Logitech releases new keyboard and VoIP headset

The keyboard includes a communications panel and a media panel. There is a button dedicated to activate Internet calls and another one programmable to activate a specific search engine. A touch-sensitive slider for zooming has an adjacent button that returns the window to 100 percent. Another button lists current open applications and windows, and lets people switch between them. That button is compatible with the Flip3D feature in Microsoft's upcoming Vista operating system, according to Logitech. The keyboard also has a digital display that lists the time, the date and the keyboard's battery life.

Both the keyboard and mouse are made of Logitech's new AgIon material which, according to Logitech, is resistant to bacteria, mold and mildew. The keyboard also comes with a rubber grip and palm rest.

Another product, the Logitech EasyCall Desktop, is a keyboard/headset/mouse/speakerphone combo geared toward those who make Internet phone calls. The set will retail for $129.99 in the U.S., and be available in both the U.S. and Europe in mid-September. The headset is specifically designed to eliminate echoes sometimes heard in Internet calling, according to Logitech.