I'm a laid back guy that likes electrical gadgets and photography, as well as computers and playing ...
I'm a laid back guy that likes electrical gadgets and photography, as well as computers and playing games
Member since:06.12.2006
Reviews:5
I've previously bought a graphics tablet from a company called Nisis and, at the time, they were known quite well for them. Unfortunately, my experience with their product was less than impressive and it's mostly gathered dust. The main reason was the look and feel, it looked cheap and felt it too. A few years later I heard about the Wacom Bamboo online and thought I'd take a look at it. Since then I've gone out and bought one as I was so impressed by how it sounded but I was also worried that my expectations were being built up as with the Nisis before. I couldn't have been more wrong.
Where do I start? Then 'pen' itself is very comfortable to use, one solid piece with no batteries required but enough weight so as not to feel cheap. It's coated in what I can best describe as a kind of hard rubber that feels smooth to the touch and is much better than a plastic version would be. As has been mentioned it has 512 levels of pressure sensitivity meaning you can make very thin, light strokes or thick, hard strokes - that's assuming your software has the ability to support it of course. The pen also has an 'eraser' on the top which is basically a rounded and smooth piece of plastic. In supported programs you flip the pen over and rub out what ever you want as if you were using a normal pencil with eraser on the end. It's a small but neat touch that works very well and can save you having to select an eraser in programs when you need it.
The tablet itself is just as impressive and comes in a mostly matt black covering. Along with the writing area there are 4 glossy buttons and a navigation circle that can all be customised to suit your needs. The default settings are probably good for most people but the ability to customise them is a welcome one. By default the tablet is configured to 'absolute' mode, meaning that the tablet mirrors your screen size so if you point at the center of the tablet, your on-screen cursor will be in the center. Likewise if you move it to the top left, the cursor goes there. You can switch to 'relative' mode too which makes it act more like a mouse would meaning you have to lift the pen up and move to go further than a single stroke allows. Personally I prefer absolute mode but I can see the advantages of the other if you need very fine detail perhaps.
The software that comes bundled is fairly basic, driver software and JustWrite Office but I'm unable to use the latter as it isn't Vista compatible. The tablet itself, however, is (32 & 64 bit Vista) and gains added features in Vista where it is taken as being a tablet PC or at least compatible with it. What does this mean? Handwriting recognition mainly. It's a basic implementation that's not really meant for writing out letters, more short notes on documents, presentations etc.. but it works very well and can even read my excuse for handwriting with ease. You can use it in Windows as you would a mouse, left-clicks, double-clicks, right-clicks, scrolling, dragging etc.. basically anything you can do with a mouse you can do with this.
The main target audience for this would probably be people who enjoy drawing or those wanting to sketch directly on their computer instead of drawing on paper and scanning it in later. With that said it's an excellent product all round and very easy to use. It's a USB device and comes with the cables required. Oh, the pen also has a handy little stand where you can rest the pen when you're not using it. It's a small extra but gives that extra air of thoughtfulness to the product.
Overall, a great product and if you're in the market for a graphics tablet I'd highly recommend the Bamboo. It may cost a more than similar products but the build quality you get is worth it to me. As a last note, there are other Bamboo products that come bundled with additional software but they cost more and you may not need it. If you do, the option is there for you.
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It's time for a device that could change your digital life completelyWith the Bamboo, ... more
Wacom is introducing the first tablet combining multi-touch functionality and pen tablet technology in a single deviceThe result: the best of both worlds - and an int...
Postage & Packaging: £9.89 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Advantages: Best on the low level market, great design, great drivers ad features. Disadvantages: not the cheapest graphics tablet, averagely sized active zone.
Advantages: 512 levels of pressure sensitivity, paper-like feel, 4 function buttons, zoom-wheel, eraser pen-tip Disadvantages: You may have to polish the shiny function buttons to keep them shiny
Advantages: 512 levels of pressure sensitivity, paper-like feel, 4 function buttons, zoom-wheel, eraser pen-tip Disadvantages: You may have to polish the shiny function buttons to keep them shiny
Advantages: Best on the low level market, great design, great drivers ad features. Disadvantages: not the cheapest graphics tablet, averagely sized active zone.
Advantages: Much more comfy than a mouse and with right software/OS has good range of functions Disadvantages: Appears to be very software and OS specific, erratic operation of some useful functions
Advantages: Avoid RSI, more controlled movements - especially in Photoshop, can replace your mouse! Disadvantages: No good for gaming, better with Vista and Office 2007
Mar 26th, 2008
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