GraphicsTablet
Latest
Ask Engadget: Should I replace my mouse with a graphics tablet?
We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, then here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget inquiry is from Whee!, which we guess probably isn't their real name, who is looking for a way to ditch their mouse. If you're looking to ask one of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com. "I'm a web developer, and my typical day involves a lot of moving and clicking when testing stuff in the browser. I've been thinking about ditching my mouse, because when using it for long hours it gets very uncomfortable. As such, I'm eyeing up a Wacom tablet and using the pen input to mouse around -- but do you think it's a good idea? Thanks in advance!" Our questioner wants to solve their wrist-pain woes, and it certainly seems like a reasonable enough idea to us. Plenty of tablets come with a mouse mode, so it's just down to the limits of your budget. If you're just dipping your toes into the water, you can pick up a Genius device for around $60. Wacom's Bamboo tablets occupy the mid-range, setting you back $80 for a 5.8-inch model, all the way up to $200 for the 8.5-incher. If you're serious about making the change, then Wacom's Intuos5 hardware is a top-range option, with the 6.2-inch version starting at $200, running all the way to $800 for the 18-inch unit, or even spending big on one of the company's Cintiq units. We've also been wondering if a touchscreen Ultrabook might be a better idea, letting your fingers do the walking to spare your aching forearms. That said, perhaps the wider Engadget community has an even better tip, so if you've already made that leap, why not share your knowledge in the comments below?
Wacom outs the Bamboo Splash: the Connect's hardware with a new software bundle
For those looking to get their feet wet with a Wacom pen tablet, but not looking to make an Intuos-sized investment, the company's Bamboo family has been a solid choice. The outfit has now added one more option to the entry-level peripheral line with the Splash. Sporting hardware identical to the Connect tablet that's already available, the latest offering includes an updated software duo in the same box. Art Rage Studio offers painting that'll keep your shiny new MacBook Pro clean while Sketchbook Express provides tools for good ol' sketching. In case you need a refresher on the Bamboo accessory's specs, the pen tab plays nice with both Windows and Mac, offers a 5.8 x 3.6 inch active area, USB connectivity and a pen that touts 1,024 pressure levels. The good news is that the new bundle won't cost you a penny more, as the kit will remain priced at $79. Truth be told, the Splash is actually a solid pick-up for someone looking to test drive a graphics tablet without committing a larger sum of cash. %Gallery-158470%
Wacom Intuos5 touch review
It's no secret Wacom has a firm grasp on what it takes to make great graphic input devices. Fresh off of its introduction of the Inkling last fall, the outfit recently unveiled the latest member of its high-end pen tablet line, the Intous5 touch. Essentially, Wacom took what made the Intuos4 a great addition to any designer or illustrator's workflow and refined it, with this latest iteration sporting a new rubber-coated shell. It also implements touch gestures -- much like those on the fresh Bamboo models -- which can be customized to speed up tasks you need to complete on the regular, preferably without the aid of a mouse. Sure, a new matte black suit and the ability to navigate Adobe Creative Suite without a pen seem impressive at first glance, but is the new model worth investing northward of $229? Are you better off sticking with the Intuos4 you splurged on a while back? Let's see.
Wacom announces Intuos5 graphics tablets, we go hands-on! (video)
It's a couple of months since we spotted paperwork for a mysterious "PTK-450" device at the FCC and now Wacom has finally revealed the gadget that goes with the label. The Intuos5 tablet is available to purchase immediately in Small (4 x 6 inches), Medium (6 x 8) and Large (13 x 8) sizes, priced at £200, £330 and £430 respectively. We're still waiting on confirmation of US pricing, but it'll no doubt be less than what a straight currency conversion suggests (i.e. somewhere below $320, $525 and $680). There's actually a fourth variant to add to the trio, but it's not an XL -- Wacom is hoping to up-sell you to a Cintiq 21UX or Cintiq 24HD if you want something bigger. Instead, the fourth tablet is a version of the Medium that comes without touch sensitivity, bringing the price down to £270 if you're able to live with pen-only input. Opting for this particular model will remove one of the biggest upgrades in this three-year product cycle: the ability of the Intuos5 to sense up to 16 finger-touches simultaneously, rather than just the nib of the pen. But there have been other revisions since the Intuos4 aside from touch, and you only have to read on to discover what those are.Update: There was a problem with the embedded video -- sorry folks. It's working properly now, along with more gallery pics below.Update: Just got word on US pricing. $230, $350 and $470 for the touch sensitive models. $300 for the Medium without touch. Also coming to the US is a pen-only version of the Small tablet -- we're not sure how much that'll cost (and Wacom's site seems to be down right now), but it'll be the cheapest upgrade of the bunch.
Wacom tablet leaves sketchy trails at the FCC, possibly a new Intuos4 (updated)
There's not a lot of detail here, but if you've been eyeing up a new Intuos4 wireless graphics tablet then it might be worth bearing this recent FCC application in mind. Behind all the confidentiality agreements and abstract descriptions that are standard fare for unannounced products these days, the official paperwork lists a highly suggestive model number: PTK-450. The smallest Intuos4 currently available is the PTK-440 and it's been around for a couple of years already, so perhaps we're due a refresh. Update: Now the two bigger tablets have made an appearance: the PTK-650 and the PTK-850, which would hypothetically complete this updated Intuos4 range.
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.
MSI shows off convertible 'SketchBook' laptop concept
Well, it looks like MSI isn't waiting for Computex to show off some of its wild, new concept devices -- it's just unveiled this so-called "SketchBook" at an event in Amsterdam. Offering a new twist on the convertible laptop, this one doesn't actually convert into a tablet, but rather features a rotating base that has a keyboard on one side and a full-size graphics tablet on the other -- hence the name. Unfortunately, MSI is staying mum on any other details at the moment -- let alone pricing or availability -- but our counterparts at Engadget Spanish did get a chance to check out an early, non-functioning prototype of the device. Check out a shot of it after the break, and hit up the source link below for the complete hands-on.
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.
Apple's original tablet
In 1979, the Apple II Plus was a badass piece of hardware, and the Apple Graphics Tablet was a flashy accessory. At $650US, it let users sketch with a wired stylus. Measuring 3/4 in x 15 1/2 in x 15 3/4 in, the Graphics Tablet was eventually discontinued when the FCC discovered that it caused radio frequency interference problems. Sure, the wired stylus is a kludge, as is the general design (don't look at the back), but remember that 1979 was 5 years before the first Macintosh was released and computer mice became ubiquitous. Edible Apple has some additional photos and an old ad promoting the tablet and Utopia software. Go and check out an interesting piece of Apple history -- complete with vintage scotch tape!
Wacom's Bamboo Pen & Touch unboxed and previewed
Wacom sure has been busy with its Bamboo line, and now the impressions are starting to trickle in. The Pen & Touch is particularly interesting, marrying what is essentially an extra large touchpad with traditional digital pen tech -- and to what effect? Well, the tester at BestTabletReview.com didn't find much difference in accuracy or sensitivity with his old Graphire, and was particularly digging the 16:9 ratio over his old tablet's 4:3 setup -- making for more of a 1-to-1 penning experience. Of course, it's probably more up to personal tastes as to whether you'll really find the multitouch aspects of the unit worthwhile, but they aren't touched on much here, and you could always just spring for the Pen-only edition if that's the way you're wired.
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's Hello Kitty Favo graphics tablet
There's nothing we hate more than a mismatched desktop set, so now that we've got a Hello Kitty keyboard, Hello Kitty mouse (with matching mousepad, naturally), and Hello Kitty mini-vacuum all hooked up to our Hello Kitty Epson Endeavor laptop, our dull grey graphics tablet stands out like a sore thumb. The nice thing about being a Hello Kitty fanatic, though, is that you never have to wait too long for your favorite peripherals to get Kitty-fied, and sure enough, Wacom has just made all our dreams come true with its new HK-adorned Favo tablet. Although the A6-size tab doesn't provide enough workspace for the serious graphic artist, those of us who use these input devices solely for drawing mustaches and devil's horns on our photos should find it more than adequate, and of course the pink pen and plastic, Kitty-shaped pen holder are just icing on the cake. Chances are good that you'll have to get your import on if you want to scribble all over Kitty's face each day, but if you're as obsessed with appreciative of finely-crafted Kitty swag as ourselves, nothing can stop you from adding this feline-friendly Favo to your collection.
