RPG Keys and Kubota SpeedKeys package a USB keyboard with customizable short-cut buttons, along with accompanying software to facilitate communication with Adobe Lightroom. The two keyboards stem from the same concept: increasing your workflow efficiency through an array of definable buttons, each of which activates a defined macro or script. Both devices plug in to your computer via a USB 2.0 port.
The two keyboards share a conventional design that favors function-over-form. Kubota's SpeedKeys, however, differs structurally from the RPG base design since it requires an additional piece: a wireless transponder. Termed a “dongle”, the transponder plugs into the computer's USB port and syncs with the mini SpeedKeys wirelessly. The larger, 58-button RPG keys, alternatively houses a long (roughly 4.5 feet) USB cable tethered to its base.
Laying out at nearly four times the physical mass of the SpeedKeys keypad, the large, 58-button RPG Keys base extends from 8 x 9 x 13/4 inches, while the Kubota SpeedKeys unit, diminutive by contrast, takes up only 3 x 47/8 x 7/8 inches. The difference in size and space consumption is significant; if you have limited desk space, this is something to consider when deciding between these two products.
The SpeedKeys’ USB transponder further cleans up the design significantly, though it does add another piece of hardware for the user to keep track of.
