I got an e-mail recently from a loyal reader who wanted me to share the power of X-Keys programmable keyboards with you. Some users stick with just the basics and this may not be the tool for you. Other software users are obsessed with streamlining their workflow as much as possible and these keyboards are the holy grail for those users.

Think of the various shortcut keys in the software you use. Nearly every user has memorized at least a few of the most common shortcut keys. Now imagine a keyboard dedicated to those shortcut keys. And you can program that keyboard to do exactly what you want it to do.

Below I’ve provided links to three keyboard variations along with approximate pricing:

• X-Keys USB Programmable Keyboard with 24 Keys (approximately $135)
• X-Keys USB Programmable Keyboard with 58 Keys (approximately $199)
• X-Keys USB Programmable Keyboard with 80 Keys (approximately $240)

Some of you will immediately see those prices and run as fast as you can in the other direction thinking it is a complete waste of money. I’ll quote exactly what the loyal reader told me: “In my first week with a higher end model, I saved more than the price in labor.” I’ve pictured the 80 key version above, though the reader said he preferred the middle version because it has some channels dividing blocks of keys.

These keyboards work on Macs and Windows and you can customize them for whatever software you desire, including the operating system. They look really cool with the colored backlighting and can really speed up your workflow. So if you are always looking for a way to work faster, you’ll want to check out these special keyboards.