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Wacom announces Cintiq 22HD pen display, we go hands-on (video)
Oh, to sit in a darkened room all day and get paid to do art. No phone calls, no stress, and no technology except for a PC and a brand new $1,999 Wacom Cintiq 22HD tablet display (and maybe also a pair of equally well-engineered Beyerdynamics). Alas, only our Distro magazine crew get to live like that -- the rest of the Engadget team must make do with spec sheets and quick hands-on impressions, which are precisely what you'll find after the break. %Gallery-159971% %Gallery-160012%
Ubisoft's Drawsome Tablet for Wii is cheaper than art lessons, probably about as fun (video)
If you miss the unbridled delight of messing around in Mario Paint, then the days of waiting for a modern solution may be over, thanks to Ubisoft's new Drawsome tablet for Wii. Unless, of course, you already picked up the THQ uDraw last year. On paper, it doesn't appear to be too dissimilar from THQ's offering -- you get a 6.5 x 5-inch drawing area and a stylus (unwired this time). Younger players can use the transparency layer to hold pictures of the teen-idol of choice for tracing -- masterpieces can then be transferred to an SD card. You'll also get two games: Drawsome Artist (where you can learn how to doodle Smurfs) and Sketch Quest, a four-player platformer where you build bridges to help the characters complete quests. No word on pricing (we don't expect it to cost more than the $70 uDraw) but it'll arrive in stores on December 6th, just in time for holiday shoppers to snatch them from the shelves. Catch the tablet in action after the break.
Wacom Cintiq 24HD images break cover, we start practicing our stick figures
We've been all giddy since the Cintiq 24HD waltzed through the FCC last month... and now, we have even more reason to be excited. Although unconfirmed, signs continue to point to a 24-inch HD display (1920 x 1200 supported) -- upon which Wacom has implemented a stand that appears to allow the user to customize their viewing angle based on the task at hand. According to CG Everything, the peripheral is said to boast 2048 levels of pressure sensors with a 60-degree tilt sensor, 92 percent Adobe RGB color saturation, 190 nits of brightness, 550:1 contrast ratio and a 13ms response time. We're still waiting on Wacom to corroborate all of this, but those who'd rather throw caution to the wind can indulge below. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] %Gallery-133268%
Wacom Cintiq 24HD approved by FCC, makes us wish we went to art school
Few devices make you reassess your career choices, but the Wacom Cintiq is one of them. The interactive pen display device makes us wish we'd gone to art school and learned how to draw (instead of listening to our parents and study law). This newest model, the Cintiq 24HD has just been approved by the FCC and, while the documents don't reveal much, we presume it's a 24-inch (and HD-resolution) follow up to last year's device. If you're struggling to comprehend the love for these things, you can go beyond the break to see a schematic or check out our hands-on with last year's Cintiq 21UX.
NoteSlate teased with new product shots, moves one step away from vaporware status
Look, you can't say no to a $99 electronic ink drawing tablet, but to believe that this here NoteSlate has any chance of retailing at that price you'd also need the naiveté of a child who accepts free candies from strangers. While we remain skeptical, said tablet's website has just been updated with a new stash of product shots and an in-depth walkthrough, which are kinda convincing if you ignore the price tag. The mono-color models are here to stay as well, though we should point out that there's a $30 alternative, already available, from Improv Electronics for those who need nothing more than just doodling. Otherwise, keep an eye out for the NoteSlate come June. [Thanks, Eddie]
Pressure-sensitive drawing headed to iPad in free software library (video)
"The iPad's IPS panel is pressure-sensitive, you say?" No, that's not quite right, but with some clever software and a special capacitive stylus, the folks at Ten One Design built a convincing proof of concept anyhow. While we're not quite sure how it works, the current theory states that the soft tip of the stylus expands like a brush when you press it down, generating a "larger press" that can be detected by the hooks in Ten One's code -- which they soon plan to share as a free software library (assuming Apple allows) with developers around the world. See it in action in a video after the break, and if you're feeling your inner Rorschach today, let us know what you see in the above drawing.
Wacom Cintiq 21UX reverently unboxed by honest-to-goodness digital artist
Though the hive mind of Engadget has drawn the occasional stick figure, we're not exactly what you'd call artists -- and as such, our prior attempts to describe the $1,999 Wacom Cintiq 21UX pen display have been limited to fawning over its gorgeous pressure-sensitive screen and figuring how many organs we'd need to harvest to afford one. However, a man named Christopher Miles most certainly can draw -- you'll find his resume and portfolio at the source link -- and he unabashedly calls the tablet display "a digital artist's wet dream." Christopher gave the new Cintiq a thorough unboxing and even created a sample illustration with the device, the images from which you can find immediately below. Just be sure to remove your wallet and all easily pawned items from your general vicinity before viewing. Trust us, it's for your own good. %Gallery-90246% [Thanks, Christopher]
Wacom Cintiq 21UX hands-on
It's almost too much to take in all at once. Sure, the $1,999 Cintiq 21UX pen display is priced out of reach for most of us mere mortals who "don't draw good," but the pure lustworthiness of this unit sure makes us try to forget that inconvenient fact. The expanded movability of Wacom's latest is commendable, the pen input is naturally great, the screen is beautiful, and even those new rear-mounted touchpads seem helpful. It would take someone much more familiar with professional draw-ist-ing to really speak to the more specific merits of the 21UX, but from a mere standpoint of inspiring irrational desire in our hearts, Wacom seems to have done a pretty good job this time out. Check out a video of the screen in action after the break. %Gallery-88114%
Wacom's new Cintiq 21UX pen display ups the sensitivity, skips the multitouch and 'affordability' options
We'd sell any number of our children and internal organs in exchange for a Wacom Cintiq pen display, but unfortunately we're not sure any of them are quite valuable enough. The holy grail of drawing on your computer has just upped its game with the newest Cintiq 21UX. First and foremost is a new level of pen sensitivity, with support for a "near-zero" starting pressure and a total of 2048 levels of sensitivity. The 21-inch LCD display also has rear mounted "Touch Strips" running along the sides that let you adjust different parameters based on what you select with the thumb-convenient Touch Strip Toggle button. Unfortunately, there's no mention of that rumored finger-friendly multitouch (or even finger touch of any sort) on this new display. It's hard to blame Wacom, it has a priority to serve artists first and Microsoft Touch Pack dabblers second, but hopefully we can get a second, multitouch version of this display that's a little less extravagant on the pen end and a little more affordable than the $1,999 pricetag affixed to this display. The new Cintiq 21UX should ship later this month or early April. PR is after the break. %Gallery-86731%
Wacom Cintiq 21UX multitouch tablet caught in the wilderness of a live presentation
Oh you're tired of tablets, are you? Pray tell, how many multitouch 21.3-inch tablets have you seen so far then? A prototype of Wacom's update to the ultra-high end 21UX has been shown off at a recent CAD presentation, so we figured we might as well take a look at the thing -- given its predecessor's $2,999 starting price, we're unlikely to be buying one any time soon. So dive past the break for a glimpse -- just a glimpse -- of the new multitouch goodness taking place. After you're done with that, you can check out the source link for more pictures of what's sure to be the new state of the art in graphics tablets.
Wacom Intuos4 succumbs to peer pressure, goes wireless
Okay, so maybe there's not an overwhelming group of "peers" for Wacom's Intuos4 graphics tablet, but we're still kind of saddened to see a device that hardly seems to require wirelessness donning a Bluetooth connectivity option and following the wireless peripherals crowd. Ah well, guess we can't grumble too much about choice, so if you have some freaky workplace scenarios that require your tablet to be untethered (to up to 10 meters), you should be circling the latter part of March and expecting to pay around $400 for the privilege, or about $50 more than the wired Medium tablet. No luck if you were after the other sizes, unfortunately -- you'll just have to learn to love that wire.
Inklet trackpad tablet app for MacBook is Wacom's worst nightmare
Doodle much? Not us -- we just keep things in our heads which is probably for the best, but Ten One Design -- maker of Pogo Stylus and Pogo Sketch -- has just come up with a new solution for MacBook artists. The Inklet app essentially converts your multitouch trackpad into a drawing tablet by adding pressure sensitivity when using with a Pogo Sketch, as well as "advanced palm rejection" which lets you rest your hand while drawing or writing. As you can see in one of the videos after the break, you can also quickly adjust your canvas area at your convenience. $24.95 and it's yours, Picasso.
Wacom Bamboo Pen & Touch review
We've spent some time on Wacom's first-ever hybrid tablet -- the Bamboo Pen & Touch which, surprise, surprise, features independent stylus and multitouch finger inputs. Multitouch-equipped computer users may not be as stoked, but let's not forget those aspiring artists who are stuck with an old-school trackpad or a desktop sans touchscreen. Compared to previous pen-only models the $99 Pen & Touch should make life easier for tablet newbies, especially by eliminating the hassle of constantly switching between the stylus and the mouse. No, really: using the stylus as a mouse is just plain torture as the tablet's drawing area is mapped with the screen, which equates to extra hard work when you try to point your stylus at tiny buttons (you can switch to "Mouse mode" in preferences, but that's still extra donkey work). Do read on for some hands-on thoughts. %Gallery-79464%
Genius EasyPen and MousePen graphics tablets play on both sides of the fence
Genius, a regular purveyor of cheap and cheerful technology, has today announced a pair of "dual platform" tablets that play nice with both Windows and Mac OS. The EasyPen i405 comes with 28 programmable hot keys, a software bundle, 4 x 5.5-inches of real estate and a $79 price tag. This is trumped by the MousePen i608, which throws in an optical mouse, a 6 x 8-inches working area and -- best of all -- one more hot key to program. Bargain hunters out there might want to prick up their ears, as the MousePen is already available at Amazon and Newegg at prices south of $60, far below its suggested retail price of one Benjamin -- hey, it's no Wacom, but it certainly won't dent the wallet too bad.
Wacom rolls out the Cintiq 20WSX interactive pen display
If you're an artist or designer who needs a little more real estate, or if your project happens to be in the trendy widescreen format, Wacom has got a new interactive pen display that might put a smile on your face. Enter the Cintiq 20WSX, a follow-up to the company's wildly popular 21UX which provides a 16:10 aspect ratio at 1680 x 1050 resolution, giving you 20.1-inches of sweet, succulent workspace to throw down your ideas. Like other models in the Cintiq line, the 20WSX comes equipped with programmable ExpressKeys and finger-sensitive Touch Strips, so you can get speedy access to oft-used tools, like that hideous "emboss" effect you keep putting on everything. Regardless of your artistic choices, the tablet is available now for $1,999. [Thanks, Topi]
Wacom's Cintiq 21UX 21.3-incher
If you can afford it, you're probably a professional who's been tracking it a while now, but Wacom's introduced their new Cintiq 21UX 21.3-inch UXGA (1600 x 1200) tablet / monitor and the peeps at PC World got to take a gander. Sucker comes with DVI and VGA inputs (as well as the obligatory USB connections), not to mention a fancy pen stand and slick adjustable monitor stand-freakin' better for $2,999 ($2500 street) is all we're saying. What'd they think? Well, it was good, but definitely not a paper substitute; what'd you expect? [Via PC World]
