Logitech G11 Gaming Keyboard (Black/Silver)
by Logitech
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Our Price: $94.99 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: CE See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Logitech G11 Gaming Keyboard (Black/Silver)
Customer Review: Huge Logitech fan: Disappointed
Summary: 2 Stars
Logitech G Series Keyboard - G11
If this were a standard keyboard, I would rate it at about 4 out of 5. However, it is not. It is marketed as a gaming keyboard and coming from Logitech, I expected better. In my opinion, they dropped the ball on this one.
I was going to write this in a PRO vs CON format but I realized that I'm not so good with that, so I'll just speak of my experience.
The first thing I noticed about this keyboard when I got it out of the box was it's size. Not real thick, but it's got a sizable footprint. I would not have been able to use it on this desk with my old CRT monitor.
Plugging it in and installing the software was a snap. The hardest part was feeling around the back of the computer to find an empty USB port. As soon as I plugged it in, BAM! Pretty blue glow. The problem with the pretty blue glow is the fact that it has two settings. Dim and not quite as dim. Seriously, the light from my monitor washes out the light from the keys. The characters on the keyboard are not reflective. They are simply translucent so as to allow light to pass through. So... with the backlight turned off, you can't see anything unless you have a light on. Which kind of defeats the purpose of a back lit keyboard.
Another minor issue I have is the fact that the elevation feet on the bottom are too short. Even the old Compaq keyboard I used to use at work had nested feet so you pick the height that was comfortable.
It does have a couple of USB ports along the back edge, which could come in handy. There are some music player controls up top, too. Seems to be the best lit area of the keyboard, as well. They're where the LCD screen is on the G15, if anyone cares... Another nice feature is the Windows button lockout switch. Handy. Could have really used that in days gone by.
Of course the meat of the argument against is within the software. On the surface, one would be amazed at the potential power of the innocuous little G keys. And I really wanted to be amazed. Instead, I'm disappointed.
My first "Ooh! Ahh!" moment came when I fired up the software and it went out and discovered a game that it already had a profile for. Awesome. To bad it doesn't work. Doesn't matter if I use the canned profile, record my own within the profile manager or create a quick macro from within the application. It either doesn't function at all or if it does, it does so improperly.
The game in question is the Sims 2. So if you're a fan, you can follow along. My intent was to macro-ize several of the boolProp codes for building. I mean, you decide. Would you want to type:
boolProp constrainFloorElevations false
or
G2
Pretty much a no brainer. Again with the wishing it would work.
I could go into even more boring details of my attempts, but suffice it to say that I didn't just try one method and give up. I'm a pretty tenacious person and I just couldn't make it work.
Bottom line is that I bought this keyboard specifically for the ability to run macros at the touch of a key and I can't. At least not in the applications that I really want to. The macros for Firefox work great, but they don't really save me a lot of effort.
If I find a game that the macros will actually work in then I will be much kinder, but because of it's current limitations, it will never get top marks from me.
5/10 but since the rating is 1-5 and I can't make a half star: 2/5
Customer Review: Not as great as I had hoped.
Summary: 3 Stars
After a lot of research on the web I decided to buy the G11. The features important to me were the macro keys, usb ports, and volume control.
Macros keys: Their position takes some getting used to. I had thought having them nested together might actually be useful, and it may turn out that way after some practice.
Software: The keyboard itself works fine without drivers and I was able to get into my computer bios right out of the box (that may depend on your motherboard though). I didn't even open the software I just went directly to Logitechs website and downloaded the latest. Quick and simple install, no trouble. The macro key utility looks pretty staight forward, I didn't even read the instructions I just started saving macros.
USB: It has 2 USB 1.0 ports (that's slow). I have NO idea why they wouldn't design it with 2.0 ports, but I knew it before buying. I have a high speed hub if it gets too annoying. The good news is it works with my Dynex SD card reader so far. No more searching for an open USB port on the computer. The bad news is I wouldn't expect anything to work that needs more power. Eventually I'm going to try using a PS2 adapter to the motherboard and see if the macro keys still work, obviously the USB won't, but since they're so slow it's no big loss.
Keys: They're quiet. I'm not a typist but the response feels pretty good to me. I'm not making anymore mistakes than normal, so it's an improvement over my old M$ KB.
Backlighting: Here's were we go downhill fast. I'm VERY disappointed with the backlighting. The brightest setting is VERY dim. You get dim, dimmer, off. During the day, it's difficult to see the letters because it's washed out blue on black keys. This is by far the biggest disappointment and I may even decide to return it because of this alone.
Volume control: It has one, but it's not very easy to use. Like others have said, it's mounted flush. So there's nothing to grip, only your finger pressure to try to turn a "knob" about the size of a quarter. I'm not overly concerned because if I find it useful (it does work) I'll simply change the knob or glue another knob on top. It takes about one full turn to go from min to max. On the plus side, there is a Mute button.
Multimedia: These are my least used keys so it figures these are the brightest. They're also the loudest and have the cheapest feel, they actually click when pressed. They're rather annoying if you're looking for a song or video by pressing the next key. The clicking will make you grab for the mouse to continue your search.
Wrist rest: I didn't even attach it. I've NEVER found them comfortable on ANY KB. It looks nice, but it's just less room for my mouse. And again, like others said, the feet don't actually raise the KB very much at all, it's still pretty flat.
There is a Windows Key deactivation button for gamers. I'm not a gamer so I'll just assume it works. The G11 actually looks nicer than in the pictures which make the silver portion look too retro like a Delorean. It's not shiney at all and almost matches my Epson R220 printer and Logitech MX700 mouse.
So even though this keyboard does everything they said it would do, it really doesn't do anything perfectly. Well, except it worked perfectly out of the box. And today, I guess that's something. But honestly, $65 for a keyboard is a lot of money. It really should be ferfect and it's not.
Customer Review: Pretty good keyboard with only a few minor issues
Summary: 4 Stars
I purchased this keyboard about a month ago because I was interested in the macro keys and how useful they'd be for gaming. But before I get to that, let me give a few statements about the keyboard in general.
1. As many reviewers have said already, this keyboard is fairly large. However, I have plenty of desk space, so that's not an issue to me.
2. The backlit keys are very nice for those who sometimes type in the dark. Not necessary if you're just touch-typing a letter, but quite useful if you're playing games and need to hit a particular key quickly. The lighting seems fairly even across the board with only a few minor areas that seem a bit darker. There are two levels of light (as well as "off") and I wish that the second level were brighter. The difference between "low" and "high" is not much at all.
3. I have not yet used the media keys, so can't comment there.
4. Tactile feedback is pretty good. Now that I'm used to the key placement (it's shifted over a tad from my old keyboard), I find it pleasant to type on. Only issue here is I don't like the placement of the Esc key - It's shifted over about 1 cm from my old keyboard I have yet to adjust...but that's just me.
5. Two USB ports on the board are a nice touch, especially if your computer isn't within easy reach.
Overall, as a general keyboard, I'm very happy with the G11. It feels good and looks good.
Now, about those macro keys...
The G11 has 18 macro keys and 3 Mode keys, which basically are telling you which setup your 18 keys are on. This basically gives you a total of 54 (3x18) total macros you could set up if you wished! These 54 keys can also be separately programmed for any number of Profiles.
The G11 requires software to be running in the background so that you can set up the Profiles. The programming of keys is extremely easy and ranges from specific key clicks, to loading a given program, to entire key sequences based upon one macro key press. The example they give in the tutorial sets up a key so that when pressed will highlight all text in the document and then delete it.
The profiles are basically different setups of what a given macro key will do. You can set them up for a given game or program. Theoretically, when that program is loaded (defined in the profile setup), it should load that profile automatically. So for example, say you have a profile for Doom 3. The idea is that when you click on the Doom3 icon and load the program, the keyboard software will load the Doom3 profile and all of your macro keys that you've already programmed are ready to go. Cool in concept, but I have had trouble getting it to recognize that a given game program is loading. After the game loads, I go back out and look at the Profiler software and it often hasn't changed. Why this is, I don't know. I haven't had time to research it too far. And yes, I have made sure that my "default" isn't locked on (a feature that you can set). So what does this mean? Well, when I start a game, I have to manually load the profile. Not a big deal, but a tad annoying when the software supposedly is set up so you don't have to do this.
Customer Review: Excellent gaming and general keyboard
Summary: 5 Stars
Logitech products are never mediocre. They're either awful or great. The G11, fortunately, falls on the "great" side.
If you're in the market for a nice keyboard (whether you're a gamer, a heavy computer user, or someone who enjoys aesthetic and tactile perfection, the G11 is a sound investment.
I bought the G11 after deciding that I wanted a really well made, wired, back-lit keyboard. There are far to many cheapo keyboards, stocked with useless media buttons and silly ergonomic designs. I decided, as I'm a heavy gamer, that a gaming keyboard was the way to go. The nice thing about computers is that, usually, what's designed for a gamer works REALLY well for any other user.
The G11 is no exception.
The back-lighting displays very nicely, whether seen straight on or at an angle. I have NO trouble with the brightness, and the keys don't look at all blurry. The blue lighting is quite sleek looking, and serves its purpose really well.
The G keys (G1-G18), in coordination with the M1-M3 keys give you 54 macro keys. This is a feature I didn't think I would use, but have grown to love. I'm able to do everything from saving username and password combos (thus able to them inserted at the click of a button), to binding spell set-ups and weapon choices (Oblivion, CS:S, etc.). I also have most of my oft-used programs set to a key, so all I have to do is a hit a button to load my favorite game, firefox, etc.
The media keys work for me, although I almost never use them. Same goes for most of the top row of keys. I keep the keyboard in "gaming mode", thus preventing the Windows key from working, and I only adjust the back-lighting when watching a movie. I've found the ability to record macros to be very useful.
The action on these keys is very satisfying. Typing on it feels great. It's immediately apparent that this is a quality keyboard. Not too clicky, not mushy or overly soft, the G11 hits the sweet spot. It's styled as a desktop keyboard, rather than a laptop (full layout, full sized keys with full action). I prefer this, as it gives a more tactile and concrete response.
The keyboard fits well on my desk. It doesn't seem overly large, but it may be tight on some setups. The included wrist-rest is actually useful ( I initially didn't plan on using it).
Downsides? The software isn't the best in the world. It takes a little playing around to figure it out, as it's not entirely intuitive. Also, the USB hubs should be 2.0, but they're not. I never use them as a result, but I'm not upset about this. Finally, when resting flat, the keys seem to face back away from the typer. In order to even this out, you have to use the little feet on the bottom/back of the keyboard. They are very short, and if you like your keyboard at an incline facing you, you will be disappointed. Other than that, I have NO complaints with this keyboard. It's truly amazing and well worth the price.
Absolutely grab one if you're in the market for a gaming keyboard, a back-lit keyboard, a programmable keyboard, or just a nice keyboard in general.
Customer Review: Simply GREAT
Summary: 5 Stars
I own a lap-top, but i love gaming. I picked up a mmo game a few months ago, and i got hooked on it.
Since i don't have a big place (Studio in downtown Long Beach) my space is limited. So i decided to have all my entertainment in one spot. Bought a 24" tv that was compatible to use as my dual screen and a nice home theater set that i can use for my tv and lap-top. But the more i played the game, the more frustrated i got with the generic keyboard on my lap-top, so i started looking around. I'm not sure where i 1st read, saw or heard about the Logitech G11, but i saw the advantage of the macro keys instantly. So i looked online for more info on it, youtube as a few great clips about this keyboard. If your thinking about buying this keyboard, but think the price is a little high, i recommended you check the videos out.
Anyways...
I ordered it for $45,- (s&h incl.) and got it in today. I felt like a kid on x-mas.
The first thing i noticed was how big the package was, i saw the size online, and read that people said it was big, but it really is big! If u have a 24" LCD monitor/TV, it's as wide as your monitor/TV. I have limited space on my desk, so made a few adjustments, and we're good to go.
Plugged the G11 into a usb port, installed the software that came with it, and presto, less than 2 minutes it's all set-up.
But now comes the tricky part...the macros.
I knew how i wanted to set up my buttons while playing, so i did that, but i noticed that i had to make a few adjustments because i was used to a compact keyboard, not this friendly giant.
Setting up the macros is at first a tricky thing to figure out, but as soon as u set up your 3rd macro, you've gotten the hang of it. The software is easy to use, direct and straight to the point, just how i like it.
Setting the extra macros with the software is pretty simple, u can see the buttons you setup for the macro, but even better is setting macros on the fly with the record button. Just press the MR button, the button you want the macro under, and then just do what u normally need to do, when done just press the MR button again to store it, and instead of pressing 2, 3, 4 or more buttons, all that will be done with just one press of one button.
The back-light is great, not much difference between dimmed and bright, but both are very clear to see.
The windows button was pesky on my lap-top. Because it was so compact i pressed it several times during game-play. With this baby i don't have to worry, just slide the knob from CPU to game mode, and no matter how many times i press the window button, nothing happens..nothing! Why didn't anyone think of this before?
To make a long story short....
It's user friendly, well built (plus size won't matter after a few, i know.) great features and goodbye any other keyboard, they're nothing compared to the Logitech G11 Gaming keyboard.
Even if u'r not a gamer, you'll like this keyboard, i promise!