Wacom Tablets: Sleek Intuos4 and Cute Bamboo for the Artist Inside
Tablet PCs haven’t caught on, despite the predictions of Bill Gates. The touchscreen devices that have gotten market share are pocket-sized smartphones, and are excellent devices, if limited. One thing that they can’t really handle (at the moment) are applications like Photoshop- not to mention that your finger is a pretty blunt instrument and a stylus often not very comfortable.
All of which is to lead into our love for tablets- even among other interesting interfaces, tablets have long-reigned the designer’s favorite way to create digital art. And one of the leading names in the tablet arena is Wacom, with a wide line of tablets that work with XP, Vista, or Mac OSX (though some of the cooler features are Vista-only).
We’ve been flexing our graphic design and illustration muscles, testing out two tables- the small, light Bamboo Fun, and the newer, larger big brother Intuos4. Both are easy to setup, and both include both the traditional pen but a mouse as well (no batteries needed). Each have their target audience, and we will explore them in turn.
The Bamboo Fun Small is obviously aimed at a less-serious audience, younger, prone to doodling, and is thus colored a matte silver, with touches of blue/purple (other colors are available). As with most tablets, the pen is pressure sensitive, enabling you to fairly accurately reproduce your brush strokes in software that supports it. This model features four small buttons and a larger touch ring, which operates similar to the famous iPod scroll wheel. You can setup the buttons and touch ring to activate different functions, though by default they often serve as an easy way to zoom in/zoom out, and similar such tasks, depending on the application. We liked, but didn’t love the buttons, as they could have been smaller and perhaps meant to be pressed by the pen instead of needing to use a finger.
The pen and tablet were fairly comfortable to use, though the mouse a bit less so. Laptop users might enjoy the addition, but you can use the pen for many of the same functions and more. The pen even offers an eraser- simply turn it over, and voila. One problem is that the writing area is fairly small- only a fraction of the already-small tablet. Of course, for a unit priced at around $85, what do you expect? It’s a great set for beginners or those looking for a truly portable tablet, as it is only about two pounds with everything.
For those looking for a tablet with a lot more room, and some more features, Wacom’s Intuos4 series has you covered. Available in four sizes, from small to XL, we tried the Medium, which offers a capable active area of about 6×9 inches. Like it’s sibling, it is ambidextrous, so works fine for you creative southpaws. It offers about 4 times the pressure sensitivity, and twice the resolution, which really helps for projects requiring true precision. The express keys are OLED illuminated, which is a cool bonus, and you can tilt the pen up to 60 degrees, allowing a bit more freedom when drawing.
We really liked the sloping palm rest area on the front of the tablet, the nicely weighted pen, and better looking and more friendly touch-ring. We didn’t get a chance to try out the pen accessories, but Wacom offers a full line of other pens intended to help serious users who want airbrushes or need extra grip. The matte black did grab some fingerprints, but was nicer and sleeker than the Bamboo. Replacement nibs, which fit neatly in the pen holder, are included, and it’s lighter and thinner than expected. The express keys, though, have some of the same issues of the Bamboo, in that they can be awkward to setup and use.
Professionals and those seeking a more serious tablet will find a friend in the Intuos4. It may feel weird at first, but with a bit of work, you’ll find yourself relying on it for more and more of your computer tasks. Available online and in stores for less than $350.
