Logitech G15 Gaming Keyboard

	The GamePanel display which, contradictorily, is more useful for non-gaming functions.

The GamePanel is capable of displaying 160 x 43-pixel resolution and up to five lines of text. With a 30fps refresh rate, animations render smoothly, though currently only the LCD clock applet demonstrates this feature. Three other applets comprise of a performance monitor, media display and keyboard profiler. The performance monitor tracks CPU and RAM usage to let you know when the system is reaching its limit. The media display shows volume levels and music titles and works in conjunction with the multimedia keys. For a quick check on active settings, the keyboard profiler is the applet of choice. Switching between applets is a matter of pushing one of five black rubber buttons just under the LCD. The other four are reserved for interacting with data on the GamePanel, though they are not required with the default applets. The information on the panel can be easily programmed in C++ (the software development kit is provided in the installation CD) and we expect applets with interactive data in the future.

Though the GamePanel is touted as an aid to display vital information during gameplay, there are not many titles that support the LCD display. We tested Brother in Arms which had an applet written for displaying weapon statistics on the GamePanel, and found that we did not use the information often. Looking away from the game, even for a split second, is a life-and-death proposition.

For light night gaming sessions, the keyboard can be backlit with a blue LED glow at the press of a button. Two brightness levels can be selected to prevent distracting illumination. Two USB 1.1 ports are located on the keyboard for connecting additional peripherals.

Service And Support
Logitech provides a one-year warranty with this keyboard. Should a hardware problem occur, you have to contact Logitech's customer service by phone for details on which distributor to send the equipment for repair and diagnosis. Updated device drivers, firmware and software updates can be downloaded from their support Web site. A basic troubleshooting database is available for common user-related issues.

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