Logitech mouse and keyboard users are getting a free AI upgrade | Hacker News Reader

Logitech mouse and keyboard users are getting a free AI upgrade

zdnet.com

19 pointsgeox50 comments

> In short, the free software converts the users' keyboard or mouse into a tool with a shortcut to access ChatGPT without upgrading the hardware

Binding a shortcut to an app, breathlessly described as “no hardware upgrade required!”.

The first AI-native mouse!

oh god is AI-native now a thing? Cloud-native was bad enough

Hey it’s more functional than a Humane.

Ugh, I just recently started noticing the G Hub sometimes crashing and restarting itself -- rare, like once or twice a month, but it happens, both on my Mac and Windows machine.

Now AI? Can we also assume we'll get all our keys logged? In the name of the AI progress, naturally.

Nah, I'll go full Chinese keyboards and mice, they at least have 100% hardware controls, no need for software, and you don't have to wait for e.g. Razer's shady software to fully start before your keyboard stops blinking and actually activates the single static color profile you assigned it.

These softwares should have been done once, updated 30-40 times to iron out any bugs, and left alone forever. But of course they'll not be.

The moment my Logitech mice start doing things I don't like, they get sold second-hand. Pretty sure they'll be bought the next day.

Sigh, why, oh why, corporations. Why? Can't you just make it work and leave it alone?

Logitechs best kept secret is that you don't actually need G-Hub to configure their mice, they have a lightweight standalone utility which changes the settings stored on the mouse itself so it doesn't even need to be running most of the time. Windows only, but the settings will persist over to other systems.

https://support.logi.com/hc/en-us/articles/360059641133-Onbo...

Yep, thanks for reminding me, I've been slacking off on removing G Hub.

When I used G-Hub, I could also save to the mouse. I not longer use Windows, but there is also a Linux native program to configure Logitech gaming mouses, Piper. https://github.com/libratbag/piper

Does it work in WINE?

No, thank you. I’ve recently bought a new Logitech mouse. Was using Logitech for decades, G500 series. Their software is doubtful, but was ok to “install, configure mouse and uninstall” routine. But now with Master 3S mouse I need to use Logitech Options Plus app that is terrible. Fix it first and only then roll such doubtful updates

I remember reading someone's conclusion about Logitech accessories several years ago :

"Good hardware, terrible software."

I guess that still holds somewhat true today.

I think that holds true for all good hardware companies, I can't think of a single one that couples it with good software? I suppose some people would argue Apple (I don't agree, love the hardware though) and the further you stray from computers and 'big tech' the worse it gets.

I have a lovely Marantz AVR that has a mediocre onboard menu/settings system (for a start, this is a 4k receiver, maybe we could get the graphics in 1920x1080 at least? The Sony I had for a decade or so prior was the same, just stepped down in both expectation and reality according to age) and a mobile app apparently by a first year intern. Correction, about 5 mobile apps, read the tables in the descriptions for which one you need for your model number, they're all called approximately the same thing. It's one of very few in my 'so bad I just gave up and uninstalled it' category - I even have and use one from some AGIXH type 'brand' thermometer that's fixed to a bizarre resolution/ratio, needs a pull to refresh every time you open it, and refuses to remember that you want your degrees centigrade; just for some perspective on what I'll put up with.

I don’t know why, but hardware companies tend to treat software (and software development in general) as something second-tier, as something they don’t need even to bother about. As the result you can have masterpiece hardware paired with awful software.

They thought that Windows 11 coming with a built-in keyboard shortcut to open LinkedIn was such a great idea, they had to have the same thing in their keyboards? -_-;;

Good old Ctrl+win+alt+shift+L , so convenient.

Frankly, while it’s obviously terrible if you ever want people to actually use it, I’m glad it’s so convoluted because I’d be majorly pissed if some other shortcut I use in some software lead my PC to accidentally also open LinkedIn.

I'm kind of astonished that worked.

The LinkedIn thing was actually also for keyboards - they didn't expect anyone to actually press Shift+Ctrl+Win+Alt+L. Microsofts own branded keyboards have (had?) an "Office" key which was mapped in hardware to be equivalent to pressing Shift+Ctrl+Win+Alt. It honestly wouldn't be surprising if the Copilot key they are forcing on OEMs is just a rebranding of the Office key.

The Copilot key is left shift-Windows-F23. https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/04/shoehorned-windows-c...

Have they built in a keylogger yet? That can't be far behind. In the name of "ai" of course.

It's not a keylogger, it's an AI decision assistant

The keylogger and subsequent profit from selling the passwords we capture is just a small side effect.

"No human eyes will ever read your data"

Well, Facebook has the excuse that Mark Zuckerberg isn't human... considering the lack of empathy maybe all other big tech CEOs aren't either.

I'm worried about data collection...like for every other LLM wrappers but this one is collecting directly from the keyboard. No thanks. I can open a browser tab

I don't think a button that launches ChatGPT is "it" - but I do think we're headed towards a UX that is invoked more often systemwide actions.

Apple had a feature like this, I believe it was inherited from OpenStep, where an application could advertise "services" that would appear system wide. I don't know if it's still a thing, but this workflow of "highlight text and submit to ChatGPT" seems like it would be a good fit.

https://www.macworld.com/article/215544/how-to-use-services-...

I was expecting a keyboard and mouse that would continue sending meaningful input events to my computer after i stop typing / moving the mouse

I want a mouse with a button that automatically headshots in FPSs.

"New Logi AI Prompt Builder is a shortcut to AI fluency for anyone with a Logitech mouse or keyboard compatible with Logi Options+ software who wants easily to access AI's limitless potential"

So apparently my G502 mouse and G512 keyboard are not worthy of being compatible? They could have easily put this as a shortcut inside the G Hub Configuration, but instead it's a new app.

My old MX Master is also not compatible because it uses Logitech Options (not Logi Options+)

It's comical at this point.

This is what happens when too many people are in charge.

Sort of like when Grandma leaves the house to her two children. One of them wants the money, the other is nostalgic and wants to live in it. You will reach a compromise but it is not going to be pretty.

The year is 2024 and all tech companies are required by an unwritten law to have an AI strategy, apparently.

I wonder how long the feature will be free of charge. Maybe OpenAI really wants the data today, or maybe Logitech is paying the bill, but neither will be the case forever.

How does Logitech make money from this? Clearly a feature no one asked for. Although binding an arbitrary app to a button press is something that people do.

The PRrticle omitted the version of Chat GPT. I wonder which version of GPT would inspire it's own omission.

Please don't. I don't want my peripherals with hard-coded shortcuts to other services.

I can see it clearly. Just as a TV remote now has dedicated hardware buttons for Netflix, Disney, Amazon and so on, we will have a Logitech mouse with dedicated button for ChatGPT, Gemini and Copilot!

You were reading my thoughts! I was going to say something about my LG remote having three absolutely useless streaming buttons I cannot change.

The new mouse, which leverages Google AI technology, will come in all colors but white.

Next stop, Logitech operating system.

It already exists! And has a very unfortunate name if you happen to speak french. https://www.logitech.com/en-us/video-collaboration/collabos....

What's unfortunate about the name?

Not OP, but ‘collabos’ was a slang word for ’traitor’, describing French nationals who collaborated with the German military occupiers of France during World War 2 (a synonym for ‘quisling’).

Source:

https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/collabo#French

https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/collaborateur#

Ah the relentless enshittification pressure. Logitech is the new HP

Uh, who ok'd this?

ChatGPT, by convincing the decision makers at Logitech that it'd be a smart business move to integrate it into their products.

I want to believe this doesn’t happen, but it definitely does.

Nice, AI written PR piece about a mouse with an "AI" button.

Oh the AIrony.

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