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31 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good for gaming, not so great for everything else, January 16, 2010
This review is from: Logitech Gaming Keyboard G110 (Electronics)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
I have been testing this keyboard for three weeks now, and I am ready to rate it now. I am typing this review with it.
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For you impatient types, here is your executive review:
Gaming functions: 5/5
Key profiler and game scan: 4/5
Built in audio jack: 5/5
Built in mic jack: 5/5
Built in USB port: 2/5
Built in multimedia controls: 3/5
Back-lighting: 5/5
Keyboard as a keyboard: 3/5
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I think, as a gaming keyboard, the features and functions the G110 offers are excellent. The macro and quick key functions are easy to use, either with the macro recorder that is built into the keyboard itself, or the "key profiler" program which is installed with the keyboard. The macros work well, and changing between the three modes of macros is a snap with the M1-M3 keys. You will need (and love) all 3 modes of keys if you are using the keyboard for a complicated RTS or an MMORPG (World of Warcraft, Star Trek Online, Star Wars The Old Republic, etc.). Additionally, you can record macros for ANY program. Just open up the key profiler program, and select the program's EXE file, and give it a name. I assigned some macros for Adobe Premiere and Adobe Photoshop for mundane tasks (that take many menus to do, and don't have convenient hot-keys already) like saving in different formats, and applying the same set of filters, etc. to a file. Once you learn to record the TIME DELAYS with the macros, then it works beautifully (if you don't the macro goes too fast for most standard programs to respond to, as they are loading up pop-up windows for you to interact with, and there is a time delay on that).
I tested the gaming aspect of the keyboard inside THQ's Company of Heroes: Gold Edition and Bioware's Dragon Age: Origins. Interestingly enough, neither of those games was pre-recognized by the automatic "game scan" that the key profiler comes with. The profiler automatically recognized, and created a profile for: Knights of the Old Republic (1 & 2), LOTR Online, LOTR: Battle for Middle Earth (1 & 2), Rise of Nations (and expansion), Starcraft, Titan Quest & Warcraft 3. But not Company of Heroes or Dragon Age. I don't know what algorithm it uses to detect games, but it clearly isn't all that up to date. It also missed: Diablo (all), Baldur's Gate (all), The Longest Journey, Star Wars: Empire At War, Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds, Age of Mythology, Neverwinter Nights, Asheron's Call & Dune 2000. Not a huge annoyance, all you have to do is open the key profiler and create a new profile, and navigate to the game EXE, but it is interesting what it picked up, and what it missed.
The built in audio jack does a good job. It mutes the sound output to the hooked-up 5.1 sound system, and plays the sound only through the headphones you plug into the jack. The audio comes through quite clear, and the controls for muting it work as advertised. There is also a grouping of multi-media buttons in the upper right which CAN control your multi-media, if your multi-media understands the signals they send. They DON'T work with WinAmp or Corel's WinDVD (2010, don't know about earlier versions). They DO work with Windows Media Player (11, I cannot vouch for earlier versions) though. There is also a mute all button in that grouping, and a volume scroll wheel which only controls your plugged into headphone volume level, not Windows' volume level.
The built in microphone jack also works quite well. The button built to mute it works as advertised, and sound output from it is as good as when the mic is plugged into the main computer.
The built in USB port is terrible. The guide and the product documentation say the port should support up to 100 mA (that's milliamps) of power needs. In reality, it will beep at you with a horrible noise, and pop-up a message saying, "USB Hub Power Exceeded: The hub does not have enough power available to operate the USB Composite Device. For assistance in solving this problem, click this message." See customer image I am posting for this product for a screen shot. It will give you this message for darn near anything. It refused to power my Logitech MX 510 mouse on 2 out of 3 tries (although, strangely, it powered my G5 easily, go figure). It flat out refused to power my cell phone's USB charging cable. It refused to power my Kingston 4GB DataTraveler (DTI/4GB) USB stick. The USB port is fairly underpowered, and as a result, it is basically useless to me. This annoyance is the first major reason why I docked 2 stars from this product.
The keyboard itself is 2 inches wider than the LITE-ON SK-1688U standard USB keyboard I use (20 inches vs. the Lite-On's 18 inches). You would think that with that additional space (which means it is hanging off my keyboard tray), that the keys would all be full sized and laid out in the standard size and arrangements ... and you would be wrong. The keys are all about the size of laptop keys. That is, about 1/3 or even 1/2 smaller than normal. This takes some SEVERE getting used to, if you are used to normal key layout and size. I am CONSTANTLY hitting the "`" key, when I mean to hit the "1" instead, and I often hit CTRL when I meant SHIFT, and the Windows key when I wanted ALT, and I frequently hit the wrong letter keys as well. You get used to it, but I don't see why the additional FUNCTION buttons couldn't have been smaller, and the normal keyboard keys left the same size and standard layout. The keys themselves are nice and soft (just like the Lite-On model I normally use), and not clicky at all (which I like). They are very responsive, and are clearly made with quality in mind. However, the size and placing issue annoyance cannot be overlooked, and is the other major reason why I docked 2 stars from this product.
The back-lighting is a gimmick, and I don't normally even have it on. You can change the colors to different shades of red and blue (and everything red and blue can be combined to make, I.E. there is a red and blue LED inside it, and you can combine the colors accordingly), and the colors will change depending on what mode you are in (M1-M3) and what color you assigned to that mode. It works as advertised, though. So, if you like to play in the dark, it will most certainly help you.
Overall, if you ONLY plan to plug this thing in to play games -- especially MMORPGs or complicated RTS games, and you are willing to spend the time teaching it the various macros you will need, and learning how to use them in-game, you will probably LOVE this thing. If you are someone who WORKS on your computer as well as plays, and you are used to typing a LOT during the day, and you are used to standard sized keys and buttons being in a certain spatial relationship with each other, then expect a learning curve for this keyboard. It works quite well (except for the USB port), and is obviously a quality product. I am not sure if it is worth the current asking price, but if it comes down about 1/3 or 1/2 of where it is now, any serious PC gamer could do much worse than this keyboard.
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Everything I have come to expect from Logitech, December 26, 2009
This review is from: Logitech Gaming Keyboard G110 (Electronics)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
I have owned many keyboards over the years and in the past 10 years, they have all been Logitech. I also have the Logitech G11 gaming keyboard which I was using prior to this one. First of all, if you don't need a gaming keyboard, don't buy one. I noticed a few reviews that actually seemed to view this keyboard negatively for having lots of keys they won't use. Doesn't make sense, does it? If you are not a gamer or the idea of macro recording and extra keys doesn't entice you, this is a rather expensive keyboard. You would be much better off getting a wireless Logitech desktop for your non-gaming needs.
Now, if you ARE a gamer, welcome to heaven!! I absolutely love the softness of the keys on this keyboard. They are quiet and very responsive. The keys are silky smooth and it's just a joy to use. It has taken a bit to get used to the extra keys along the left side as they are so close to the rest of the keys and when not looking, it can be slightly annoying to find where you are on the keyboard. I'm sure this will disappear in a few more days of use though. All of the features on this keyboard are absolutely wonderful and I'm so glad they chose to go with the minimum features needed to enhance your game play and not clutter up the keyboard with a bunch of stuff you do not need.
The macro keys are awesome. Very easy to use and making new macros on the fly is quick and simple. The windows lock key is invaluable. Why has no one thought of this before?! I can't tell you how many times I've been in a heated PvP battle and accidentally hit my windows key. You know the rest. The headset and microphone mute buttons are also ingenious. Not everyone has a quality headset or microphone with a built in mute button, so this is priceless for those people and also more convenient for me to push one of these buttons rather than reach up to my head to mute the mic there. The back light turns on and off with a simple tap on the button. No need to open up a configuration program to turn it on and off. Nice. The back light is just the right intensity and the ability to change the colors (pink!) is very cool. The media player buttons are pretty standard on keyboards today, but I do love how they confined them to a small space on the right side of the keyboard so they aren't dominating my play area on the keyboard like others I have had. The volume wheel is also the best I have ever seen on a keyboard of any kind. I don't particularly like the volume dials that "click" with every movement because volume control can lack a lot of precision at times. One click can take you from too loud to so quiet you can barely hear it. This volume wheel is very smooth with no clicking and works like a dream. The mute button is also right beside it so you can quickly push it if you are like me and have to keep an ear out for a baby monitor in the evenings. Last but certainly not least, the USB 2.0 and headphone/microphone jacks are absolutely wonderful! I could never go back to a keyboard without at least one USB 2.0 port having so many gaming peripherals and electronic gadgets. My only gripe is that I wish they had kept the two USB 2.0 ports of the G11. All our headsets are USB anyway but we do have one headset that can be either.
I have to take the time to refute a few of the claims here on the other reviews as I don't believe this keyboard deserves the 3.5 stars it currently has here on Amazon. Some of the negative reviews are what made me skip over the G110 and try the G11 first. I honestly wish I had waited for this keyboard because it is superior in many ways. One reviewer states this keyboard feels cheap because it's lightweight. This keyboard absolutely does NOT feel cheap. Everything about it boasts quality. Just because it is lightweight does not mean it is garbage. I appreciate the fact that it's lightweight, as I'm sure many others do as well. It was also stated that this keyboard is unattractive. I can only assume this person was comparing photos and not actual products side by side because there is nothing unattractive about this keyboard, but it is a matter of opinion I suppose. Another reviewer compared it to the "beautiful SideWinder X6" which to me looks almost identical but with extra bulky buttons along the top side. And how much does it really matter when you don't usually look down at your hands while gaming, typing or anything else. I did at first think my G11 was more attractive than that G110 until I had them both in my lap. The layout of the G11 is meant to be pleasing to the eye with the mix of silver and black and the fancy handles?? on the top. But when you have them side by side and you see how enormous the G11 is beside this little beauty, it's easy to see why I favor the G110. The G11 has extra macro keys, true, but between the normal in game hot keys and my Razer Naga mouse with 12-key thumb pad, I don't need 54 potential macro keys. 36 suits me just fine.
It was also stated in a previous review that the back light is uneven or that you have to be looking straight down at the keyboard to even see it. This is just flat out untrue. Unless this person received a defective product, there is no way this is true. The lighting on my keyboard is just right. Bright enough to be clearly visible during daylight (which another reviewer stated was impossible) and dim enough that it isn't harsh on your eyes in the dark. The lighting is also perfectly even across all keys.
Another issue pointed out by other reviewers is the supposed lack of height from the feet on the back of the keyboard. The height on this keyboard is exactly the same as my other two Logitech keyboards AND my husband's Microsoft keyboard. The perfect height for comfort and the removable wrist support is actually very functional on this keyboard. Normally I remove them because they are simply too low and do nothing to actually support my wrists. This keyboard sports the first wrist support that actually comes straight out from the keyboard and actually *gasp* supports my wrists. It's very comfortable and wonderful during long gaming sessions.
Overall, if you are looking for a quality gaming keyboard with lots of customizable keys and you aren't swayed by the largely unnecessary LCD screen of the G19 series, you really can't go wrong with the G110. Ignore the naysayers, you will absolutely love it. A great buy for the serious gamer who wants functionality and not flash.
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
solid build, lots of configuration options, November 9, 2009
This review is from: Logitech Gaming Keyboard G110 (Electronics)
I bought this keyboard right when it came out. The first thing I noticed was the setup is basically like the G19 without the LCD. The build is solid. It is a fairly thin keyboard, compared to the bulkiness that added by keyboards with video panels.
Pros
- no ghosting in the wasd area or one key beside each
- no ghosting of the arrow keys
- many configurable buttons
- macro capability
- LED backlighting, blue - red and purple tones
- detachable palm rest
- USB and Audio jacks
Cons
- LED backlighting must be blue, red, or colors inbetween... no white.
- Long, might be a few more buttons than I will ever use.
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