It's a whole new month and here I am again, this time, with a review of the i-Rocks IK6 keyboard. Sporting basically the same key structure as the fan-favourite i-Rocks K10, does the IK6 bring anything new to the table, or is it just the K10's different looking younger brother? Let's find out.
WHAT'S IN THE BOX
The keyboard itself and a piece of information
TECH SPECS
REVIEW
Starting off with the packaging, i-Rocks opt with a much more minimalist design for their box this time, probably to match with the very nice aesthetic that the IK6 sports, more on that later. There's shrink wrap all around the keyboard to protect the keyboard from scratches as such. Overall, enough protection for the keyboard to safely endure shipping.
Moving onto the keyboard, in the looks department, based on the title of this post alone, you can already guess that it has a transparent bottom already. I was very impressed by the overall look of the IK6, and that was just looking at the black version; the white version looks far more superior, in my opinion, judge for yourself. I find that this keyboard could fit in an office pretty well, as it looks way more subtle compared to other gaming-grade keyboards.
Speaking about gaming, the keyboard still features some of i-Rocks gaming features like Windows-key lock, as well as a 26-key anti-ghosting area for those that can type that fast. So, if any gamers out there that would like a nice looking keyboard, you can go for the IK6 without sacrificing any essential gaming features.
Build quality wise, I would say that most of the sturdiness of this keyboard comes from the glass casing on the back. There's basically no flex to the casing even when I try to bend it, so it's goes without saying that under normal usage conditions, that there's no need to worry.
Connection wise, you get a USB connection with a cable length of 1.5m. That's an ample amount of cable. However, due to the glass casing, users don't get the run-of-the-mill cable routing lanes as seen on other i-Rocks keyboards that I have reviewed in the past, so do keep that in mind.
Typing experience wise, while it does utilize the same key structure as the fan-favourite K10, it feels slightly different compared to its predecessor. While it is hard to put it in words what the difference between the two is, I'm still going to give it a go; the IK6 is not as "clicky" as the K10. Depending on your preference, this might or might not be a good thing. For me, I like the "click" sound that I make while typing, even though people tell me that it's due to my incorrect way of typing. Overall speaking, while it doesn't feel as good as the K10, the IK6 is still way better than most membrane keyboards that I have used in the past. Oh and finally, a FULL SIZED BACKSPACE, the short backspace normally found on i-Rocks keyboard is the bane of me.
CONCLUSION
I'm out of words to describe the IK6, so I will just go ahead and conclude everything the IK6 is and isn't. The IK6 is a beautiful looking keyboard, that performs similarly to the K10, albeit being slightly off compared to the superior K10. This slick looking keyboard also complements a work/office space fairly well, so if you are in the market for a keyboard that is fairly professional looking, I wholly recommend the IK6. The i-Rocks IK6 retails at MYR 179.00. For more information, you can refer to i-Rocks Malaysia Facebook Page or their official website.
After reviewing one of my favorite non-mechanical keyboard, the Rock Series K10, i-Rocks sent me another one of their upcoming products, the Golem K50E. Will this keyboard blow my socks away like the K10 did? Let's find out.
WHAT'S IN THE BOX?
The keyboard itself, a PS/2 to USB adapter and a user manual
TECH SPECS
REVIEW
Starting off with the box, the K50E comes in a fairly straight-forward package. The keyboard is secured by in the box by cardboard and that's it. In which I say is enough protection for a keyboard. While there isn't any sort of 'unboxing experience' per say, I'd wager that you bought a keyboard for a keyboard, and nothing else.
Moving on, let's look at the keyboard instead. In the looks department, the K50E looks about the same like the K10, albeit this time with a whole lot more red accents compared to the latter. Like the K10, the K50E sports a plastic finish all around, be it the keycaps or even the base of the keyboard. The only obvious logo on the keyboard would be the one on the space bar while another two logos are spotted at the bottom and the top-side of the keyboard, both of which will be not visible in normal usage conditions. Build quality wise, despite not being as heavy as its predecessors, the K50E still feels solid overall.
Connection wise, you get a USB 2.0 connection with a 1.8m cable. The cable also comes with a color-matching velcro for easier cable management. The keyboard also comes along with a PS/2 adapter which some people reign superior over a USB 2.0 connection, but that's a whole other discussion for another day.
Turning the keyboard around, we find a bright red finish down at the bottom. While users can't really see the red on the bottom of the board, they will see a slight accent on the sides, which is a nice touch. On the bottom, we find a kick-stand with ample amounts of slippy pad and more slippy pads around the keyboard. There's also a cable management lane which users can utilize depending on their preference where it would be better to have the cable route out of.
This time round, the K50E finally sports some sort of backlight. The keyboard is lit up using a single light source that diffuses throughout the keyboard. This results in a dimmer lit keyboard compared to keyboards which are individually backlit. While I would certainly like to have the keys individually backlit or you know, brighter, I understand that i-Rocks did this to keep the price down; look at the bright side though, this kind of backlight isn't as prone to dying compared to the individual LEDs (probabilities). The red backlight also suits the theme of the K50E that features subtle red accents.
Typing experience wise, the K50E features a scissor-structure switch, which is vastly different from what the K10 had. While I don't have the technical knowledge to delve deep into how the switch performs and other technical stuff, I can still describe how the keyboard feels from a general user's perspective. It's definitely better than your typical office keyboard, but when compared to a nice mechanical keyboard, it's really no contest. Compared to the K10, I would say that the K50E is a bit less "clicky" than the former which might or might not be a benefit for you, depending on whether or not you are a silence freak. Personally, I prefer the K10 as I'm more of a clickity-clack person. Keyboard layout is same as the K10, which again, reminds me of its short backspace key. I never did understand it anyway.
Functionality wise, you get the usual Windows-key lock function, 24-key anti-ghosting area, as well as what i-Rocks calls as 'Turbo Typing', which is basically just increased repeat rate, good for Quick-Time Events (QTE) which are very prevalent in modern AAA games. If you read the K10 reivew, I still hold my stance that software integration will definitely do wonders for i-Rocks, especially with this keyboard; if users could switch between different modes of lighting, record macros and the like, it will be superb.
CONCLUSION
On a final note, I find the K50E a pretty good keyboard; solid build quality, comes backlit, nice and silent to type on, and has some nice functions like adjustable repeat-rate and the quintessential windows-lock. This time round, the K50E retails at MYR 229.00, which compared to the K10 is quite steep. Judging from the addition of a backlight as well as a different key structure, the price is pretty much justified at i-Rocks side. However, at this price, I find it hard to recommend as there are baseline mechanical keyboards that are priced only 20-30% higher than the K50E. It's up to you to weigh the scales between having a backlight and having a slightly better typing experience.
I remember when I went to my first ever PC Fair, poor secondary school student me bought my first ever gaming peripheral; the G110, a gaming keyboard made by none other than Logitech. It's been almost 4 years since that happened and it's fortunate to say that my G110 is still working perfectly fine as one of my family member had since then snatched it from me. Today I will be reviewing the G19s LCD Gaming Keyboard, sitting atop the price range bracket in the keyboard category, let's see what the G19s has to offer.
WHAT'S IN THE BOX
The keyboard itself, a wrist rest, an AC power adapter and some user documentation
TECH SPECS
- Dimensions (L x W x H): 495mm x 267mm x 51mm
- Weight: 2204 grams
- Display: Colour 320-by-240 pixel display
REVIEW
Taking the G19s out of its box, I notice the packaging is fairly simple with the keyboard being the first thing you see right from the get go. I would have like to seen maybe a plastic shroud to protect the keyboard especially since it has a LCD screen right on top of it. After getting the keyboard out, there's a cardboard partition that holds the AC adapter, the wrist rest and also the user documentation.
Putting the packaging aside, let's focus on the star of the show. Checking out the keyboard in its entirety, if you have used any of Logitech's previous gaming keyboards, the G19s doesn't deter too much from its original aesthetics. You have your 12 G-keys on the left side of the keyboard and on top of that you have the easy profile switch buttons that allow you to switch between three profiles that you have created and customized via the Logitech Gaming Software. I will elaborate more on the software later on in the review. Not forgetting also the macro recording button which allows users to record macros on the fly and review it later in the software. Beside that is the toggle to enable 'gaming' mode that will disable keys like the Windows key. Right above the numpad, we see the classic media control setup that has been a staple of Logitech gaming keyboards. What I like about this particular setup is that Logitech actually made the volume control into a scroll wheel, which makes controlling the volume a much more intuitive action compared to the conventional "press modifier key + function key" volume adjustment method.
Right behind the media control keys, we see 2 USB ports which are also powered by the AC adapter, making them both active USB ports which allow users to plug in devices like smartphones to charge alongside the keyboard when they are using their PC. I find these 2 USB ports especially useful when you have a wireless mouse like the Logitech G700s (review coming up very soon) which has Logitech's slim receiver and a charging cable so you can easily switch between wireless and wired mode.
Flipping the keyboard around, we get to see the cable management lanes. Cable management lanes are always handy to have. We also get to see the keyboard feet as well as how the detachable wrist rest works. In my opinion, the keyboard lacks grip as can be seen from the lack of rubber grips. While the chances of you pushing the keyboard while you are gaming is pretty low, I would have like to have seen more grip on the keyboard.
The wrist rest on the other hand, is able to attach to the keyboard firmly without much hassle. The wrist rest attaches so firmly to the keyboard to the point where removing it becomes a really difficult task. Do keep in mind though, in normal usage conditions one wouldn't constantly remove the wrist rest. Anyhow, a detachable wrist rest is always a plus in my book.
Now let's shift our focus to the star of the show and pretty much what makes most of the price tag, the LCD screen. The LCD screen is a colour display that bolsters a 4:3 screen aspect ratio and a resolution of 320x240. While that might look like a little low on the pixel count especially when considering nowadays the marketing trend is to slap a "1080P" or "4K" sticker on a product, the resolution on the G19s' LCD is perfectly enough for its usage. Right beside the screen, one will find the controls that are used to navigate the interface on the LCD.
So what exactly can you do with the G19s' LCD display? A quick run-down inside the Logitech Gaming Software will give you guys a pretty good idea. Users can enable or disable certain applets and also control how bright they want the display to be.
Here are some in real life shots to demonstrate the G19s' applets right out of the box.
The RSS reader applet
The G-Profile selector
Countdown and stopwatch applet
Picture viewer applet
Video player applet
There are also some 3rd party plugins by developers like LCDHost or FalNET Display Manager that allow for more functions like a much more throughout system information display or user created layouts for certain applets. One particular applet that I find interesting is the ColorFactory applet found inside FalNET Display Manager that lets the keyboard go all out on illumination settings like what I have linked down below.
Other than what I've written above, some games also have applet support for the LCD screens. You can find the full list here.
Earlier in the review, I have already mentioned about Logitech Gaming Software, so here's the part where I explain what Logitech Gaming Software is and what is it designed to do. For starters, the Logitech Gaming Software allows users to customize what they want the 12 G-keys to do. Users can bind macros, single or multiple keystrokes, mouse functions if you have a Logitech gaming mouse plugged in and even shortcuts to other programs on the keyboard. I would have liked to have the ability to rebind every key on the keyboard instead of just the 12 G-keys as it is an industry standard already even for cheaper keyboards by other manufacturers. What I like about LGS though is that you can have unlimited profiles for different games on my PC; however this perk does not extend to when you are using the on-board memory featured on the G19s and you are limited to 6 profiles.These profiles also can also have a trigger associated to a certain program.
Users can also customize what colour they want the keyboard to be lit in. Users can either choose their favourite colour using the colour wheel or by punching in RGB values (particularly useful so I can use the exact cyan blue I use in my logo.) Users can also opt to use some pre-determined colours which pretty much cover every colour on the rainbow. That pretty much covers everything about the software.
Before I go on to the conclusion, there is something I would like to mention. If you don't plug in the AC adapter and use the keyboard by using solely the USB connection, understandably, the LCD will not be activated. However, the backlight will not function as well. Just something you might want to take note if you are planning to buy the keyboard.
CONCLUSION
The Logitech G19s is a well-built membrane keyboard that does not alter the original keyboard layout other than extending it out a bit on the left to implement the G-keys. However, a big bombshell to this keyboard would be its retail price which is a whopping amount of MYR 699.00. While I understand that most the cost comes from probably the LCD screen, some parts of the keyboard just doesn't cut it for the price tag. For a keyboard of that price, I would have like to have seen a much more advanced lighting system like lighting zones as opposed to one colour across the board. I would also like to have seen per-key programming as opposed to just the 12 G-keys. Removing the only speciality of the keyboard - the LCD screen, you will be left with the already phased out G110 which if I remember correctly, you could get at about MYR 210.00 a few years ago. So the question you would have to pose to yourself would be: Is the LCD screen worth the additional cost? In my honest opinion, I just can't find myself owning a keyboard like this.
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