I have been searching for a backlit keyboard for quite some time, and have been quite unimpressed with my findings. That is until I came across the Logitech G11 Gaming Keyboard. This is a quality piece of work with illuminated characters on every key and 3 levels of backlighting. I was very happy with the feel of the keyboard as well, a very positive experience with great feel and good layout. The only feature I wasn’t too happy with was the volume control, it utilizes a dial instead of buttons.
While the backlighting is a great feature, it is not the main selling point of this keyboard. There are 18 programmable keys on the left side of the board. Using these buttons along with the three mode buttons above them (M1, M2, and M3) gives you 54 keys to assign keystrokes, shortcuts, functions or macros. You can create different profiles so that the keyboard is programmed for whichever game or application you are using. You can even record macros while your are playing a game! While I have found this to be of wonderful use for gaming, it is even more handy for my needs at work. I can set up profiles for web development, graphics, database administration, etc. The included software makes assigning the desired functionality to these keys quite simple and straight forward.
Another bonus for game players is a simple slide switch that will turn off the functionality of the Windows key. This proves quite useful in keeping you from accidentally kicking yourself to the desktop right in the middle of your game. Along with this, you will also find two USB ports on the tip of the board.
I found the keyboard at NewEgg for $58.99 + shipping – definitely well worth it.
