logitech g19 tft display factory

The G19 is probably the second most anticipated keyboard of all time, after the infamous Optimus Maximus. The inclusion of a separate full-color LCD screen (an update to its predecessor, the G15) was like geek candy, but the question secretly on everybody’s mind was “is it actually going to be useful?” And as it turns out… not really. Let’s explore that right off the bat so you don’t have to read the rest of this review.

Well, the screen has a few basic “channels.” YouTube, RSS Feed, song display, “my videos,” a clock, a performance monitor, a picture viewer, and a timer. Of these, the performance monitor is really the only useful one, because I can’t think of a reason you’d want or need to navigate YouTube or your pictures and videos via this tiny screen. The onlysituation I can think you’d do it is while in a full-screen app or game that doesn’t minimize or alt-tab well. The RSS reader is adequate, but only displays one story at a time. You’d really have to try hard to make use of this thing.

Where’s my bandwidth monitor for uTorrent? Where’s my ammo readout in Counter-Strike or my mini-map in Assassin’s Creed? Of course, it’s on the game and app developers to make that happen, but it’s on Logitech to press them on it. If Logitech is going to roll something like this out, they needed to roll out big or customers are going to see that they’re paying for a fantasy device.

So unfortunately, that’s the G19’s primary selling point, and it’s not very convincing. Maybe in a year there will be more support for it, or a touchscreen, or what have you, but at the moment it’s just not worth it. But what about the rest of the keyboard?

The G19 is, aside from the screen, a very competent keyboard. The keys are big, well-spaced, and have a pleasant resistance to them. They seem to project further from the base than other keyboards, but I have been using the very flat Lycosa for months, so that could just be a bad comparator. The backlighting is the best I’ve seen, and covers the entire rainbow; you can set colors to profiles so you know which you’re in. All illumination turns off with the touch of a button so you don’t have to fiddle with anything if you want a blackout while you watch a movie.

Like the G19’s predecessor, the G15, you’ve got macro keys on the left side and a hard profile switcher — work, play, movie editing, or what have you. Plus, like most gaming keyboards, it detects games you start and will automatically launch a macro/key profile. The macro editor worked well and I use it for blogging shortcuts (inserting image code, signatures, etc) and that sort of thing. I’m not a big macro user but if you are I think you’d enjoy this. The macro keys themselves (G1-G12) are easily available and organized into little blocks of four, excellent for finding without looking (the F-keys are also blocked, thank god).

So what we’ve got here is a failure to launch. The LCD screen has a lot of potential but is only used for mundane tasks which have no real reason to be on there, or at least don’t justify the cost. Other than that, it’s a great keyboard. I enjoy typing on it, the macros are handy and responsive, and everything works perfectly well. It’s just not worth dropping $200 on because it has a screen. Logitech makes great keyboards, and you’d be better off going with another one, at least until this one has adequate support from the community and industry.

The never-ending quest for the ultimate gaming gear has fueled the peripheral war for decades. Established in 1981, Logitech has been a pioneer on many fronts of this battle. From the humble mouse to massively powerful speaker systems, their product range has not left us lacking.

Gaming keyboards are big business and the release of the G15 V1 model in 2005 changed the way we looked at this overlooked device. We were given a nice little display that proved to be quite useful whether gaming or just surfing the web. The SDK was free and open-source, which allowed many custom applications to take advantage of it. A revised version, aptly called the G15 V2, was released in 2007 and addressed the size issue of the original.

2009 brought us the next evolution of the G series keyboard, the G19. Packing an LCD screen, user adjustable back-lighting and powered USB 2.0 ports amongst other features, the G19 was designed to surpass its older brothers. With a price tag of $199.99 US, there seems to be some big shoes to fill. Let’s take a closer look and see just how well it meets our expectations.

Out of the box and onto our desk, we get our first glimpse of the G19. The overall width is just over 19″, so it should keep within the keyboard tray on nearly all desks. This time around, we’re given two rows of programmable macro keys, as well as multi-media controls. The USB cable that goes to the tower also has an A/C power line that supplies the LCD with whatever juice it needs.

For most gamers, the keys themselves are going to be the perfect size and height. They have an excellent feel, and also resistance, and the spacebar isn’t fussy with regards to where you hit it. The typical QWERTY keyboard layout is maintained here, so shortly after hopping on the G19, you’ll be a pro at using it.

Above the backlit G19 logo, we see the usual suspects. LEDs for the Caps Lock, Scroll Lock and also the Num Lock are found at the top of the board, and are easy to notice if you need to check the status quickly.

To the direct left of the LCD screen, its controls can be found. Logitech has chosen to keep things simple here and as you’d expect, they’re all easy to access and push. Within 5 minutes, I was right at home with them and able to effortlessly scroll through all of the available choices. Note that the sliding key to the upper left de-activates the “Windows” key. Anyone that has accidentally hit that key while in the middle of an intense gaming session will surely appreciate the inclusion.

A familiar sight on the left side of the board are the macro keys. The first revision of the G15 included three rows, while the second dropped it to just one. The G19 has settled right in the middle with two, but because you can switch between three complete macro setups (with the M1 – M3 buttons), you essentially have 36 macro buttons at your perusal.

The backside of the G19 is somewhat uneventful. There are rubber feet at the bottom to prevent it from sliding around, and adjustable feet towards the top to angle the board for those that prefer it.

The G19 is one expensive keyboard, but what it does get you is a very bright, clear and easy-to-read LCD screen. The colors are great and the overall functionality is thoroughly enjoyable. What we’re given is a 320×240 resolution, which, believe it or not, can even handle some streaming video. This is a great upgrade from the G15’s monochrome display.

Anyone who has paid attention to what Logitech has provided in keyboards over the years has always had an eye on their boards that come with an LCD screen. I remember when they first came out - even the idea of being able to see what the PC was doing, live right on your keyboard, always seemed like a great concept, even if the LCD technology then wasn"t exactly great. As the years went by, many users started developing add on applications to allow things like VOIP servers to show information, AID64 always had an app, as well as just about anything any gamer would think they could possibly need.

The one thing that had been holding back this whole idea with me was that the LCD screens were so limited. You could make bmp, logos and add them, or have information displayed on what looked like a large 1980"s wrist watch, but I was looking for something a little more. Well, technology has finally caught up with the designers, and let me say, the capabilities of the screen on the new G series keyboards from Logitech are really top notch. In the age of phones being capable of high definition video playback, it was just a matter of time before the LCD on these keyboards would be something to blow your mind.

Not only are you getting a proven gaming keyboard from a manufacturer that is in every store, and I would guess in almost every home, you are getting all of the perks that come along with the G series from Logitech. The one thing that sets the new Logitech G19s gaming keyboard apart from others in the G series that I have reviewed before is the LCD screen. It"s capable of displaying images, playing movies, updating RSS or POP3 email accounts, showing PC usage, and even a pizza timer and stopwatch to make sure your lap times are good and that you don"t burn dinner, all at the same time.

If this sort of tech all packed into a keyboard hasn"t piqued your interest in the slightest, you better check for a pulse, the Logitech G19s that we are about to see is just that cool.

The specifications given from Logitech are minimal at best. They cover the part number of the G19s, being 920-004985, but I found no issues with searching by its G19s naming. It then moves on to the limited three year warranty and then jumps right into the Windows compatibilities, the fact you need a free Hi-Speed USB port (USB 2.0+), and that you will need access to the Internet to obtain the drivers. On the right side it covers what you will find inside the box, and those are the keyboard, a palm rest, user documentation and the AC power adapter.

What they don"t tell you about the G19s is more of the important bits that I think buyers would want to know. Things like that it is made mostly of plastic, and has some accent components made of aluminum, or even the fact that the top of this keyboard is surrounded with metallic blue to dress up the keyboard a bit. They also don"t say a word about the rubber dome switches, or the fact that it offers wire management trails under the keyboard. The do not mention that this keyboard offers anti-ghosting with the 6-key rollover. The last thing I think should have been covered besides a mention of the obvious, the 50mm by 38mm LCD screen, is that the G19s also has a pair of pass-through USB 2.0 ports on the back.

What is going to freak a lot of potential buyers out right away is the pricing of the G19s. I know technology isn"t cheap, nor is the time you have to pay the programmers to make the LCD screen this functional. Currently it seems that even for the G510 the cost bottoms out to enter the G series at around $100, just to give a bit of perspective before I drop the bomb on you. I see listings at a few locations, as well as the ability to by direct from Logitech, but all of the pricing is set the same to a $199.99 price tag, when stock is ready to ship on May 7.

Already, I know $200 for a rubber dome switch keyboard is going to be hard for many to swallow, but hang tight as we delve deeper into what the G19s offers, before we make any final decisions.

All black is what Logitech colors the exterior of the packaging with. This allows for the naming to pop off the background on the left, and also is a nice backdrop for the split image of the keyboard.

The long thin edge the box was just propped up on has only the naming on one end and an image of the G19s with the screen working and the keys backlit.

On the back of the packaging, this is where you get introduced to the features of the G19s keyboard. They point out the game mode switch, macro keys, custom colors of the back lighting, and of course the LCD screen at the top of the keyboard.

Cutting a pair of anti-tamper stickers on the side, you can then open the box to see the bold blue used to surround the keyboard inside. As an added layer of protection, Logitech simply surrounds the board with a plastic liner to keep dust and scratches off the various plastic surfaces.

On the left side of the keyboard, with white painted accents surrounding the right side of them, Logitech offers 12 G-keys for adding macros to your gaming sessions.

Under the multi-media keys you get the basic set of nine command keys above the G19s name plaque, with grey arrows keys under that. The number pad is the standard layout of 17 keys.

Looking at the G19s from the side, you can see that the front edge of the keyboard is taller than the back of the keyboard, and leaves the key caps falling away from the rows in front of them.

In the back of the keyboard near where the dual cable comes out of the G19s, there are a pair of USB 2.0 ports to plug in your mouse and headset all right here so you have access to them, maybe even a great place to use a thumb drive, so you don"t have to reach to the PC.

The two meter, thick rubber cable that came out of the back of the G19s is bundled up in this image. At the ends of this dual cable there is a jack for AC power, along with the USB 2.0 connection, with a tag on it showing to install the drivers prior to connecting the keyboard.

On the underside of the keyboard you can see that Logitech offers plenty of cable management. There are two ways to enter the trails at the back of the board - they can cross to the center, and then be run through the various trails near the front edge.

Stepping back and flipping the G19s back over the correct way, you can see the full length palm rest fits well, is incorporated nicely, and looks as if it were all one piece when put together.

It was now time to power the G19s to have a look at how things worked. I got close up for this image due to the fact that the default blue that the back lighting was set to is very dim and tough to see with all of the photo lights on.

When the G19s is first plugged in, the LCD screen will show the above pair of logos, along with the Logitech name for about three seconds, as the system boots up.

Since the drivers are in prior to booting the keyboard, the first thing that shows up is that same list of applications you saw in the software, just displayed on the screen so that you can use the D-pad and cycle through the options.

There is also an image display app that allows you to search through the Pictures folder on the C drive and I just happened to have this image on the PC at the time. With all of the apps that have a search for something feature, you do have the ability via the software to redirect where the software is to look for that media.

Everything about the G19s is better than average on most of the features and outstanding with some. There are a couple, maybe a few reasons, that I wouldn"t find myself using this keyboard on a regular basis. After quite a bit of writing on this keyboard, the keys are laborious to use, even compared to my Cherry MX Green switches, it just wasn"t very pleasurable to use long term, as a typist first and gamer second. There is just an odd feeling to these keys, and I could almost hear my fingertips cry a little with every keystroke. The second thing I didn"t care for was the limited brightness of the backlighting of the keys. When using something like white or light blue, the room has to be pitch black to tell the difference between what appears to be light glowing from under them. The last thing that was sort of a pain was all of the cabling used with the G19s. The thick cable is hard to stay bent and out of the way, and you always need to consider the location of an extra power outlet at your desk to make everything work.

With my personal gripes out of the way, let us now move to the positives. Even if a bit dim, there is a fully customizable backlighting for the keys. There are plenty of G-keys to get you into trouble remembering what they all do. The keyboard offers three profiles, has onboard memory, and via the software, everything is pretty easy to use and figure out with just a few seconds of use. The bottom line with this keyboard is that to get basically the same without the LCD is going to cost you near $100 for a Logitech solution in the same G series. I realize technology is going to cost those who want access to it first, and with the G19s, what it offers including the LCD screen, the pricing is justified at $199.99, even if based on rubber dome switches.

I really do wish that Logitech will take this concept and design one step further, and I would go right out to a store and buy my own with my hard earned cash. Everything about the G19s is so high-end, not only with the basic features and software, but to actually be able to play movies, set timers, tap into YouTube for game tutorials. The only thing missing from this design to sell me on it whole heartedly is if it were to be based off the G710+, and I think in today"s market, a mechanical version is justified even if it were to cost a bit more.

The original Logitech G15 keyboard (And its 2007 mid-model change) proved to be a very popular and successful keyboard for gamers and professionals alike. Featuring a convenient and openly customizable screen, a huge array of programmable keys for different macro functions, and miscellaneous enhancements such as backlit keys -- all of this while retaining all the basics of what a regular keyboard should be -- there"s no reason why it"s not as widely embraced as we"ve seen it. Almost four years after its initial debut, Logitech understands that it is time to produce its successor, and tingle the hearts of every enthusiast as well as gamers once again. Often times, it is quite a challenge for product designers to improve upon what already is an excellent product. This is especially true when the team and Logitech had to perfect the G15 gaming keyboard with a product refresh just not too long ago. Fast forward to 2009. What could they add? What could they change? What could they keep? To find out what they actually did, we took the dive for you. Recently, we received Logitech"s latest iteration of their high end G-series gaming keyboard for review: the Logitech G19. Will it just be another G15 refresh with a different name, or a significantly improvement that would send you driving recklessly to your nearby electronics retailer to make the purchase? Read on to find out. By the way, here"s an interesting feature: a color LCD screen that has a hardware accelerator, so you can even watch videos on it. Let me be the first one to say this: Welcome to the world of Logitech"s G19.

Our review unit of Logitech"s G19 gaming keyboard arrived from Logitech"s representing PR company located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Using Purolator Air, it"s the third time the same delivery person dropped by our doorstep that week haha. The package was neatly hand-wrapped in brown shipping paper; which is quite a difference from what we"re used to seeing with what Logitech"s USA headquarters used to do -- the most recent example being our Logitech MX5500 review in March 2008. (Whew, that"s quite a while ago!) Everything arrived safely and securely; there"s no doubt Purolator did a good job in handling the product and getting it safely to our hands!

The Logitech G19 provided to us came in a retail box, albeit being pretty beat up, and it"s unsealed -- it"s obvious it has gone through quite a bit of things in its life. The reason is because they somehow decided not to send us a brand new sample as the have in the past. Anyway, the retail packaging design is thematically consistent to the rest of the Logitech line of products. Consumers will have no problems recognizing this is a Logitech keyboard right off the shelf.

The retail package carries Logitech"s standard color scheme of green, teal, black; adding onto that is a fire-orange colored strip that lays across the front for its gaming focused G-series product line like the Logitech G5 V2 we reviewed a little over two years ago. A large circular dial fades into the teal background of the box in addition to a multitude of smaller ones on the fire-orange colored strip. A series of techno lines and binary numbers are used simultaneously to enhance its enthusiast thematic effect. Most logically prominent is a full photo view of Logitech"s G19 keyboard itself, viewed at a 45 degree angle across the front center of the box -- showing off its 2.5" color LCD screen at the top, and the a full battery of colored, backlit keyboard keys. To promote its Color GamePanel LCD screen is the statement boldly printed on the fire orange strip that says, "Stay informed while you game". Meanwhile, its model name is printed at the bottom left corner, along with its product slogan - "An arsenal of advanced gaming technology." Sounds pretty hardcore to me!

At the bottom right corner of the box is an array of eight icons neatly aligned horizontally. Of which six of them are Logitech"s icons in addition to a USB and Windows Vista certification; which highlights the Logitech G19"s features in the following order: Color GamePanel LCD, Customizable Backlighting, G-keys, Multi-key Input, Game/Desktop Mode, and Media Controls. Its series of six Logitech icons without the labels I"ve just mentioned repeats on three other sides of the box. At the bottom of the box is a full keyboard view, along with some enlarged and numbered thumbnails to further iterate these features in detail. System requirements and package contents are then listed at the back in three different languages.

Logitech G19"s retail box appears to incorporate a pretty simple design. It features an integrated flap tray to lift the keyboard, which leads to two additional folded flaps to act as virtual boxes to accommodate its AC adapter and the attached keyboard cord, respectively. From my experience, Logitech usually has a plastic bag for each component listed above, a sheet of thin foam wrapping for the keyboard itself, and every shiny plastic surfaces to have clear removable adhesive film over it. This is done to ensure their retail packaged products arrive from the factory, to the store, and ultimately, to the consumer"s hands, in absolutely perfect condition. Unfortunately, all we cannot properly comment on the Logitech G19 in this regard, since we are inhibited by the lack of such information in our case. As aforementioned, we have an opened and used package that includes none of what I have just described. And since it appears to have been around the block quite a bit, even from looking at the box, I hate to see it this way -- but my keyboard features a severely scratched LCD screen and a dented palmrest right out of the box. The keys are also exceptionally dirty and dusty, which took me quite a while to clean before it can even appear in our photos for this review.

Fortunately, none of which are missing from our package! (Well actually, the documentary and software CD somehow made its way out of the photo above, but I can assure you that I have them on me. It was not necessary for me to use them, however.) The AC adapter connects to the main USB cable attached to the Logitech G19 keyboard to supply additional power for features such as the dedicated LCD screen, backlit keys, and its two powered USB ports.

Like the previous G-series keyboards from Logitech, the G19 retains what mostly is a standard familiar keyboard layout for the most part; plus macro and media controls all around -- basically the stuff that makes a Logitech G-series gaming keyboard, a G-series gaming keyboard. Dedicated GamePanel LCD buttons are affixed on the keyboard near the screen itself for accessibility and control; which we"ll cover in detail in just a short moment.

The back of the keyboard doesn"t have anything particularly exciting, so I won"t make an entire section on it. There are two keyboard risers that rotate outwards -- Logitech style -- and a bunch of keyboard drain holes. The reason why there are so many keyboard drain holes, is because there"s one equipped for every independent group of keys. Let"s put it this way: You"re playing Counter-Strike at 2:00AM. You just got shot in the face by your opponent with a shotgun half-way across the map. You yell "BS" vainly at your computer monitor, with a bunch of random hand gestures no one is able to see. Meanwhile, you accidentally knock over your can of Mountain Dew sitting next to your Logitech G19 keyboard. The Mountain Dew splashes and pours over every key on your $200 keyboard. Rest assured -- the reason why the keyboard drains are there, so that when you get owned, your G19 would not, lol.

Anyways, a detachable palmrest resides at the bottom of the keyboard. It"s the regular hard-touch plastic attached to the main unit by two plastic clips. I would have thought that we"re done with these types of clips already by now, because if you"re not careful, they"re pretty easy to break. A little cutout on the palmrest accommodates the shape of Logitech"s badge engraved into the middle of the G19.

With a footprint measured at approximately 50cm wide and 24cm deep (Including the detachable palmrest, but excluding the LCD screen) at its largest dimensions, the Logitech G19 is certainly larger than a conventional keyboard; but it"s not so big like the original G15 that occupies an entire keyboard tray. The original G15 had a plethora of macro keys -- unfortunately it"s also quite the North American way of using space: Take up lots of room with everything spaced far and wide apart. Upon the release of the second iteration of Logitech"s G15, empty space was reduced as well as the amount of physical macro keys. Other controls were compacted or modified to create a smaller footprint. Both had its advantages, but with these advantages, the function was also compromised.

Therefore, Logitech decided they are going to be different with their G19. It is clearly they wanted to take the best of both worlds, and improve upon what they"ve already had on the table. A whole column of macro keys are now back. Media controls are improved. And perhaps the most outstanding of all, a powerful hardware accelerated, relatively high resolution, color LCD screen -- which they call the Color GamePanel.

The Logitech G19 keyboard makes use of a relatively conservative color scheme. It consists of mainly black for its keys and borders, elements of white for its key labels when the backlight is turned off, and blue-silver coverage for its main surface, as seen in the photo above. It seems to me that the Logitech G19 is designed for someone that clearly had a ruler -- with its distinct straight shapes such as the angled off "Control" key, as seen in the photo above. Of course, combining all these elements as described makes the G19 almost seem military-ish; this isn’t necessarily a bad thing for a gaming keyboard! Some companies try way too hard to make something look "gaming" and return a disastrous looking product. Logitech actually came up with something that carries a level of sophistication and refinement, yet retains a clean and conservative look with the G19.

Like its predecessor, an array of G macro keys is placed on the left side of the keyboard. The original G15 had three sets of six for a total of eighteen keys. Now, that"s quite a bit of programmable keys that clearly occupied too much room. The revised G15 had three sets of two for a total of six macro keys, but for most people that"s not enough. With the Logitech G19, they"ve decided to take the middle ground for optimal space usage as well as a satisfactory amount of keys for three sets of four for a total of twelve G keys.

Each of the G macro keys are backlit like the rest of the keyboard, and each set has its own independent keyboard drains as aforementioned. These programmable keys are slightly smaller than the standard keyboard keys, and resemble more of the F keys in size. Fortunately, its spacing and travel are consistent with the rest of the keyboard for optimal feel. Four "M" keys at the top, labeled "M1", "M2", "M3", and "MR" (Where the latter somehow got cut off in the photo haha), works with the Logitech G keys for various different functions. The numbered M keys allows up to three separate macro profiles for each G key; meaning that switching between profiles M1, M2, and M3 will result in its respective user programmed functions for each of the G keys. For example, you can get your G12 key to stroke "asdf" under profile M1, "Ctrl+Alt+Del" under M2, and "Alt+Tab" under M3.

I was actually a bit confused by what the "MR" key was in the beginning, especially if you"ve used your calculator enough like engineering students such as yours truly. The MR key is actually activates a quick macro programming function. It works in conjunction with the G19"s onboard color LCD screen to quickly assign the keystrokes you want to a particular G key. Switching between different profile presets also allows a different keyboard backlit color, in which we"ll get into more detail shortly. It is important to note that the M1, M2, and M3 keys always glow orange and the MR key always glow red, and this cannot be changed by the user.

Before you faint out -- since I said hold your breath earlier -- let"s cover the features on the top right corner of the Logitech G19. Above its standard number pad is a simple series of media controls, namely the Play/Pause, Stop, Skip Back, and Skip Forward buttons. The backlit color of these buttons can also be changed, just like the rest of the keyboard, albeit with a few minor exceptions. Sitting between the number pad and media control keys is a mute button, and a large volume control wheel. The volume control wheel is actually very smooth, exercises great grip on the user"s fingers thanks to the rubber textured surface, and looks pretty cool, too.

At the back are two powered USB ports placed adjacent to each other, with a visible USB logo on top as seen in the photo above. Unlike many other keyboards that feature USB connectors, these are actually fully powered USB 2.0 ports, thanks to the AC adapter that supplies power to both USB ports, key backlighting LEDs, as well as the LCD screen. This is especially convenient if you want to quickly connect a USB flash drive, or heck, even an USB mouse. An orange LED that sits subtly at the crease of the keyboard curve near its data/power cable to indicate availability of external power source. By the way, let me make it clear that the Logitech G19 functions properly without external power; you just won"t get the LCD screen, backlit keys, and powered USB ports.

Keys with distinct double functions has their symbols labeled at a 45 degree angle from each other for maximum distance separation, while common keys such as Enter, Shift, and Backspace aren"t even text labeled for simplicity. Meanwhile, Logitech did not go with the "Logitech stack" with regards to the productivity keys -- now it"s the standard 3x2 set for Insert, Home, Page Up for the first row, and Delete, End, Page Down for the second row. Usually, Logitech"s consumer keyboards go 2x3 for Home and a double sized Delete key in the first column, and End, Page Up, and Page Down in the second column. Personally, I don"t have a problem with the Logitech stack, but the G19 adheres almost entirely to the industry standard design for all of its main keys.

A bold, large, and shiny G19 logo situates between the arrow keys and productivity keys. The "G19" text is also backlit, and its glow color can be set in uniform to the rest of the customizable backlit keys. Its reflective finish will make it a fingerprint magnet though, especially in that particular location. Either way, it is quite a nice touch in my opinion, not to mention that it doesn"t use up additional room for where when implemented, as compared to the G15 -- a definite plus.

Here"s the part we"ve all been waiting for: The Logitech G19"s Color GamePanel LCD display. The Color GamePanel LCD is a relatively high resolution 320x240 screen that measures 2.5" on the diagonal. It even has a hardware graphics accelerator, so you can watch videos on it, and enjoy fluid fade effects throughout the user interface that Logitech implemented. Yes, we"re talking about a keyboard here.

The LCD display is attached to the main keyboard unit by a wide crossbar. The screen is capable of tilting forward and backward to accommodate the user"s optimal viewing angle. Again, the polygonal shaped screen looks like it"s designed by someone with a ruler as with the rest of the keyboard; its lines are consistent the Logitech G19 stylistically overall. Accentuating the GamePanel is a nice reflective coating for its entire surface. While it is certainly fingerprint prone, it is not a significant issue for its location -- the real problem is that it"s pretty prone to scratches as evident here.

Logitech"s popular Game Mode switch that is first introduced in the G15 keyboard is certainly not missing with the G19 we are reviewing today. Keeping it on the left disables Game Mode to let all keys function properly. Flicking it to the right enables Game Mode, which disables potentially interfering keys such as the "Windows" button. It"s especially useful, but I"m not even going to elaborate too much haha. If you really need explanation, try firing up a full screen application, and then hit the Windows key on your keyboard.

The Logitech G19 may be a bit excess even for the most hardcore enthusiast, but it no doubt features a brilliant LCD screen that displays sharp, smooth images, and every key is beautifully lit as seen in the photo above. Even the color selection is almost limitless -- you can choose the color of your choice based on a full palette, and not the usual "white, blue, and green, make your choice" kind of thing. Of course, the light doesn"t necessarily reflect the chosen color fully, but it"s pretty darn close. Up to three different color profiles can be chosen, which corresponds to the three macro key profiles.

Hitting the large gear button on the right side of its LCD screen toggles the display and key backlight on and off. I found it a bit counter-intuitive that you"ll either have the screen and key backlight on or off at the same time; they cannot function independently of each other.

Overall, I found the Logitech G19 to be a pleasure to use both for gaming and everyday use. The macro keys are very convenient, and the backlit keys are not only useful, but are also very stylish. Key size and key grouping are also very decent, and I rarely hit the wrong keys -- even when I"m new to the keyboard and not used to the macro keys on the side just yet. Typing position is great like pretty much every Logitech keyboard I"ve used. The keys are relatively quiet, too. Key travel and response is about average for key design of this type. It"s decent and very good, but it"s nothing too exceptional in terms of pure typing in my opinion.

The Logitech GamePanel display integrates flawlessly with the computer. Missing default video folder for the video application? Hit the configure button and a dialog screen shows up on your computer monitor. Playing a video? The GamePanel will show the video, and your computer speakers will play its corresponding sound. This comes at the expense of adding a whopping ten processes to your system, since almost each keyboard app requires a process to be ran on your computer. Speaking of which, the following applications or features are included right from the factory:

I won"t go into detail on each application, but I"m sure you should be able to guess which one is does what by its name. Overall, I found the LCD screen to be very bright, have great viewing angles, and surprisingly sharp. The latter is somewhat evident in the photo above as I"m playing a video for demonstration. The videos are also smooth and lag-free. Its user interface is pretty basic, but small elements like the video volume indicator that pops up when you adjust it looks surprisingly Apple iPod touch/iPhone-ish -- along with its smooth animations to take advantage of its hardware accelerated display. While most people won"t be watching videos seriously on this screen, it"s definitely a very cool feature. As expected, videos are decoded on your computer first, so you won"t have any problems playing videos in different formats as long as you have the right decoders installed -- such as my all-time favorite K-Lite Codec Pack. If they could make the screen larger and 16:10, it shouldn"t cost much more and would dramatically improve the viewing experience.

Now I understand that the Logitech G19 is a very expensive keyboard, and it"s very easy for us reviewers to simply pick that out as a con. As I"ve just said, I"m not going to complain particularly on its price for the same reason why people don"t complain directly as a con of why Ferraris are too expensive, as compared to, say, a high priced Ford. They"re simply not the same class of products, and the Logitech G19 proved itself well in this regard. What you"re looking at is a luxury full featured (Actually, saying "full featured" is merely an understatement -- the Logitech G19 is overloaded with features), no compromise, enthusiast oriented keyboard. It offers a brilliant LCD display that not only shows information, but also does it above and beyond your usual "keyboard with a monochrome low resolution LCD". Heck, it even plays videos! The keys on this keyboard are not only backlit, but the lighting color is customizable to your heart"s desire. It does all of the following while doing what a "normal" keyboard is supposed to do, and retains the ideologies and values of what makes a G-series keyboard a G-series keyboard. Of course, there are always flaws; but it"s not too significant. Firstly, the key backlights are slightly uneven. The GamePanel can be bigger. The Game Mode switch is pretty confusing at first. You cannot turn the LCD screen and key backlight on and off independently. The Youtube app doesn"t work that well. And it really shouldn"t dump ten processes into memory. But these certainly won"t stop the Logitech G19 from being the ultimate enthusiast keyboard that"s not only good for gaming, but it"s equally as impressive for productivity and entertainment. I even typed up this review with the Logitech G19, haha. It"s no doubt better than its predecessors. Say goodbye to the G15. Say hello to the G19!

At the end of the day, this is what you ask your friends, "But can your keyboard play videos?" This is the Logitech G19, and it"s one heck of a keyboard.

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Quake III Arena layout for Optimus Maximus keyboard. The production model uses the same 48x48 display for all keys including the space bar, unlike this rendering.

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