Customer Reviews
not a bad keyboard 
2008-04-29
when i have in the gaming keyset it is hard to type. But it is great keyboard other than that.
Zboard 
2008-04-25
AWESOME! Great investment for those that love to play WoW. Well worth the money.
Takes a little getting used to, but a very good keyboard for gaming 2008-04-25
The key layout is a little different from my usual WASD controls for a normal keyboard, but after a few hours of use I like it a lot.
Great Keyboard 2008-02-14
This Zboard is definitely the ultimate gaming keyboard (at least from my perspective). I'm even writing this review with the keyboard now!(Counter-Strike limited edition keyset, actually) The most impressive feature of this keyboard is the ability to exchange keysets. You can use one for gaming, one for everyday stuff, and the unique ones for Counter-Strike, WoW, Battlefield, Call of Duty, etc. You can use one keyboard instead of the hassle of buying more for different games. It is very to change keysets! Just pop one out and pop another one back in! The Zboard Gaming Keyboard would, in my opinion, beat all the other ones out there, and it is set as a reasonable price!
Versatile Keyboard with small learning curve 2008-01-29
I got the Zboard a few weeks ago after I saw they finally had divers for Vista (It didn't when I got my PC, so had to use the Fang gaming pad before that). I also got the Tabula Rasa & Guild Wars keyboards from Amazon & ordered an out of print gaming keyboard & 2 business keyboards from the Ideazon site.
First, I had no problems with the Ideazon site. Found the Vista driver (not on the CD) and Warrantee info (1 year on keyboards & Gaming Keyboard inserts if you have the receipt & don't peal off the keyboard label.). Their site is well laid out, so I don't know what the complaints are, unless they are old reviews & the Ideazon site has changed since then. I also found they had keyboards for Business programs like DreamWeaver, Excel & Photoshop. I thought I'd try something I knew very well (Excel) and something I knew enough to get by (DreamWeaver) but more on them later.
The keyboard comes with 2 inserts, a "normal" keyboard and a gaming one. The normal keyboard has all the expected keys, but seems like the keys are about 10% closer together, so it takes some minor getting used to. It also has a bunch of functions at the top, like Sound +/- & mute, and instant start programs like calculator, notepad, e-mail, chat, Web browser, Ideazon site & Zboard key changer. After a day my typing speed returned to normal getting used to the compression. The keys have the same top surface area, but are less pyramid like at the base, so may not accumulate as much dust. Even if it does, it's an easy thing to shake off the keyboard.
They gaming keyboard put something like the Fang on the left side, removed the 10 key pad, causing me to purchase an USB 10 key pad to plug into one of 2 USB ports in the keyboard, since I used that for gaming a lot. There is also a weird break in the middle, separating the B from the N by at least 2 key spaces. Also the Tab is tiny and the Cap lock huge, so typing can be an experience. Have not recovered my typing speed on this, and resorted to "hunt & peck" on a few occasions. But I want to game more than type, so it's not a big deal. (I always manage to get myself killed if chatting too much during gaming, and if chatting is my objective, I can swap out the keyboards in less than a minute, even in the middle of a game.) I'm not sure this is better than my old keyboard with a Fang, except Vista has stopped crashing while gaming, which it used to do on occasion with the Fang. So it is at least as good.
Tabula Rasa has a normal keyboard with special keys in the num pad area, plus the letter keys list what they do above the letters. I like this a lot except I used unused keys to turn on the Fang, and the keys in that position have weapon switch listed on them, which is a problem with the game Tabula Rasa, not the keyboard. I hate mouse navigation.
The business keyboards were a delight. Excel has everything I knew how to do, but saved me keystrokes, instead I could type an Alt or Ctrl letter or such for the commands. Very nice & I picked up on it instantly. DreamWeaver had the keys labeled so I knew how to do stuff I was too lazy to research, and just fixed in HTML because it was easier than learning how DreamWeaver did it! Excellent! I am planning to get one on Photoshop, which I know nothing about & use a less featured graphics program instead of buying a manual to teach me how to use this powerful program.
The Guild Wars keyboard I purchased works well. The only problem I had, was one time I snapped it into place without having it lined up correctly (which wasn't easy for me to do. Really had to force that lock.) and the only problem it gave me was a slow response time. Other than that one time, it has faster than normal keyboard response time, lets me easily switch my powers, has a row that can be made into often used emotes, has excellent movement keys including turning, and everything has lables to remind me what it does. The num pad is replaced by movement keys & keys to bring up windows, like your armor, or stuff in your bags.
Not all gaming keyboards have normal keys. Civilization has well over 100 circular keys. I plan to get this one too.
So, changing keyboards take almost no time & pulls up the programming that goes with that keyboard. You can create sets of macros for keyboards & easily save them & the response time is very fast if the keyboard is in correctly. The only problem I see is that I want to get every keyboard they make for every program I have or might get.
I like this a lot.
Awesome new innovation!!! 2008-06-10
I was skeptical, at first about this product. I purchased it as a bundle with the Age of Conan keyset (which included a $20 rebate so I got that keyset for free). I did this as a pre-order and the z-board came about a week before the AOC keyset. I had been playing Call of Duty 4 so this was the first game I tried with the z-board and the "gaming" keyset. Whoa, very awesome. It was a new dimention in my gaming experience. Not only was the keyboard easy to install but it had so many features that I was overwealmed. The keyset itself could be programmed easily for COD4 with a simple mouseclick. All the special keys were mapped and in very finger friendly places. The keyset itself was ergonomically designed for ease with larger movement keys and rounded keys for ease of use. You can even program your own hotkeys and multiple key commands! This product is awesome! The regular keyset is smooth and very responsive. I'm typing this review on it now. There are specialty keys at the top as clear buttons that give you easy one touch access for getting to the z-board website, opening up a web window, the calculator, lists, mail, and all sorts of others. As an added bonus the base itself has 2 USB ports in it so you can quickly add a mouse, flash drive or other USB item. The z-board is very sturdy and well made. Lots of thought has gone into this product and there are many keysets add ons out there to purchase. The very nice thing is that each keyset has it's own memory to remember your programmed keys and pre-programmed keys. Just drop in your keyset and go. I love this product and give it the highest rating. Easy to use, updates on the web, easy to install, smooth key operation, and soooo many special features they are too numerous to name. Check out the z-board website for product info. Just remember that there are two versions a standard keyboard plug (you know, the round one) and a USB one. GET THE USB one. I have heard horror stories about the regular keyboard one. I have had zero problems with installation, use, or with any of the keysets. If you want THE BEST (in my opinion) gaming keyboard and most adaptable keyboard (I say this generally because they have a Photoshop and other "work-type" keysets available too!) this is the one for you.
nice hardware 2008-06-03
works as advertised and is solid product...you may need to download the drivers from website if you are using Windows Vista but it works great and extra boards hook up easy
great keyboard 2008-05-29
The z-board is an awesome product which makes playing the games we play easier. The only problem I have is that since I installed the keyboard my headset/microphone is not working properly with ventrillo. I think there is a driverr conflict.
AWSOME!!! 2008-05-22
well i will tell you i am 40 yrs of age, i bought this keyboard to use for my RPG,s. WHAT A Find, i dont know if it is the windows vista that i am using but i got this keyboard hooked up for gaming and the other one is still hooked up on the small table underneath. this thing does not crap out on me. the keys work very good in my oppinion. i like it better then my other keyboard, i just leave my other one hooked up so i dont have to change my Ageofconan keyset all the time for the game is awsome. needs lots of power to run this game . oh i have had this keyboard for 3 weeks know and still runs great, i dont have to do anything it works everytime...
A little getting used to 2008-05-14
the keys are a little closer together than my old Logitech Keyboard. So it took a little getting used to. Lots of preprogrammed games for the gaming keyboard module. Easy to swap keyboards. Easy to program it yourself.
I don't recommend the Gaming configuration for everyday use.
Only issue is my left shift key is either improperly installed or has a bad spring in it (On the regular keyboard.)
An update to this keyboard would be nice as the Tabula Rasa Keyset I also purchased for this has a better feel for regular typing. The keys on the TR version are a hair bigger and have better action.
