logitech keyboard with lcd screen free sample

With more than 22 years experience designing high-quality keyboards, we carefully design, develop, prototype, and study all the essential components of our keyboards, from the core technologies to the comfort and ergonomics of their design.

With Notifications & Status, you"ll get device-specific information such as battery level, key backlighting level, and Caps Lock at the right moment. Know when your battery life is about to run out and when it"s time to recharge so you"re never caught off guard. For Easy-Switch™ enabled keyboards, you"ll be able to see which computers are paired to channels 1-2-3.

You’ll type more naturally with a curved, split keyframe that improves typing posture. The sloping form reduces muscle strain on your wrists and forearms – keeping your hands and shoulders relaxed.

Synchronize color and lighting effects with other LIGHTSYNC RGB devices. Bring your gaming setup to life with immersive and reactive lighting, full-spectrum animation and lighting effects , that can synchronize across all your LIGHTSYNC-enabled gear. G HUB controls it all with ease.

With G Hub Software, you can create a practically endless combination of light and color effects across your keyboard. Choose your favorite color, create a pattern, or design your own lighting animations with the robust LIGHTSYNC editing tool. Or choose effects driven by your favorite games, audio, or on-screen content. The result is stunning environmental lighting that immerses your gear, and your room, into the experience.

The Logitech G915 is built to be a gaming keyboard, but if you spend a lot of time in Photoshop, Premiere, Cinema 4D, Blender, or any number of other creative applications, then it"ll be right up your alley. The raised mechanical keys are comfortable and provide satisfying travel without bulking up the board too much. The keys are at slightly higher risk of breaking if you pull on them, though, so don"t do that. You can also easily swap between Logitech"s Lightspeed wireless connection and Bluetooth, making it simple to switch to your laptop and continue working seamlessly.

The real star of the show is the set of five macro keys on the left side of the board. Along with the Logitech G Hub software, these keys can be programmed with automated actions and custom shortcuts, or even execute scripts. We"re big fans of using gaming hardware for productivity, and these bonus keys are perfect for the job. There are enough to give you more options, without turning your daily driver into a tank that overwhelms your entire desk. You can also save even more space if you lop off the numpad with the G915 TKL, but you"ll lose the macro keys as well.

Of the nearly 200 we"ve tested, the Keychron Q6 is by far the best keyboard. While we recommend the full-size Q6 here, the Q-series consists of a range of keyboard sizes, from the typing and programming-friendly Keychron Q2 to the tiny Keychron Q4 or even the TenKeyLess Keychron Q3. Regardless of what size you get, each Q-series keyboard offers an unparalleled out-of-the-box typing experience and an incredibly durable build quality.

The frame of this keyboard is solid aluminum, so we don"t recommend tossing this into your backpack and bringing it on the go unless you"re adding weight for a workout. Within this aluminum frame, the PCB sits slightly suspended in gaskets. This gasket-mounted style adds a bit of bounce when you type and reduces the overall impact of bottoming out the keys. It also gives room for two layers of sound-dampening foam around the switches to reduce the ping and rattle of your keys while you type.

Each keyboard comes with an included toolkit consisting of a hex key, a screwdriver, a switch puller, and a keycap puller, all specifically to deconstruct your keyboard. While this might seem counterintuitive, it means you have infinite possibilities to tweak and adjust the keyboard to be completely yours. Plus, you can easily repair the keyboard, improving its overall longevity. The software allows for a similar range of customization, meaning that you can create and play around with the hardware, software, and firmware to have a completely personalized board. Of course, you don"t have to alter the board in any way, especially since the stock components are all very high-quality, so just leaving the board as-is feels and sounds excellent.

Last month, Logitech sent over a brand new, fairly expensive mouse and keyboard combination that the company is marketing to gamers. If purchased together, at full MSRP, the G19s and G602 (review here) would cost the average consumer a whopping $280. And that"s before tax and/or shipping. But is the recently-refreshed combination really worth all that cash?

The Logitech G19s is easily the most feature-packed keyboard that"s ever entered my home, thanks to its built-in LCD screen and programmable macro buttons; however, the average customer isn’t likely to find a convincing reason to spend $200 for Logitech"s latest refresh of the G19s gaming keyboard.

That’s not to say that the device isn’t equipped with its fair share of bells and whistles but, while the G19s certainly isn’t running low on style or panache, it feels like Logitech skipped out on pretty much every major feature I’d expect to see in a keyboard with such a steep price.

Where are the mechanical switches? Why would I want powered-USB ports, as opposed to a wireless device, when the G19s doesn’t even include the headphone jack needed to plug in a headset? And why does the keyboard rely on an application that slows down my CPU boot and shutdown times?

Enough with the rhetorical questions, though. Let’s dig into the Logitech G19s bit-by-bit and see what consumers should expect from a brand new unit, what we liked about the company’s latest gaming keyboard and the various reasons why we still aren’t quite sold on the Logitech G19s.

Just as you might expect, the Logitech G19s has all the usual buttons you"d expect to find on a QWERTY, Windows-ready keyboard. The device also includes the usual suite of media keys, plus a rolling input for volume control , along with a handful of buttons mean to select/toggle various features and functions of the Logitech G19s.

Each input on the keyboard is coated in a UV-protective coating, to keep the keys from fading after a few weeks/months of heavy usage, and the folks at Logitech thoughtfully decided to make both the arrow and WASD keys a lighter shade of gray. It may not seem like much but, between those and the LCD backlighting behind every key, you shouldn"t ever really have an issue getting your hands lined up properly on the G19s.

The Logitech G19s also features a full-color LCD panel built directly into the device, which can be used to display everything from game stats to the headlines from your favorite RSS feeds. It can even play your favorite YouTube videos, provided they aren’t locked to the browser; however, the frame rate does take a pretty significant dive.

Less exciting features include a pair of powered USB ports can be found on the upper-edge of the keyboard and molding on the bottom of the G19s that is intended to help you manage the wires from your headphones and/or mouse. Assuming you haven"t spent close to a $100 on the G602 wireless gaming mouse that Logitech is hoping consumers will pair with the G19s and/or several hundred dollars on one of the many wireless gaming headsets currently available to PC gamers.

While I’ll always have a soft spot in my heart for the distinctive clicking sound produced by many of the world’s top mechanical keyboards, I’ll admit to being pleasantly surprised by just how little noise the G19s has created since showing up at my apartment last month. Not pleased enough to overlook the lack of mechanical switches under the keys, but we"ll dive into that later.

The keyboard’s UV coated keys may take a bit more force to register an input but they also feel like they’ll continue to hold up under the hours and hours of daily usage that they’ve seen in the last few weeks. The backlit keys also make it easy to see what I’m doing, regardless of the current light level in my home office.

As someone with some relatively sizable hands, and a tendency to get a bit clumsy when playing late-night Dota matches, I appreciated having a hardwired switch that enables/disables the Windows key on the G19s. Accidental minimizations aren’t necessarily an everyday issue for me but they’re just frequent enough for the switch to be one of my favorite features.

The programmable keys that line the left side of the keyboard are also handy for certain games and other tasks; especially if you’re playing an MMO or other game where macro inputs are both more efficient and (sometimes) the difference between life and death/rage quits. I also find them surprisingly useful in my day-to-day life, though I suppose not everyone is slapping the same footer paragraph onto a handful of new articles each business day.

Best of all, each of the twelve keys can be programmed three times, toggled via a set of keys in the upper-left corner of the device, and the ability to alter the backlight behind your keys makes it easy to remember which macro configuration is currently enabled. Advanced coders will also be happy to know an emulator for the Logitech G19s" built-in LCD screen comes bundled with the software, making it a bit easier to program and test your own applets for the device.

That’s how much Logitech wants customers to pay for the Logitech G19s. Two hundred dollars for a new keyboard that, while certainly pleasing to the eye, seems to value outward appearance more than usefulness or general functionality. I mean, it doesn’t even include mechanical inputs.

There are at least two different Das keyboards for significantly less, and I bet the Control and Alt buttons on those don"t start to wear out after just one month"s worth of usage. I wish I could say the same for the Logitech G19s.

I think it’s also worth pointing out that just about everything that currently sets the G19s apart from other keyboards are features that require you to take your eyes off your monitor. I don’t know about you guys, but taking my eyes off my screen is the last thing I want to do in the middle of a game; much less reflex-focused games like Call of Duty, Dota 2 or League of Legends.

While the keyboard’s YouTube applet quickly became a personal favorite – if only because it gave me a chance to say, “Hey, look what this thing can do…” whenever friends come over – there’s no discernible way to alter the button combination that queues the videos. It’s an all-or-nothing setting that either plays any/every YouTube URL that hits your clipboard, or the keyboard ignores any/all attempts to push video to the G19s’ 2-inch screen.

The Logitech G19s is great but, at the end of the day, I just cannot envision spending two hundred dollars on it. Then again, I don’t play games for a living – well, at least not competitively --so it’s always possible that I just don’t understand why a particular feature of the G19s makes the device worth its current price. I’ll also admit to being a bit of a penny-pincher when building/outfitting my computers.

Watching Curren$y videos on the keyboard’s diminutive LCD screen is entertaining once or twice, but not something I’d ever do outside of the rare occasions when I can show the feature to a friend that’s yet to see the new toy on my desk. The same can be said for just about every other applet currently available for the G19s.

I mean, nobody really needs anything more than the $10-$20 keyboard/mouse combo that used to come standard with any new computer, but the whole idea is that it’s fun to pack a few extra features into an otherwise boring device that many of us use on a daily basis.

So, from that perspective, the G19s succeeds in just about every way you could hope for. It’s flashy, packed with over-the-top functionality and just enough practical application for a certain crowd to justify the purchase. But the lack of mechanical switches is just too big an oversight for me to ignore, and I suspect I’m not alone.

DISCLAIMER: As mentioned at the top of this post, the Logitech G19s review you just read is based on time spent with a keyboard provided to me (free-of-charge) by a representative of the popular peripheral manufacturer; however, Logitech did not retain any say in the contents of this review.

Have you had a chance to spend any time with the latest iteration of the Logitech G19s? Disagree with our analysis of the popular peripheral manufacturer’s latest premium gaming keyboard? Think you’ve discovered something (like a new applet) that would change our mind about the Logitech G19s?

Your keyboard is your primary connection to your PC: it"s the part you touch the most. This means that getting a better keyboard can yield a more immediately-noticeable difference than just about any other upgrade — including upgrading your CPU(opens in new tab).

A gamer"s keyboard is even more critical. Gamers need something with instant response time and tactile feedback, but they also need it to be comfortable and easy to type on for long gaming and chatting sessions. And an attractive design with per-key RGB that can be customized to accompany your rig doesn"t hurt, either.

Whether you"re ducking and diving and sniping your way through a first-person shooter, wearing out your W-key exploring a vast open world, or chatting furiously on Discord and Twitch, your keyboard is going to be your main sidekick. You don"t want to make that choice lightly — here are the best gaming keyboards we"ve tested, that deliver an exemplary combination of low-latency responsiveness, gamer-friendly features, and attractive, customizable style.

Quick Shopping TipsMechanical or bust? Most gamers probably aren"t even considering a non-mechanical keyboard — for good reason. Only mechanical keyboard switches offer the tactile feedback, precision, and accuracy most gamers need, and membrane switches feel gummy and unresponsive by comparison. Recently we"ve been seeing more and more optical keyboards, which are technically mechanical, but use light instead of force to actuate. Optical switches still feel a little unsatisfying to type on but offer speedy actuation (often adjustable) that many gamers may appreciate.

RGB or not? All RGB lighting is not equal. Per-key RGB lets you program each key"s color individually, while zone lighting limits your customization to just a few areas o the board. You can save a little money by getting a keyboard with a single-color backlight, but you’ll miss out on a spectacular light show. If you opt for something with no backlight at all, make sure you"ll be gaming in a well-lit area or are a touch typist.

Full-size, tenkeyless, or smaller? Tenkeyless boards drop the numpad, 65 percent boards eliminate navigation keys, and 60 percent boards also cut the arrow keys. Some users, such as MMO players, want every possible key (and more), while others prefer a smaller keyboard to clear up desk space.

The best gaming keyboards use a number of different mechanical switch types that determine the feel and sound of each key press. There are even new ones coming out all the time, such as the Cherry Viola switch. The type of switch you choose depends on your personal preferences for typing and gaming.

Don"t want to commit? Check out our article on how to change mechanical keyboard switches easily. Our feature onmechanical switch spec ranges also explains how to read switch specs.

The HyperX Alloy Origins" compact and quality build makes it the best gaming keyboard for mainstream gamers who just want to get down to gaming. It’s comfortable, with a premium look and feel from its keys to its frame and vibrant RGB lighting. If you"re familiar with linear switches, which are quick but offer little feedback, you"ll feel right at home with this keyboard"s red switches. We"ve also tested the clickier version with HyperX aqua switches, which are available on Amazon(opens in new tab)and HyperX"s store(opens in new tab).

For over $100, you can find gaming keyboards with more luxuries, such as media control buttons, a USB pass-through port (for easily plugging in another accessory, like your best gaming mouse(opens in new tab)), and more advanced software. But what the Alloy Origins does offer, it executes excellently.

Patriot Memory is better known for its RAM(opens in new tab)and storage than its peripherals, but the Viper V765 provides a key feel that’s second to none — in an attractive, affordable package. It"s been a while, but the Patriot Viper V765 is still a good budget option with plenty of functionality. It"s one of the rare keyboards to come with Kailh Box White switches, which actuate faster than regular Blue or Green switches thanks to their slightly reduced travel (3.6mm versus 4mm). The keys are the most responsive we’ve tested and make one of the most pleasant click sounds you"ll find anywhere.

If Kailh Box White switches aren"t enough to convince you the Viper V765 is worth buying, it"s got plenty more going for it. This full-sized keyboard has an aluminum surface with tapered edges that give it a futuristic look. The vibrant RGB keys offer dozens of different light combinations — and you don"t even need to install the software to access most of the RGB effects. The keyboard also features media keys, which are more often seen on pricier boards, as well as IP56 water and dust resistance.

The Roccat Vulcan II Max is designed to dazzle you: This full-size wired keyboard not only features bright, per-key RGB lighting, which is on maximum display thanks to the keyboard’s flat, shallow keycaps; 24 of its switches also have dual-LEDs. The Vulcan II Max comes with a detachable silicone wrist rest that serves as a conduit for the keyboard’s lighting (it’s beautiful), and features dedicated media keys and a clickable volume knob.

This is an attractive, unique-looking keyboard even without lighting — it has a slim, lightweight chassis with an aluminum alloy top plate, and flat, chiclet-y keycaps that leave the switches entirely exposed. The keyboard has 24 pre-programmed multi-function “smart” dual-LED keys, which light up to indicate secondary keybinds and can also change colors to display real-time info, such as headset or mouse battery life. The keyboard features Roccat’s Aimo lighting experience, which is an “intelligent” lighting system that interacts with, and reacts to, the user (and adapts over time). It’s definitely a dazzling alternative to the typical spectrum cycling, and it’s even more dazzling when paired with the Vulcan II Max’s translucent wrist rest.

The Corsair K70 RGB TKL is expensive but worth it. Its TKL build saves space but feels strong and resistant to damage. Corsair decks out the K70 RGB TKL with dedicated media keys and the ability to change RGB effects without having to download software (though you will need Corsair"s iCue app for deeper customization).

The K70 RGB TKL features doubleshot PBT keycaps that fight off smudges andsweat, so you"ll never miss a beat in-game, and that are enjoyable for both gaming and typing. The board also comes with bonus cheaper ABS keycaps in the box for more style and fun. One caveat: Typing on this board may require an adjustment period for how close the keys are to each other.

SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Wireless gives you back some desk space as well as wireless freedom, thanks to built-in dual wireless (low-latency 2.4GHz and Bluetooth 5.0). The 2022 redesign of the Apex Pro TKL features a simple, elegant chassis with an aluminum alloy top plate, double-shot PBT keycaps, and SteelSeries newest OmniPoint 2.0 linear optical switches.

If you want the same experience as your typical full-sized mechanical gaming keyboard but without wires, the Razer BlackWidow V3 Pro is the best wireless gaming keyboard we"ve tested. While many wireless keyboards are built for traveling, the BlackWidow V3 Pro maintains all the size, bulk, and functionality of a full-sized mechanical keyboard — including a premium tactile volume dial, media keys, an aluminum top plate, and doubleshot ABS plastic keycaps.

Razer doesn"t skimp on the BlackWidow V3 Pro: It"s packed with up to four profiles of onboard memory and vibrant per-key RGB lighting. However, RGB doesn"t stick to profiles — advanced RGB fanatics will have to rely on software for pairing RGB, including custom effects, to profiles.

The BlackWidow V3 Pro connects to your computer via 2.4 GHz dongle (which we had no issues with during testing) or Bluetooth (up to three computers simultaneously). With RGB at max settings and no dimming effects, our test unit averaged about 14 hours of battery life — but you"ll get up to 25 hours with RGB using power saving settings. You"ll want to plug in before the battery hits 3%, as power saving settings kick in at that point and the keyboard starts acting a little wonky.

If you’re looking for a more portable full-sized wireless gaming keyboard, the Logitech G915 Lightspeed is fantastic and reliable with low-profile switches that some will enjoy for gaming and others will enjoy for travel. But for a full-sized mechanical gaming keyboard experience, the BlackWidow V3 Pro is the premium choice.

The Corsair K100 RGB packs more features than most need, including some you’ve probably never even fathomed a keyboard could have. There’s an SoC with multi-threading, a 4,000 Hz polling rate (instead of the usual 1,000 Hz), the debut of Corsair’s homegrown optical-mechanical switches, and an RGB-clad media wheel that’s as fun to use as it is to look at.

The wheel was extra helpful for productivity tasks, such as zooming in and out of Photoshop. It proved less useful for gaming, however, as did some of the other features that make this keyboard so expensive.

The K100 RGB still makes for one of the best gaming keyboards. We could actually tell the difference offered by the optical mechanical switches’ shorter travel and actuation point. Of course, if you’re not into the optical mechanical trend, you can also get this board with Cherry’s Speed Silver switches.

It’s not a perfect gaming keyboard, but the Hexgears Impulse is the best gaming keyboard if typing performance is your main priority. In fact, using this keyboard with the Kailh Box White switches resulted in our best typing performance yet — surpassing even old-school IBM-style keyboards and others we"ve used with Cherry MX Blue or Razer Green switches.

Hexgears made the bold choice of putting a Blue-style switch under the spacebar only, arguing that the largest key (which most people hit with their thumbs) should be a bit stiffer. At first, we thought that having a different switch under just one key was a weird choice but eventually we found the added resistance helpful. As a result, we enjoyed typing on the Impulse even more than we liked typing on the Viper V765, which has Box White switches under every key, including the spacebar.

You can also grab the Impulse with Kailh Box Brown tactile switches. Better yet — the updated version of this keyboard adds hot swap capability, which means you can easily swap in whatever switches you like without breaking out a soldering iron. The Impulse"s $100price tag isn"t bad, especially for such an excellent typing experience and extra functionality.

While theRazer Huntsman V2 Analog is one of Razer’s more advanced optical mechanical gaming keyboards, the Huntsman V2 is the best fit for most. It’s expensive, but in addition to premium switches, it’s packed with features, including nice media keys, keys that can be programmed with up to two functions by holding down a designated Razer HyperShift key and 4 onboard profiles that can launch automatically with specified apps.

Its optical mechanical switches actuate by sending a stem through a light beam, rather than via physical contact. These switches have grown more popular for smooth actuation and because they should degrade at a slower rate than standard mechanical switches. We tested the Huntsman V2 with Razer’s 2nd Gen Optical Linear switches, which use sound dampeners. Additionally, there’s sound dampening foam in the keyboard that makes for a very quiet experience with these smooth-traveling switches. The clicky options are also delightfully light (1.5mm actuation point and 45g of force to actuate), making them more appropriate for gaming than other clicky switches.

The SteelSeries Apex Pro is the best gaming keyboard for RGB, boasting some of the most brilliant per-key RGB lighting we"ve ever seen. The colors pop against the keyboard"s dark gray frame and light up the rest of the chassis. Raised keycaps heighten the experience even more. Plus, software and on-the-fly controls make the possibilities feel endless.

This keyboard also has the innovative ability to set the actuation point for individual keys for a highly custom feel. This is a rare trick and one that the Apex Pro delivers in an effective fashion. There"s also the popular OLED(opens in new tab) screen, where you can display a small image or uploaded GIF. Not only is the Apex Pro highly customizable, it makes doing so easier than even a hot-swappable keyboard.

Those who like clicky, tactile typing should consider something else, because the Apex Pro"s switches definitely have a linear feel. (Though you"ll still hear plenty of noise from banging on the aluminum frame.) If you want a keyboard you can easily put your mark on — literally — look no further.

If you want the speed and slimness afforded by low-profile mechanical switches, the Logitech G915 Lightspeed is the best gaming keyboard you can buy. This is a premium gaming experience through and through. That means a row of G macro keys for leveraging during battle, dedicated media controls, including an epic volume wheel roller, and even multiple connectivity options. You can go tried-and-true wired, use Logitech’s reliable dongle connection, or store the dongle in the keyboard’s built-in compartment and use Bluetooth. This makes connecting to multiple devices a little easier too.

The G915 Lightspeed has earned a popular reputation but comes at a price. Despite its $250 MSRP, there’s no wrist rest, USB passthrough or premium keycaps resistant to smudging. As mentioned in our Logitech G915 TKL review, the smaller version of this keyboard is more affordable(opens in new tab) but foregoes even more luxuries, most noticeably G keys.

Ultra-compact keyboards aren’t for everyone, but if you have limited desk space or you’re looking for a gaming keyboard that’s travel-friendly, a 60 percent keyboard can be a godsend. You’ll have to give up a lot — number pad, navigation keys, function keys, and even arrow keys — but you’ll barely notice these sacrifices with the right keyboard.

The Apex Pro Mini Wireless is a sleek, sturdily-built 60 percent keyboard featuring SteelSeries OmniPoint 2.0 switches, which feature both adjustable actuation and dual actuation (much like the Razer Huntsman Mini Analog). Because it’s so small, the Apex Pro Mini Wireless has a slew of default secondary keybinds, which are printed on the sides of the keycaps and activated using SteelSeries SS function key. These secondary keybinds are so intuitive (and can also be remapped, if you want) that you won’t feel limited by the 60 percent layout. The keyboard is highly customizable: Almost every key can be remapped (first and secondary keybinds), have its actuation point adjusted, and have its RGB set – individually.

It’s hard to find an ergonomic gaming keyboard that’s split, and still has all the gaming features you need (or want). And it"s even harder if you want mechanical switches (let alone quality ones). That"s what makes the Cloud Nine C989 ErgoFS excellent.

Aside from nonstandard Windows key replacement, which you can reprogram, this keyboard sports a standard key layout — making it much easier to adjust to the C989 ErgoFS"s wide, split design. The keyboard comes with your choice of clicky, linear, or tactile mechanical switches from Cherry, as well as dedicated macro keys, a handy control wheels, and programmable RGB. It"s a split keyboard, but the C989 ErgoFS boasts the most sought-after features of the best gaming keyboards.

There are a few caveats: It"s huge, so make sure you have enough room for this large peripheral before you invest. The keyboard only allows for one tenting angle — the default 7-degree slope — and doesn"t have legs. Also, the backlighting is almost mandatory because the keys" legends are otherwise difficult to read.

Whether you"re shopping for one of the best gaming keyboards we listed above or a different model, you may find some discounts by checking out our list of Corsair coupon codes, Newegg promo codes or Razer coupon codes.Round up of today"s best deals

Most self-respecting keyboards available today come with lit keys. As night owls know, lit keys are a must for when you"re hunting a particular key in the night, with your monitor the sole source of light. The best of them come with customizable RGB lighting. You can even assign a different color to every single key.

Such customizability might seem like a gimmick until you look at the specialized keyboard models that professionals use when editing media, controlling light fixtures, etc. In such cases, different colors mark each key"s functionality, which makes this "gimmick" a handy way to find the right keys on short notice.

We will use Logitech"s popular G 512 keyboard and its official software for this article. Logitech is the mastermind behind some of the most popular keyboards on the planet. That was the reason we wrote a guide on the best Logitech keyboards worth your money.

Thankfully, they all use the same unified piece of software, called G-Hub. Thus, what we"ll see next should work on all of Logitech"s keyboards-with-RGB-lighting that are supported by its G-Hub software.

If you have a keyboard from another brand, you can follow along to see how you can customize it. However, you"ll have to improvise for each step, since the software you will be using may work differently.

Since you are already using your keyboard, you probably already have its software installed, which you can use to customize its lighting. If you don"t, you can head over to the G-Hub website and download it from there.

Presets and Animations offer pre-defined color maps and animated effects you can apply to your keyboard. Feel free to take a look at the options available here and pick out the ones that strike your fancy.

Freestyle is the equivalent of Paint for your keyboard. In this mode, you can "paint" freely on your keyboard"s keys with any color you fancy. There are a handful of tools you can use to get the job done, so let"s take a closer look at each.

Under Colors on device, on the left of the window, you will initially see a single group of keys with a unified color. As you apply more colors to your keys, this group will split into subgroups based on the colors you use.

You can freely choose any color you want using its palette or go for the swatches beneath it. Click on the last "empty" swatch with the plus icon to add a color you selected from the palette as a new swatch.

You don"t have to paint a color on each key individually or rely on a crude rectangle for their selection. You can also use the entries under Quick Color, hovering under the keyboard preview.

Click on them to apply the selected color to each of those groups of keys. Note that those are there to assist with the quick selection of key groups. You can still change the color of the keys either individually or with the rectangular selection tool.

When you are happy with your keyboard"s lighting, save your tweaks. Did you notice the pull-down menu under Effect? Expand it, and select Add New Freestyle. Type a name for your lightmap, press enter, and hey presto: it"s saved.

Popular keyboard manufacturers, like Logitech and Razer, have given their software the ability to swap profiles on the fly depending on the active application. This enables you to create different light color maps for your favorite games and applications. However, the process for doing that this somewhat convoluted—at least, with Logitech"s software, which we are using for this article.

You"ll find yourself back at Logitech software"s starting screen. This time, though, if you look at the top of the window, you"ll see that your new profile is active. As before, click on your keyboard to customize it.

Repeat that process to create more custom lighting profiles that will be automatically applied on your keyboard when you run your favorite applications or games.

Do you like the idea of your keyboard being customizable but don"t want to invest the time to do it yourself? Check out the lighting effects and gaming profiles available for download.

Logitech also offers lots of mice for every need and use. If you"re interested in picking one up, we"ve already covered what we believe are the best Logitech mice for gaming. If you"re already using one, you can use the same software we saw here to customize its lighting with similar colors. This way it won"t look out of place next to your custom-lit keyboard.

However, as we saw, it"s not only nice to have, but can also be quite helpful. Having custom profiles applied automatically on your keyboard can make it feel like an extension of the application or game on your screen.