Traditional layout.

Mode keys and Macro Record.

G-keys.

The most important thing to me was the standard layout of the G15. No surprises here, just a standard, full-size layout. The extra G-keys are to the left of the standard keys, and form a vertical row of three groups of two. The M1-M3 keys and the Macro Record keys are above, and distinguish themselves from normal keys by being shorter; the currently active mode key will be lit up. The Macro Record key is for quickly recording a macro and then storing it into one of the G-keys. It's handy when you're in a game and quickly need to redefine one of the G-keys to perform a new function. Lastly, the silver sliding switch just above the F3 and F4 keys can be used to deactivate the Windows keys on the keyboard; this prevents you from accidentally bringing up the Start menu while in a full-screen game, only to return to the game to find yourself dead. This is a small but helpful feature, which was also present in the original G15.

More keys.

Display area.

More keys.

Standard grouping.

Numpad area.

Another view of LCD area.

The LCD area features two groups of buttons. First are the media buttons - you have the standard play/pause, stop, forward/reverse and volume control buttons, all arranged around the LCD. The major difference from the original G15 is that the volume control used to be a dial. I personally prefer a dial (the classic approach) as it's more intuitive. There's also a mute button, but it's off to the right, above the Print Screen key.

The second group of buttons is those that directly control the LCD. There are four buttons below the LCD and one just to its left. The function of these buttons depends on the applet that's currently running/being displayed on the screen but they can be used for things like cycling through the running applets and so forth. They become very useful for developers who want to add functionality to an applet they're making for the G15, since Logitech has encouraged third party development by releasing an SDK for the LCD.

USB ports.

Feet extended.

Feet folded in.

The back of the keyboard has two USB ports, like the original. These can be useful for plugging in a mouse or a USB drive, since they're close. While they're okay for these sorts of devices, you probably cannot plug in devices that draw a lot of power, since the USB hub is not powered.

The G15 does have feet to add some tilt to the keyboard since it is so flat, but these do not elevate the keyboard that much. Thus, some people who like having the keyboard tilted towards them may find it uncomfortable. I personally like a flat keyboard but believe that comfort depends on what height the keyboard is relative to you. If the keyboard is quite high, your elbows will be bent more and thus you will require more tilt from it to keep your hands at a natural position. Conversely, if your keyboard is such that your elbows are at 90 degrees, a flat profile might make more sense.

G15 with backlighting on.

Backlit keys.

Some pictures of the G15's orange backlighting are shown here. I apologize for the quality - I had to take these pics with the flash off, and had some trouble. In my opinion, the backlighting is equal to or brighter than that of the original G15, though perhaps my judgment is affected by the different colour. Nonetheless, it works quite well at night.

Though you can turn off the backlighting (there are 3 settings: bright, brighter and off), without the lighting the keys become difficult to read. If you touch-type, this isn't an issue. However, the LCD is hard to read without the backlight (whether inverted or not), more so than the original G15's display without backlighting. However, I keep the backlighting on my G15 on most of the time, so perhaps this is a moot point.

Backlit LCD.

Backlit keys

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