ZenKEY Editor's Review

Take control of your PC with this cool Windows utility.


I remember back in the DOS days when taking your hands off the keyboard to play with a joy stick or use a mouse often killed your productivity roll. While computer user interfaces have come a long way since the character based screens of a DOS and Windows 1.x-2.x world, there are still many who prefer keeping their hands on their keyboards than on their mice. Its for these folks that ZenKEY was created. It’s a keyboard action app for Windows.

ZenKEY is an app that allows you to control your computer with keystroke combinations. Using its  Configuration Utility, the ZenKEY Wizard, helps you create menus, each containing items that  perform different actions. Actions can be executed via mouse click or keystroke combinations.

For example, ZenKEY allows you to compute on multiple, virtual desktops.  You can move across desktops, moving program windows on any number of virtual spaces.  You can also open a program or a file with the file's associated program.  Launching an app that is already running vies you the ability to give it focus or whether ZenKEY should launch another instance of that app.  You can even send apps to the system tray.  Specific custom commands can even be executed when the app launches.

ZenKEY can be used with your multimedia player.  You can control Windows Media commands or you can control Winamp.  The choice is yours.  If you need to execute system commands, ZenKEY can do that too.  For example, you can start your screen saver, open a DVD drive door, or switch between tasks.  The possibilities are limited only by your apps and your imagination.


App Pro’s: Control any app on your computer with your keyboard

App Con’s: interface is a bit archaic

Conclusion: ZenKEY is going to appeal to individuals who make heavy use of context menus or who are used to working with keyboard commands to execute tasks. Since the indoctrination of Windows XP and the huge success of Windows 7, using GUI elements to work with and control your PC have long been adopted by the general public.  ZenKEY feels like a port or hold over from either DOS or UNIX days  and while it may provide a GREAT deal of value to individuals who need or want to execute one off commands here and there, its value is going to be limited due to its lack of graphical elements.