INTRODUCTION

   Whether you're a casual user, gamer, enthusiast or even a professional the keyboard and mouse are without doubt the two most crucial peripherals and that's why some of the very first PC peripheral manufacturers like Microsoft focused in further developing them long before switching to anything else. Since then manufacturers have not only altered the appearance of the keyboard quite a bit but they've also used new key technologies and have implemented several new and innovative features to increase productivity and help in other areas as well like gaming. However no matter what we've seen so far in the end the entire concept still remains the same (for good or bad). Now as you all know our reviews mostly focus on mechanical gaming keyboards since these are the "hot" peripheral for both gamers and professionals alike but since some of you have asked for mainstream keyboard reviews today we will be taking a look at the Sturmovik Gaming Keyboard by Attitude One.

   Attitude One was founded in USA in 2011. With many years of experience from the computer and gaming business we decided to start Attitude One. Thanks to our knowledge and our connections in the industry, we can offer products and technologies that are always top of the line. With our unique design and memorable product names our products spread throughout markets of the world.

   Especially for gamers (and historians in this case) the name Sturmovik is not something new since that was the name of perhaps the most successful ground attack airplane manufactured by the Soviet Union in WWII. As a matter of fact that airplane (IL-2) gathered enough achievements during WWII that Ubisoft launched a game (flight simulator) for it back in 2001 followed by a sequel and several other titles featuring it. The reason i got quite in detail about the name is because i too used to play IL-2 Sturmovik a lot when it got launched and although it's been roughly 5 years since i had anything to do with a simulator featuring that particular aircraft it was very nice to see a peripheral with its name on it. Whether or not however this relatively small keyboard has what it takes to live up to the name Sturmovik is something that we will see later on.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Attitude One ships the Sturmovik inside a long yet small orange box featuring a product picture at the front right next to six smaller pictures used to showcase its features.

Yet another product picture is placed at the rear but this time the features list is present in 9 languages while the specifications list is printed in English.

The keyboard is placed inside the box in a plastic bag and on a piece of cardboard.

Strangely enough the box contains just the keyboard and its palm rest.

THE STURMOVIK

Without the palm rest attached the Sturmovik measures 460mm in length, 150mm in width and just 23mm in height with a weight of 622g.

The company logo is placed at the upper center of the keyboard.

Above the numpad we see the usual Num/caps/scroll lock LEDs along with a win LED which is used to indicate when you have locked out the window keys (many use that feature during gaming).

The F buttons double as media playback keys via the fn key.

You can control the backlight brightness from the 2/8 keys on the numpad (with the fn key again).

Attitude One decided to go with the usual membrane technology for the keys.

The entire base of the keyboard is polished and has two feet.

These are roughly 7mm in height.

The cable of the Sturmovik is braided and ends up to a gold plated USB plug with the company logo on it.

With the palm rest the width of the Sturmovik increases to 155mm while its weight goes up to 657g.

I need to point out that due to the way the palm rest attaches onto the main body of the keyboard it doesn't move at all (which i think it's good).

Since the Sturmovik offers just the basic functionality found in keyboards it needs no control software so the moment you plug it into the USB port you can control its backlight.

CONCLUSION

   The Sturmovik by Attitude One is a rather small and good looking keyboard with backlit laser etched keys but by using the standard membrane technology same as with most keyboards around i almost feel that they really should had waited to use the name with a more "complete" and "capable" feature-rich keyboard (mechanical if possible). Of course Attitude One is new in the market so they have all the time in the world to create something unique if they decide to do so but for now the Sturmovik is nothing more than yet another low-cost keyboard designed for casual gamers and users.

   Price is what "saves" the Sturmovik Gaming Keyboard since it's currently set at around 35Euros inside the EU and obviously has very little competition. Of course if you want a regular everyday keyboard you can find many for even less but for a keyboard with 4 different backlight levels, braided cable, gold plated USB connector and a good design the price feels right and that's why we recommend it to people who are not willing to spend much for a gaming keyboard. 

PROS

- Design
- 4 Level Backlight
- Windows Key Lock
- Braided Cable
- Gold Plated USB Connector
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- Basic Membrane Keys
- Overall Quality
- Current Availability