd still choose the Logitech Wireless Touchpad over any laptop touchpad I've used, but I'd keep a mouse close by as well. Even though the T650 Wireless Touchpad is a well-built, quality peripheral backed by a 3-year warranty, there are still some features that could be improved. A slightly wider surface would give the four-finger gestures (maximize/minimize, snap left/right) more space to be performed (I would often run off the pad with these gestures). Adding the ability to program different gestures to whatever features you'd like (macros, etc.) would be incredibly useful as well. Logitech T650 ConclusionI was impressed with the performance of the T650 Wireless Touchpad. From the precision of the tracking to the range of the wireless connection and lack of interference, Logitech certainly brings their thirty years of expertise to this peripheral as well. All of the gestures I tried on both Windows 8 and 7 detected and executed without a problem. It's hard to comment about the appearance of a touchpad. As you can see from the photos, there isn't much to it - although that also means it won't have any polarizing features that some love and others loathe (like many gaming devices). I suppose some might object to the grey? This peripheral blends in with any setup, and does so in a sophisticated yet unobtrusive way. It may not have the all-aluminum construction like another certain multi-touch trackpad, but it still looks and feels like a quality device. Of course, when you're competing almost directly with Apple's design and construction (which is available for a cheaper price, surprisingly - for Mac OS only, of course) it is a tough fight to win unequivocally. The T650 Wireless Touchpad is constructed well. The "click" action of the mouse buttons are precise and tactile. The glass covered surface feels great, and virtually indistinguishable from Apple's vaunted Magic Trackpad surface. Of course, Logitech's offering doesn't come in the same aluminum enclosure (which may or may not be legally possible for them to do anyway). Incidentally, Logitech does offer a Mac OS version of the T650 Wireless Touchpad as well. For a touchpad, the T650 brings a lot of abilities and functionality. As a general use pointing device, the T650 expands on the concept of a mouse and adds gestures to the mix. No longer are you restricted to using two fingers to point and click! Really, this makes quite a bit of sense - why waste your other fingers when they can be just as easily used to navigate? In any case, the ability to navigate around your computer desktop is greatly improved due to the T650 Wireless Touchpad - but it still doesn't replace a mouse for all uses. No need to throw out your gaming mouse...you'll still need it! At the time of this review, the Logitech T650 Wireless Touchpad is on sale at Amazon for $58.10 (Newegg for $79.99). At the full retail price, I'd say it's an expensive secondary pointing device that still has its uses. At the Amazon sale price, I wouldn't have a problem recommending one to someone that is looking for a way to add touch functionality to their desktop or laptop without putting the money down for a touchscreen monitor (for a desktop setting, I think the T650 is superior anyway). I still can't recommend it for gamers or photo/video editing professionals...but those markets already have their specialized input devices. Perhaps it's time that general productivity users get one too! Pros:
+ Allows you to perform many Windows shortcuts from one device Cons:
- Clicking and dragging still a difficult operation to perform on a touchpad Ratings:
Final Score: 8.0 out of 10.COMMENT QUESTION: What would you use the Logitech T650 wireless touchpad for?
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