logitech keyboard with lcd screen factory

Setting aside the screen for a moment, the G19 keyboard itself is only slightly more impressive than the most recent version of the G15. The core key design provides the same crisp keystrokes, with the same 12 "G" keys on the left edge. As with the G15, the G19 gives you three different switchable modes, so you end up with 36 effective customizable keys, along with on-the-fly macro recording. Logitech also includes another hallmark of its G-series keyboards, a switch that lets you disable the dedicated "Windows" key, so you don"t accidentally switch to your desktop screen during gameplay with an errant key press.

New to this model (aside from the color LCD) is its capability to recognize five simultaneous key presses. Macro-happy gamers and digital artists, in particular, should appreciate that feature, which opens up a greater level of mastery to run repetitive commands. We"re also glad to see that the G19 now has two powered USB 2.0 jacks. The G15 is stuck with USB 1.1, which is not as fast. Anyone who regularly transfers large amounts of data between a PC and a portable storage device or media player will benefit from that added bandwidth.

Other features include a smart drum-style volume control above the G19"s number pad, on top of which you"ll also find a set of easily accessible media play controls. As before, the G19 ties into iTunes, Windows Media Center, and other media software apps. Last but not least among the new, non-LCD-related highlights is the option to select from 16 million different colors for the backlit keys. You customize the colors through the only-somewhat-intuitive Logitech Profile software, which lets you tie three different colors to the three mode buttons for the programmable "G" keys. We wish it had a dedicated button to scroll through at least a few preset colors, though. We also wish Logitech would consolidate its configuration software into one application. Instead you have to bounce around between the G-series Key Profiler for setting up the G keys, and a separate LCD Manager app for the built-in screen. Which brings us, finally, to the color LCD.

As with the G15, the G19 provides you with a secondary display, ostensibly to minimize the number of times you switch out of a game to the Windows desktop to check the time, your in-box, or get other information. Unlike the G15"s two-tone model, the G19 gets full color output and a larger 320x240 screen size. Logitech includes 11 different applications you can use on the screen of the G19, among them a clock, a system performance monitor, an RSS reader, photo and video players, and an app that lets you play YouTube videos. All of those programs have option screens--accessible through both the LCD Manager software and through a set of screen menu controls on the keyboard itself--that let you change content source folders and make other adjustments.

The G19 also comes with built-in support for 46 PC games, and four different applications, including Ventrilo, the popular third-party voice chat software favored by many PC gamers. "Support" for those various titles means essentially that the screen will display different information, such as character stats and ammunition counts. We haven"t tried every game on the list, many of which are outdated, but we never found the game-specific information that handy during gameplay. We can see a few possibilities that would make the LCD screen more useful, such as giving you an extra inventory screen or showing an in-game map, but we haven"t seen those kinds of features implemented in the handful of titles we"ve tried. We do, however, like the Ventrilo plug-in that lets you know who"s talking, which can be useful if you don"t know everyone in your World of Warcraft guild by voice.

Potentially more exciting is that, as with the G15, Logitech also includes a software development kit for the G19"s LCD. It took a while for the enthusiast community to embrace the G15"s kit, but once it did, all kinds of mini apps became available for public download. We don"t expect the G19"s software library to have blossomed in the three months since the keyboard"s release, but without a critical mass of homemade applications, it"s hard for us to say what kinds of programs might come from the community. You can use some of the homebrewed G15 apps on the G19, but not all of them work on the new color screen. We also can"t help but wonder what effect the G19"s high price will have on the adoption rate among the enthusiast community. If fewer people buy the G19, that will surely affect the amount of collective effort behind any software development.

The keyboard everyone in the world drooled over for months and months is out there on the market. It’s got its own LCD screen, it looks slick as hell, and it costs a mint. You know you wantit, but should you really buy it?

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.

The screen itself is good. It’s 320×240, nice and sharp, and color is vibrant. It’s basically like your average mid-range cell phone screen. Viewing angle is pretty dismal, but you’re usually right in front of it and it swivels vertically anyway. So what’s on it?

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.

Lastly, the LCD screen is not some self-contained little thing. It runs a bunch of processes in the background all the time, and on XP at least also had an item (or two) in the taskbar all the damn time. Come on, that’s unforgivable.

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).

The other features on the keyboard include a (thank you Jesus) Windows key disabler and the usual media controls. The media buttons worked perfectly for me, although it would have been nice to have them be able to launch the player instead of just control it. The big mute button and volume wheel are responsive and feel good.

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.

Open Bluetooth preferences on your computer, phone or tablet. Select “Logi POP” on the list of devices. You should see a PIN code appear on screen. Type that PIN code out on your POP Keys then press the Return or Enter key to finish connecting.

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.

Logitech Crayon is the perfect companion for KEYS-TO-GO, a versatile, pixel-precise digital pencil for all iPads (2018 and later) that boosts productivity and lets you get creative. Mark up PDFs, take handwritten notes, or sketch diagrams — Logitech Crayon works with hundreds of Apple Pencil supported apps so you can start learning, collaborating, and creating on iPad instantly.

Even though I didn"t review the G15, I have owned two of them. I was surprised when the G19 showed up in almost the exact same packaging, other than the picture on the front being different. Of course that means you will spot the G19 on the shelves quick. Everything else you need to know can be found somewhere on the package. Specifications are tucked away on the top edge of the packaging along with a feature listing on the back. There are no windows or ways to view the G19 through the packaging, but they made sure there are pictures from every angle on each side of the package. Inside the package, the keyboard was bagged to prevent any scratches. The wires, CD"s, paperwork, and power cord (wait what?) are all tucked away along with the keyboard.

The G19 uses the same software that the previous models use with just a few small updates. The software is broken up into two parts, the LCD manager, and the Key Profiler. The LCD manager controls all of your currently installed Programs for your LCD. You can configure, disable, and enable and of the specific programs. You also have the ability to set the LCD"s brightness and control if the programs will rotate through automatically.

The Key Profiler controls the 12 macro buttons on the left side of the keyboard along with giving you the ability to set the lighting color for each of the three available profiles. The great thing about the G15"s software is the ability to set the G keys to do or run anything. Not only can you use a key to open any program, run any script or macro, type any text block, you can also have it open up folders! Scripts and Macro"s are normal with a gaming keyboard, but some of the features give you the ability to go beyond gaming and even get a little work done.

There is no hard and fast way to test out a keyboard, as with mice, it is very subjective. I spent almost a month with the G19 before I was really able to give it a subjective look. I"ve broken it down by area to make sure I cover everything.

I spend almost all of my time on the PC watching TV shows and movies on my 2nd monitor, to me it is very important to be able to control what"s going on quickly and easily. The same goes for volume and mute control, if something loud blasts my ear drums I want to be able to turn the volume down quickly. Having owned two of the 2nd gen G15"s I was very impressed with the change to the volume wheel. The wheel gives you easy and accurate control without worries of the buttons going bad. Next to and above the wheel you can find the Mute and media controls. Placed together they are perfect for tuning your media experience while on your pc, and in my case while in game (yes I watch movies while in game).

Being the "G"19 obviously you expect it to perform in game, that is what its designed for right? As I talked about before the 12 programmable keys have the ability to do anything you want, this is perfect for someone who wants to take a few things that would do in game and simplify. Personally, I never found the need for 12 macro"s but someone who plays MMO"s a lot may be able to put each to use. I would almost like to see the ability to program all of the normal keys also similar to what Razer has done with their keyboards. This would put the macro keys closer to your normal WASD keys for easy access. The game mode switch makes life a little easier preventing you from opening up the start menu if you bump the windows key. The LCD while in game is a little out of sight and is only functional if you look away from your game. The geek in me loves putting it on performance mode and watching the CPU and Ram usage. None of the games that I personally play has built in software for the screen, but Xfire and media center both do giving me a reason to look down. The built in clock is perfect for someone who needs to get out of game at a specific time (bedtime psssh yeah right!) If you didn"t have a 2nd monitor like I do the screen could show need to know information from outside of game. I think the person who would benefit from the screen the most would be a hard core WoW player, Logitech includes software specifically for WoW that shows all of the info you need to know while in game. Lastly, the keyboard itself responded quickly in game giving the slightest advantage when coming around the corner face to face with an enemy.

With my 2nd gen g15 I did experience an issue with the paint rubbing off of the keyboard after about a year of heavy use. The 1st gen G15 was known even more for this problem. I can"t speak for the overall quality of the G19 without long term testing, but it does look to have a similar surface to the 2nd gen G15. I also noticed a paint chip on one of the keys. The one thing I can attest too is Logitech will stand behind their product, G15 users who experienced the paint issues in and sometimes out of warranty had Logitech send them new keyboard with no questions asked, as long as they continue that level of service you should have nothing to worry about.

Obviously the G19 isn"t an ergonomic keyboard but the wrist rest does make it considerably more comfortable. My only issue is with the mushy keys, each key stroke you bottom out the keys because there is no defined click or action to the keys. Bottoming out each key effects your comfort over long periods of time.

So the G19 has a long list of kickass features that are useful for both gamers and workaholics alike. Of course not all of them are the most helpful, and with a price of just under 200 bones the G19 is out of range of most budget minded gamers. But! as with most things that us enthusiasts buy, the G19 has a wow factor that no other keyboard can hold a candle too. If you"re looking to add to your e-pen0r you can"t go wrong with the g19. For those World of Warcraft players out there, Logitech has you covered also. With all of those extra features mean you have to plus the keyboard into a power outlet on top of the normal USB connection.

You might call him obsessed or just a hardcore geek. Wes"s obsession with gaming hardware and gadgets isn"t anything new, he could be found taking things apart even as a child. When not poking around in PC"s he can be found playing League of Legends, Awesomenauts, or Civilization 5 or watching a wide variety of TV shows and Movies. A car guy at heart, the same things that draw him into tweaking cars apply when building good looking fast computers.

Do you detest gaming keyboards that give you everything you could possibly want in a computer peripheral? Do you absolutely despise having incredibly cool visuals and easy access to all your favorite keys and commands? Well, man, you"re really going to hate the Logitech G19 LCD Gaming Keyboard!

Offering an absolutely beautiful layout that features a tiltable, full-color GamePanel� LCD, selectable backlit characters, multi-key access, and over 12 programmable G-keys (with 3 macros a piece), the Logitech G19 LCD Gaming Keyboard is here to provide you with the ultimate online gaming experience.

The tiltable LCD screen boasts an awesome full-color 320x240 display that allows you to view all your most important in-game stats, as well as system information, VOIP data, picture slideshows, and even video playback. The 12 programmable G-Keys, allows the user to program up to 36 single keypresses or complex macros, and even features an MR key to record new macros on-the-fly. For some sweet key-mashing action, the Logitech G19 even features multi-key input, which allows you to perform multiple complex actions by using up to five keys at once.

Offering further assistance, the G19 also features a game/desktop mode, which keeps your game from being disrupted by disabling the Windows/Context Menu. For even more convenience, the keyboard also includes an intelligent cable management, instant access to your volume and media controls, and two high-powered USB ports equipped to transfer important data to and from your peripherals.

Logitech G, a brand of Logitech (SIX: LOGN) (NASDAQ: LOGI) and leading innovator of gaming technologies and gear, and Riot Games, creator of League of Legends, the most-played PC game in the world, today announced an exclusive new multi-year partnership. This press release features multimedia.

Logitech G333 VR Gaming Earphones and Logitech G PRO Gaming Headset Designed and Configured for Optimal VR Gaming Logitech G, a brand of Logitech, (SIX: LOGN) (NASDAQ: LOGI) and leading innovator of gaming technologies and gear, today announced new Oculus Ready™ immersive audio solutions for Oculus Quest 2 gamers. The new Logitech G333 VR Gaming Earphones and the Logitech G PRO Gaming Headset for Oculus Quest 2.

New G733 Wireless Headset, Available in Multiple Colors, is the Centerpiece in a New Line of Products that Enables Gamers to Express Their Unique Style Logitech G, a brand of Logitech, (SIX: LOGN) (NASDAQ: LOGI) and leading innovator of gaming technologies and gear, today introduced a new collection of gaming gear that celebrates self expression and the fun side of gaming. The centerpiece of the new Logitech G-Series Color Collection is the G733 LIGHTSPEED Wireless Gaming Headset .

Logitech G923 Racing Wheel and Pedals Features New Force Feedback System, Delivering Next-Generation Realism and Performance for Sim Racers Logitech G, a brand of Logitech, (SIX: LOGN) (NASDAQ: LOGI) and leading innovator of gaming technologies and gear, today unveiled the Logitech G923 Racing Wheel and Pedals , a high performance racing wheel that revolutionizes the sim racing experience. Engineered for maximum realism, G923 features TRUEFORCE™ a new high-definition force feedback system that dials into a game’s physics and audio engine to deliver an ultra-realistic experience.

Logitech G923 Racing Wheel and Pedals Features New Force Feedback System, Delivering Next-Generation Realism and Performance for Sim Racers Logitech G, a brand of Logitech, (SIX: LOGN) (NASDAQ: LOGI) and leading innovator of gaming technologies and gear, today unveiled the Logitech G923 Racing Wheel and Pedals , a high performance racing wheel that revolutionizes the sim racing experience. Engineered for maximum realism, G923 features TRUEFORCE™ a new high-definition force feedback system that dials into a game’s physics and audio engine to deliver an ultra-realistic experience.

Logitech G Launches LIGHTSPEED Wireless Version of its Award-Winning PRO X Gaming Headset Designed With and For the World’s Top esports Pros Logitech G, a brand of Logitech (SIX: LOGN) (NASDAQ: LOGI) and leading innovator of gaming technologies and gear, today introduced the Logitech G PRO X LIGHTSPEED Wireless Gaming Headset . This new PRO headset brings pro-grade LIGHTSPEED wireless technology to an award winning design that"s built to the exacting specifications of the world’s elite esports professionals.