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Blizzard announces 2011 holiday card contest
Blizzard is once again flinging open its doors and welcoming holiday card designs in its annual Holiday Card Contest. All you have to do to enter is design a holiday card with a Warcraft, StarCraft, or Diablo theme using the template provided on the official contest page. The cards will be judged for originality, design, humor, and holiday cheer. As always, the prizes are sweet, including the Marauder StarCraft II Gaming Keyboard, the Banshee StarCraft II Gaming Headset, the Spectre StarCraft II Gaming Mouse, and the StarCraft II Zerg Edition Messenger Bag. And for all those artists out there, the first place winner will also receive a Wacom Bamboo Create Pen Tablet, perfect for scribbling up all kinds of artistic creations. Check out the contest page for the template, full rules and prize list, and take a look at last year's winners while you're there. If you're planning on entering, better get started -- entries must be received by Dec. 13, 2011.
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 intros new Bamboo line of tablets, carpal tunneled wrists tremble with excitement
Members of the creative class, your input options have arrived. Wacom, maker of the tablet you've spent countless deadline-driven, bleary-eyed nights slaving over, has outed a trio of updates to its Bamboo line -- each targeted to a particular user profile. At the low-end of this newly introduced range, home office / business users can opt-in for the company's pen-only Bamboo Connect, which'll set you back about $80 for the base goods. But the real enhancements to a graphic designer's best friend comes via the wireless-capable (courtesy of a separate $40 RF dongle) Capture and Create models -- available for $100 and $200, respectively -- that add multi-touch functionality for "gesture-based input such as scrolling [and] zooming." While the latter entry is essentially a luxe, double-sized (and double-priced) version of the Capture, all of the tabs come bundled with a specific suite of PC and Mac-friendly software, and a pressure-sensitive, eraser-tipped pen. You can snag these latest Wacom family members right now, or if your wallet needs more convincing, feel free to peruse the PR after the break.
Wacom Cintiq 24HD hands-on (video)
We've felt a strange attraction this 24-inch slab of professional graphics wonderment ever since we caught it trying to sneak its substantial bulk through the FCC. How do we feel about it now that it's all official, priced up at a daunting $2,500 and we've had some time with it in the flesh? Check out the galleries below and then head past the break for our hands-on video and impressions plus full PR. %Gallery-133278% %Gallery-133327%
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 Inkling digital sketch pen hands-on (video)
Wacom's new digital pen can't help but stand out from the competition. It's a specialized device that makes no apologies for catering to graphics enthusiasts at the expense of casual note-takers. Moreover, it does something pretty amazing: instead of just turning your sketches into simple bitmaps, it can also export them as vector-based images with multiple layers, which means they can be directly used as the basis for more complex and final art. The Inkling will cost £150 ($230 converted) when it reaches European stores in October, but in the meantime we've got some early hands-on impressions right after the break. %Gallery-133144% %Gallery-133182%
Wacom Inkling smart pen does drawing the old-fashioned way -- sort of (video)
The latest product from Wacom trades the whole tablet motif we've come to know and love from the company, in favor of some good, old-fashioned pen-on-paper action. The Inkling is a ballpoint that transfers layered sketches to a PC or Mac via a USB connected receiver, which can then be edited with the included Sketch Manager software. The Livescribe-esque pen has pressure sensing technology with 1,024 levels of sensitivity. It will be available mid-September for $199. Video of the device after the break. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
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.
Wacom announces capacitive stylus to replace puny human fingers
Eager to unleash some serious creativity on your tablet computer, but stymied by the meaty nubbins you call fingers? There, there. We know your shame. You need grace and precision: you need a stylus. Yes, the stylus, that newly resurgent tech soon to ship with the HTC Flyer and a horde of other Android devices. But if you're unwilling to buy a new tablet, you might feel left out. So for you Wacom -- the company that built its fortune on pressure-sensitive tablets -- has unveiled its first capacitive pen, the Bamboo Stylus. Sporting a 6mm tip, it'll work with all capacitive screens, iPad, Android, or otherwise. The company plans to ship it in May (in the UK at least), along with several pen-based apps; retail price should be £25 (about $41). In the meantime, budding artists should consider crayons -- now shipping in over 150 colors. [Thanks, Donna.]
Microsoft and ASUS show off all the stylish stylus action you can have on an Eee Slate (video)
It's the year 2011, but it might as well be 2001. The company that Bill built is still going strong in the pursuit of its founding father's dream: a pen-based tablet computer. The latest, and perhaps best, exhibitor of this ideal is ASUS' Eee Slate, a 12.1-inch, Core i5-equipped Windows 7 tablet that comes with a Wacom digitizer and a dedicated silo in its side for accommodating that snow-white stylus. A Bluetooth keyboard also comes in the box, leading Microsoft to describe it as a device that's simultaneously "very PC" and "not very PC." To understand what the Redmond brainboxes mean by this apparent case of doublethink, make your way past the break and soak up all the video action.
ASUS Eee Slate EP121 officially unveiled, IPS display, Core i5, and stylus in tow
ASUS' powerful 12-inch Eee Slate EP121 tablet has been no secret -- don't forget, it was teased at Computex and then sketched on a digital blackboard -- but here it is, with final specs and pricing information. Unlike ASUS' trio of Android tablets, the EP121 is all about Windows 7, and oh does it have the guts to run it smoothly -- it's powered by a Core i5-470UM processor, packs 2 to 4GB of RAM, and a 64GB SSD. It sure has the internal muscle to compete, but it also has a high-resolution (1280 x 800) 12.1-inch IPS capacitive display with a Wacom digitizer. The latter will allow you to use the included stylus to draw self-portraits or you know, take notes in class. ASUS maintains that the tablet breeds entertainment with enterprise, but something tells us the front-facing camera and HDMI port will have this one in the living room more than the board room. ASUS says the EP121 should be hitting sometime in the first quarter of the year for around $1,100, but expect us to bring you hands-on impressions way before that. Hit the break for the full specs. Update: ASUS says it'll actually start at $1,000, with an upgraded model available for an extra Benjamin, and it's due out later this month! %Gallery-112479% %Gallery-112543%
HP Slate 500 finally (finally!) official, rings up at $799
Nope, you're not dreaming, but feel free to pinch yourself, rub your eyes or take a cold shower! You've read right -- the HP Slate is finally official, and after all the teasing, back and forth, and (very recent) leaks, the Atom-powered, Windows 7 Slate will finally see the light of day -- though in a different way than originally intended. While the first videos released by HP may have made it seem like it would be for consumers, HP's tactfully changed its tune (don't forget it's got Palm / WebOS tablets on the way) and is now aiming the Slate at the enterprise and business market. Still, it will be available on HP's site for $799 to anyone who wishes to purchase one. So, what does $800 of your hard earned cash buy you? Well, in addition to the dock and case, which are included in the box, the tablet packs pretty much everything we'd heard over the last year -- it's powered by a 1.86GHz Intel Atom Z540 processor, 2GB of RAM, 64GB SSD and packs Broadcom's Crystal HD accelerator for handling 1080p video. (The included dock has an HDMI-out port if you want to hook it up to the big screen.) Obviously, the 8.9-inch capacitive touch Slate runs Windows 7 Professional, but it's got a Wacom N-Trig active digitizer for taking notes, which certainly sets it apart from the other Win 7 tablets we've seen over the last couple of weeks. Oh, and don't forget its front facing VGA cam and 3 megapixel camera on its back. We got a chance to finally grope the tablet earlier this week, so hit the break for our early impressions and a short video. %Gallery-105701% %Gallery-105726%
Pocketbook announces color touch screen Android powered e-reader and more
Manufacturing upstart PocketBook is clearly still gung ho about e-readers, judging by the five new models it has announced will be released at IFA in September, which include a pair of entry-level ProBook 602 and 902 units, as well as the ProBook 603 and 903 premium units. The 60x designated models sport 6-inch screens, while the 90x models have a bigger 9.7-inch. All models will feature 2GB of internal storage, a Linux-based OS, and include WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity. However, the higher-end versions also gain 3G connectivity and a Wacom touchscreen. More interesting and genre-bending though is the so-called "entertainment model" PocketBook IQ that will be available in three case color options, feature a 7-inch TFT color touchscreen, WiFi, Bluetooth, and will run Android 2.0. Access to PocketBook's own Bookland.net e-book store unfortunately rounds out all the details we know so far, but we'll be sure to find out more once IFA gets going. Check out shots of the individual readers and get the full translated PR below. %Gallery-100022%
BeBook Neo e-reader deemed solid, well designed, expensive
Hey kids: Sick of e-readers yet? If not, the kids at trusted reviews just got their hands on what they consider one of the nicest thus far. This 6-inch display-sportin' bad boy has some heft to it -- the reviewers felt that at .66 pounds it might be too much e-reader for some people. Still, it seems well-built and designed for holding for long periods of time. All in all, it's not earth-shattering, as much as "a well thought out refinement" of devices the reviewer has seen before. On the other hand, there is no finger input, MP3 playback is still not supported (an issue to be dealt with on a future firmware release, apparently), the much-ballyhooed Wacom pen notations, while nice, are only available on certain docs, and the UI (which relies on a jogwheel) is counter-intuitive, at first. So, it's pretty damn nice... but is it £238.29 (about $350) nice? Hit the source link to decide for yourself.
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]
Homegrown Wacom Cintiq LCD tablet comes to life through prefab DIY enclosure
Dropped a stack of change on a premium Wacom drawing tablet, only to find yourself with Cintiq envy? Got an old laptop handy? If so, odds are good that you've occasionally (or persistently, for that matter) thought about hacking together an LCD tablet of your very own. Problem is, the mods we've seen require some serious shop time -- building a custom enclosure isn't for the lighthearted, you know? But if you're in possession of a sizable Wacom Intuos and roughly $220 of post-tax cheddar, TabletMod.com has a purpose-built, laser-cut acrylic enclosure with your name on it. You'll still need an LCD controller kit and CCFL extenders, and there's still a chance you'll be paying more for the whole kit and caboodle than if you just got a low-end $1,000 Cintiq 12WX to begin with -- but if you've already got half the parts lying around (or you're just dying to scratch another DIY itch), this project might be worth your while. Cheapskates like us, however, will continue to wait for the Bamboo variety, though you can certainly dabble in the source link if you're scouting some instructional videos.
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%
ThinkPad W701 and W701ds specs emerge from a leaky faucet
Time to update you on another forthcoming update in the laptop world, this time concerning Lenovo's premier widescreen workstation range. Purported internal Lenovo slides from earlier this year show the new W701 and W701ds ThinkPads nonchalantly hanging out next to some pretty beefy spec sheets. The W701, which we saw passing through the FCC, is again listed alongside an Intel Extreme series CPU and a Wacom Digitizer, while its display quality has been upgraded all the way to 100 percent of the NTSC color gamut and 280 nits of brightness. Going stride for stride with it is the dual-screen W701ds, with both machines offering up to 16GB of RAM, SSD options up to a quarter of a terabyte, and Ultrabay expandability. DisplayLink ports and the like are just glazing on the cake, but we can't help noticing the frankly silly two-hour battery rating on the 701ds -- guess that CPU is going to live up to its Extreme name in every way imaginable. The announcement date listed for these machines is February 23, which is when we'll be better able to gauge the veracity of the specs before us.
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.
