Review by Todd "Toddsmack2k" Roberts
Design by Allan "Zardon" Campbell

Introduction
While I was at MML2 I was able to meet several great individuals from many companies. One of them was Gregan Dunn of ideazon. He is the Business Development Manager of the Gaming Division for ideazon. While continuing to stay in touch even after the MML2 he recently offered me the opportunity to review their newest product the Z board. ideazon was founded in May 2000 by gaming enthusiasts Oren Kramer, Tzvi kaplan and Dan Gonen.

The Z board is the first computer keyboard system with customized interchangable key faces. The Z board system consists of a permanent base and a variety of interchangable keyboard interfaces. The Z board was designed to give PC enthusiast's a competitive edge and make professional appplications very easy to use with just a stroke of a key. The Z board is compatible with Windows 98, 2000, and XP.The Z board unlike most standard keyboards can support up to 240 I/O leads. As a result the Z board can support up to 240 keyboard functions, almost twice as many as a regular keyboard. Therefore they can add many more shortcuts and assign specific keys for specific applications or games to a standard keyboard. The Z board has 10 hot keys, 9 that are programmable. The interface are a 2 way folding piece, that just snap in and out of the base.

 

Click all images for high resolution versions

 

What I received:
1-base unit
1-Microsoft Internet Explorer interface
1-Wrist rest
1-Z board software CD

Also recieved to review:
1-Medal of Honor Z board interface
1-Adobe Photshop Z board interface

Applications that are currently supported by Z board:
Microsoft Word
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Outlook
Internet Explorer
Adobe Photshop

Games that are currently supported by Z board:
Age of Mythology
Medal of Honor Allied Assault and Spearhead expansion pack
Madden 2003
Neverwinter Nights
Civilization III
Unreal Tournament 2003/2004 Release in November
Delta Force - Black Hawk down

The installation was simple an easy. I just unhooked my Logitech keyboard and hooked the new Z board into my PS/2 port. After firing up Windows XP, I then installed the drivers for the Z board from the CD that came with the board. The Z board was up and running and ready to go. The software places an Icon in your start menu system tray and in your programs menu. The controls come already pre assigned with the Windows Explorer interface and can be easily changed by clicking on the icon in your system tray and selecting many different configurations. It can also remember your last action if you want to assign that action to a hot key. Just click a hot key and hold for 2 seconds and it will automatically rememeber your last action and assign it to that key. After installing the Z board and drivers I went online and downloaded the software updates for Adobe Photoshop and Medal of Honor. I connected the Z board up to my PC vis the PS/2 port and installed the software from the CD. Finally I downloaded the newest drivers from ideazon's website and was ready to go.

Internet Explorer
The first interface I tried was the Internet Explorer layout. It is the interface that comes standard with all Z boards. After looking over the keyboard I was at first just trying to learn all the shortcuts. While not complicated at all it takes a few glances to learn where they are and what buttons operate what functions. After a few minutes using this interface was too easy and I was opening and closing programs and wizzing my way thru windows. You can easliy access your music, pictures or Windows file explorer with just a click of the Z board. The Z board also has all major IE6 controls placed on the interface as well as medi controls. To have the shortcuts used 100% of the time hit pad lock or bar lock on the Z board. If you want to have the Z board used like a standard keyboard then hit the pad or bar lock again and the normal keyboard functions resume. All the functions are clearly marked and in good locations. I found the keys easy on the hands and the keyboard comfortable overall.This would be a very good keyboard for the beginner PC user to have. Want to switch over to playing some Medal of Honor? Well just lift the tab on the right and fold the Internet Explorer interface out and snap in the MOHAA interface. The Z board automatically will recognize what ever interface you have in the base and react accordingly. Now let's go help out the Allies!

Medal of Honor
The next interface I tried was Medal Of Honor. This is a slick looking layout with the main controls on the left side of the board. 90% of game control is done with the left side being specifically for MOHAA (PIC Z BOARD MOHAA CONTROLS) and from the middle on over being just like a regular keyboard layout. It can make you be able to play MOHAA without a mouse and keep your eyes on the screen, not the keyboard. All the controls are with every interface ideazon offers are labeled to what specific interface you are using. As well the layout is done up in the them of Medal of Honor. The layout aslo supports clan play with controls for speech and voice options. To allow you even more easy control while bombing the enemy there are 4 keys left open for you to customize. I really liked having all the keys labled and for the most part grouped together. The only thing that took some time to get used to was the main controls being on the left side of the board. As I am used to most of the movement controlled by my mouse and my right hand. I really liked this layout as my only gripe was the placement of the controls. That is just a personal preference though. Overall I think this would be a great addition to the beginner in MOHAA and would serve well to a long time gamer. Now let's say you have had way too much fun being a hero and now you need to edit some family photo's. Well just snap out the MOHAA interface and snap in the Adobe Photoshop layout and fire up Adobe.

Adobe photoshop
While no one is a stranger to Adobe Photoshop, user's starting out with the application find the controls a bit overwhelming. That is where the Adobe layout from ideazon comes into play. With over almost a thousand keyboard shortcuts avaliable in Adobe Photoshop remembering all of them is a chore unless it is your profession. The Photoshop interface comes with overt 100 shortcuts and controls labeled on the standard keyboard interface. As well all controls on the Adobe interface match the assigned keyboard shortcuts made Adobe themselves. This makes cruising your way around Photoshop much easier. Want to open a new picture or select a layer within a shot? Then just CONTROL or SHIFT plus the assigned key and there you have it. Some of the keys also have 2 shortcuts assigned to them, to select between the 2 either hit CONTROL or SHIFT plus the key. Instead of having to use the mouse and going to the toolbars in Photoshop all you have to do is press a combination of keys. All the controls much like the MOHAA interface are well laid out and very easy to read. This is a excellent interface for the beginner or intermediate with Adobe Photoshop.

 

In Conclusion:

In conclusion I have to say that i am very impressed with the concept and execution of what ideazon has done with their Z board. In every interface I tried, all the controls were laid out in a nice and simple manner. With all shorcuts easily laid out as well and labeled very plainly to make using them a breeze. While the Z board may not be like my Logitech keyboard by not being a softtouch keyboard it still had a decently quiet operation to it while typing or gaming. The Z board and all of it's interfaces were easy on the hands as well even after using it for several hours of gaming or typing. With pricing being $17-$25 for each interface and $32 for the Z board starter system with The Internest Explorer it is a inexpensive option for a keyboard that can be used for specific purposes as well as everyday use. In my opinion the Z board is an excellent keyboard with a fresh and exciting idea. However the one obstacle I do see with it is will experienced PC gamers and users see the need to buy the Z board for its specific layout? While being a great idea for beginners or those who have been in the PC scene for just a little while, the long old school gamer/user may pass on it for the reason that they already know these controls and do not see the need to buy each specific interface. I do like companies trying to make using the PC easier and games, and applications easier to learn. The quicker you get better at something the quicker you get to have fun and experience the full realm of what they have to offer. So I give Ideazon a thumbs up for that and putting out a really slick product that can easily do these things. I would like to thank Gregan Dunn and Derek Baker of ideazon for the opportunity to review this very unique product, the Z board. So if you are looking for an edge while fragging or an easy and fast way to learn your favorite games or applications then the Z board is an option you need to check out.