Genius MousePen 8 x 6-Inch Graphic Tablet for Home and Office
by Genius
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Genius MousePen 8 x 6-Inch Graphic Tablet for Home and Office
Customer Review: Cheap, flimsy, but might be okay for casual user.
Summary: 1 Stars
I'll be straight with you -- I've only used professional Wacom tablets. I'm spoiled. I'm an artist by trade, and found after upgrading my computer system that my 12 year old Wacom tablet had no driver support for Windows 7. Purchasing the Genius MousePen 8x6 tablet was an experiment to see if a cheaper make and model would suffice.
Pros:
The largest surface area for a graphics tablet for the money that I could find. Includes pen, mouse, and tablet. Does have pressure sensitivity, tracked accurately enough to do handwriting or casual drawing.
Cons:
You get what you pay for. It doesn't claim to be a professional tablet. It's described as a "home and office graphic tablet" because it's meant for the causal user. That said, after using Wacom Tablets for so many years, this tablet felt exceedingly cheap and flimsy to me. Software wasn't very good, and drivers seemed less bulletproof than I would expect.
Tablet:
This will sound like a stupid criticism if you aren't someone who spends a lot of hours using a tablet doing artwork -- but the tablet surface, touching the pen to it, felt scratchy, cheap, and distracting. If you're doing hours of work drawing and sketching on the computer, it's less than ideal. Again, for $40 bucks, maybe if I were a high school kid or casual digital painter, I could get used to it.
Pen:
The pen uses a AA battery. Pull it apart into two pieces, and the battery goes on this thin, flimsy strip of metal that touches each end. The construction looked like the inside of a $2 kid's flashlight. Wacom pens, by comparison, use no batteries, relying on magnetic induction or... unicorn spit, or some such thing -- I don't exactly know. I've just never heard of one breaking, ever.
A handy tip -- be very careful when installing the battery into the Genius pen, and align the two halves precisely. I didn't, and it got seriously jammed in the wrong position. I nearly broke the thing trying to pry it apart again. And never, EVER, twist the two pieces while together for ANY reason.
Also, since the Genius pen (and many other brands of non-Wacom pens) uses a battery, it made the pen feel a bit fat and clunky in my hand -- and I'm a big dude. Maybe you won't care or notice. For $40 bucks, I could get used to it. But if I were some petite little artist using this thing for a substantial amount of time, I imagine it might feel a little like I was handling some goofy circus clown pen. Again, it's semi-subjective, so you might feel differently.
Lastly, there was more springiness in the pen's point than I'm used to, allowing for a fair amount of compression, which made its handling feel awkward for drawing. Again, maybe I could've gotten used to it.
Mouse:
Again, less substantial than Wacom mice. Worked okay. It had this middle mouse rocking switch instead of a rolling wheel, which I didn't care for.
Manuals and Software:
Software for a tablet is important because you frequently use different settings in different programs. The Genius tablet's manuals and software are weird and clunky, lack many customization features I'm accustomed to, and using it you immediately are aware that the software was made on the cheap. It has frequent goofy English mis-translations, typos, and grammatical errors that just don't say "quality product".
Compatibility and Performance:
Its pressure sensitivity seemed to work or not work depending on what program I was working in. I was using it in high-end graphics software, sure, but at least the drivers should have been relatively bulletproof, right? The final straw that got this product boxed back up and returned to the seller was that ultimately I simply could not get pressure sensitivity to work with ZBrush, my primary work program.
To Sum Up:
For the money, the Genius MousePen 8x6 Graphic Tablet offers as large a work surface as I could find. The pressure sensitivity and tracking weren't bad, but were not what you'd want for a serious hobbyist or professional artist. Its construction is flimsy, and the drivers and software are cheap and far less than I'd be willing to put up with. But you get what you pay for.
This tablet would be a great, affordable birthday party gift for someone else's 10 year old kid who likes doing art with MS Paint or something. For my own kid, I'd be inclined to spend more money and get a used Wacom Intuos or other professional quality Wacom graphics tablet. (I've not used their cheaper "Bamboo" line of tablets, so I can't speak to their quality.)
This tablet would also be fine for an adult who just wants to doodle, use hand writing in programs such as OneNote, or prefers a pen to a mouse.
For a professional artist, serious art hobbyist, or art student, if I literally had nothing more than $40 bucks or so to spend, and I needed a graphics tablet, I would borrow some cash from someone and buy a used Wacom before getting this thing. A 10 year old Wacom is easily superior to this tablet for doing real art -- in its durability, tracking, ergonomics, and most especially drivers and software.
Customer Review: Easy to set up and use
Summary: 4 Stars
As a matter of background, I have always preferred using a track ball rather than a mouse and was looking for something with minimal stress when using point-and-click interface devices. My work generally involves using AutoCAD, writing documents, working on spreadsheets and preparing presentations and graphics (which usually go into the documents, spreadsheets and presentations). Though I have not suffered from any severe repetative stress injuries, I have had recurring knots in the muscles of my right shoulder. I looked at the ergonomic 'this' and the molded 'that' but what got me thinking about graphics tablets was a coworker. He had injured his wrists in an accident and he could use no mouse or trackball comfortably. He showed me his full size Intuos4 (Wacom) and I was impressed. My interest in Wacom ended when I saw the sticker price.
Though I did not have a chance to try out my coworker's Intuos, I could see by the shape and style of the stylus/pen how easily a person could adapt to using something like this. It would be no more stressful than writing (at worst) and scribbling (at best).
Disappointed by the Wacom's price, I searched for other tablets and found this one. When I performed an internet search on this Genius tablet, I went to the negative reviews first to see what the worst case scenarios were. Knowing Amazon would stand behind their product and I could return it, I placed my order. I received this several months ago and have been using it regularly.
After I unpacked the graphics tablet, pen, tablet mouse, etc., I installed the provided drivers and then connected the graphics tablet. I did not install anything other than just the drivers and maybe the PenSuite program. Everything worked without a problem from the start. I was concerned about using the graphics tablet and pen with a laptop when my work moved me to a position that would be mobile. Using care about the cord, the tablet packs well. It is very lightweight and its surface area is slightly smaller than my laptop. When packed, it is somewhat protected by my carry case and I usually sandwich it between the laptop and various books and papers. The pen for the tablet goes in a side compartment of my carry case so that the pen tip is not constantly activated (wears down the battery). I do not use the tablet mouse included with the kit.
What pleasantly suprised me is that even though the included pen can left- and right-click, my computer has no problem recognizing the pen/graphics tablet as well as my track ball AND the touch pad on my laptop at the same time. I now usually use the laptop's (or trackball's) left- and right-click with one hand and navigate on the tablet with the pen using the other.
One of the great features is that the graphics tablet is mapped to your screen. When I take my laptop to a docking station with a separate monitor and plug in the mouse pad, it automatically maps to both the laptop and the additional screen when I plug it in!
A great feature that this graphics tablet has is the user-configured 'hot buttons'. They are a series of several small 'hot spots' lined up against the far left, top and far right of the graphics tablet. These are great to configure for quick launching programs or performing other functions. The cherry on top is the fact that the surface that the mouse pen contacts is a thin transparent plastic sheet. There is a notch so that you can lift the sheet and put just about any paper or photo underneath. I use a simple sheet of paper that I jotted with notes that relate which hotbuttons do what function (note that the top row of hot buttons is pre-assigned (e.g. 'open', 'save', 'copy', etc.)).
The battery life in the pen is okay for me - a new battery every four months or so doesn't seem too bad.
A few notes for those who have read negative comments or are generally skeptical about this product: the mouse pen needs to be in the immediate vicinity of the tablet surface. If you are not on or within about one inch (just less than three centimeters) you WILL have problems navigating with the mouse pen. I presume the same is the case with the mouse itself. There is a reason that Genius advertises 1024 levels of pressure sensitivity with the mouse pen - you need to apply pressure. The work I do does not need that many levels of sensitivity and so general light pressure (like sketching lightly on a piece of paper) is enough.
While I think the resolution of the mouse pen and touch pad is really good (2000 LPI according to the manufacturer), I am not good enough to write my name on a grain of rice or copy the painting from dome of the Sistine Chapel onto the back of a business card. For more information, check the Genius website [...]
Customer Review: Things to watch for
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought this item after reading the most popular on-line reviews. Here's my take on it, and I suggest you read those reviews too before buying this product.
I have used this tablet almost every day as an online whiteboarding tool (primary service, www.dabbleboard.com) for my on-line tutoring business. All in all, it does the job I bought it for.
This is the first tablet I've ever owned and my overall impression is that I got what I paid for. For around 50 bucks, I got a functional tool that tried to pass itself off as much more, but isn't. If you NEED an inexpesnive 8x6 tablet for whiteboarding simple drawing applications, as I do, use this and count yourself lucky you found it. If you want a first tablet, buy this. If you're looking to get into serious illustration uses, or if you're a wannabe Photoshop ninja, this is not the tool for you. After a few months of using this thing, even with my own limited needs, I've resolved that when I can afford it, I'll get myself a serious tablet. The setup simply isn't comfortable for long-term usage, no matter how simple your needs.
1. The Genius pen is all plastic, and the point on it is very flimsy. That means that getting precise pressure control out of it is not going to happen. If you need even 256-level pressure control, let alone the 1024-level this tablet advertises, buy another tablet. There is no built-in eraser function on the back of the pen, as there is in many tablet PCs and graphic tablets. The plastic of the pen gets very sweaty with long-time usage. Even with my limited applications, that means reduced functionality for me.
2. The footprint of this thing on your desk (and it's heavy and yes, fragile) is about a foot square if you add in all the egregious edge space. Don't even dream about being able to move it out of the way regularly -- the USB cord connection to the tablet is as flimsy as it gets. Unlike what one reviewer claimed, you will NOT stop using a mouse when you buy this product, and that means that you'll probably be using the tablet mouse provided.
3. The tablet mouse is truly as cheap as it gets. I've dropped it on to wood once at a 1-foot distance, and its controls are now iffy. It is advertised as having a scroll wheel. It does not. It has a cheap sliding button that also clicks the way the button on scroll-wheel mouse works. You cannot modify any of the controls of the tablet mouse with the controlling software, as you can the pen.
4. The .pdf user's manuals are translated Chinese-glish. Don't expect to understand much there if you're not an ESL professional.
5. The plastic facing on the action part of the tablet lifts up like a hinged sheet that will stick to a sweaty hand. Don't break it.
6. There are no dead cells or areas, as other reviews mentioned. The software provided with the tablet only allows you to work and reprogram the top row of hot cells, not the side rows. They, apparently, are only printed there for show.
7. The pen presentation software provided for Powerpoint is interesting. Do not, however, think that you will get much usage out of the Annotate for Word function -- stuff moves around when you actually put it into a document. So if you're an online teaching professional and you want to correct documents by hand without printing them out and scanning them again, this tablet won't help you.
8. The batteries in the mouse and pen were not run down. Quite the contrary, the alkaline battery in the mouse registered on my battery meter at 1.6V, and the one in the pen at a whopping 1.86. A premium alkaline battery (Duracell, Energizer) usually registers at 1.60.
9. I've followed the advice of the most popular review here and used this thing with Windows XP, not Vista. Again, following the advice given, I downloaded the latest driver from the Genius website, confusingly marked "Vista."
10. If you don't use the mouse or the pen for a significant period of time, the cursor WILL start jittering on your screen. If you leave the pen on the tablet, the cursor will similarly start jittering. Interrupting your work about every half-hour to deal with your mouse can get highly annoying.
All in all, I couldn't have found an 8x6 tablet suitable for online whiteboarding work at a lower price. I am happy with this item's performance, despite the general reality of its being as cheaply made as it is. For writing text and phonetic symbols on a whiteboard, it sure beats a mouse, and with a few days of practice, anyone can learn how to write neatly in straight lines.
But when I can afford it, this thing is history and a serious tablet will be on my desk.
Customer Review: Old hardware ages fast.
Summary: 3 Stars
Okay. I've had my Genius MousePen 8x6 for around 3 years... and now it's died.
I've seen alot of good reviews but I wonder how long they have had their tablet before posting their reviews. Over the last 3 years my opinion of this cheap graphics tablet has decreased at quite a rate.
I got this as my first graphics tablet when I started college. I carried it in my laptop bag as I travelled to and from college. At first my opinion of this tablet was high, not as high as they would have been if i'd got a Wacom if I'd had the money but for what I paid I dealt with what I had. It started out well on my first laptop, i managed to use the hot keys(after some trial and error figuring out how to get them to work), but that laptop was replaced soon after to a lower speced laptop and that's where my first troubles began. I could not get my drivers to install correctly. I tried the CD provided and finding drivers online but no matter how many times I installed it if I unplugged it and plugged it back in it would start the driver install again. I couldn't get the hot keys to work and the area for the hot keys just became part of the active area.
I lived with this until the end of college when I put my graphics tablet on the shelf untill the time i'd use it again came around. It did around 1.5 years ago when I started myown personal project on flash. As my laptop was the only computer with flash i didn't want to use the track pad so I plugged in my Graphics tablet once again(It still wanted to install the driver software again and again). As I worked on my project I noticed the pen wasn't responding as normal every now and then when i was using the pen the cursor would jump around the screen. The only way it would stop is when the pen went into it's power save mode(about 5 minutes of not using) When the jumping stopped and I used the pen again sometimes it would start jumping again other times it would be fine. The Mouse how ever would work perfectly... but that was useless to me. About half way through my project the jumpy cursor was getting worse and worse to the point where I had to give up. So my tablet went back on the shelf and my project was left half finished.
I had a hard drive failure on my laptop around 4 months ago and then yesterday I remembered about that project that I'd now lost. Wanting to rekindle and hopefully finish my project, I found my tablet, that had somehow gotten damaged (the thin metal sheet at the back bent), I found my pen, but the mouse is lost. I plugged it in and got the device driver install pop up as it always did, now remembering the issues I had before. as soon at the driver installed the jumping started as it had before. I tried many ways of getting the drivers onto my laptop but nothing stopped the crazy jumping, save from un-plugging the tablet.
I remembered the pen although thin and flimsy did have a battery inside it so... this is probably where I killed my device. I tried to get into the pen. There are two sections to the pen separated by a light coloured band. It confused me as to how i was supposed to get into the pen to change my battery. I looked online and they all said pull it apart... so i did... the two sections of the pen are easy to decipher the larger part at the top of the pen was the part with the battery the other part near the pen tip was the important bits that made the pen work. So i pulled as this pen, hands slipping on the smooth plastic. Eventually it pulled a little bit apart... I look and the bottom half is getting pulled off. It wouldn't pull apart and further no matter how hard i pulled or who pulled it it would not budge.
So now i'm left with a thin piece of plastic and metal that makes my computer unusable when I plug it in as it jumps and clicks randomly(even deleted a file on my desktop silly thing) and a pen that probably needs a new battery. I probably could find the mouse and that would work... but if i wanted to use a mouse i'd find an actual mouse that doesn't need a 11x12 inch piece of plastic to use.
In all I will say. It's a good piece of equiptment for the price. And if you need a tablet but can't afford the Wacom's prices then yeah it's good for that. But don't expect it to last. If you want to continue using a graphics tablet for years to come, save up for a better one whilst your using this one, then replace before it dies.
(Oh and i apologise for any typos i may have missed.)
Customer Review: Very, very good for the money.
Summary: 5 Stars
Alright, I waited a full month before doing this review because I wanted to make sure I was testing what the product really was, and not what it started off being. Overall, this Genius tablet has been working great and has been a great asset to my digital drawing. Also, for those who say that it doesn't work well with Windows 7 I ask: Have you downloaded the add-on off of [...]? If not, there's your problem.
Now for some specifics.
Sensitivity: This tablet is very good. You can set the sensitivity, and other features, quite easily. Sure, sometimes the sensitivity came off and on, but it eventually went away through weeks of tweaking the settings (if you have the same problem, wait for a week or two and it should go away). Now, the tablet's sensitivity is working just great! For those who say that the tablet has dead-spots, please skip over to my section on "Battery" because, unless it is truly the pressure sensitive area that has the problem, it is the pen's battery.
Size: I don't know why people would want a bigger size, or a smaller size for that matter, because the 8"x6" tablet is a really good size to start on. In reality, the tablet is much bigger than I had anticipated.
Pen: What can I say? It's a good pen. The buttons are good, the feel is good,and the pen tip is quite good as well. Now, if only they had a grip for that thing for when I draw for more than one hour at a time... that would be great.
Battery: Now, I have read plenty of reviews that said that the batteries that came with the tablet were a bunch of bologna. I took that advice, got a battery from my parents' room, and put it in the pen. When I had installed the things in the CD AND the add-on from the [...] website, I tried out my new tablet. At first it worked like a charm. However, I noticed that in certain spots, the pen would stop working. I went over and over the same spot, but the computer would only register few movements in that general area. Once some time had passed, I could draw over that area easily, but another area would become "dead", or so I thought. It went like this for about two weeks, and then I finally changed the battery to, what else, the battery that came with the tablet. The "dead" spots disappeared altogether. In short, the batteries that come with that come with the tablet are not a sham. They're good, really good. In fact, I'm still using the first battery that came with the tablet.
Installation: I heard to ignore the CD altogether when installing it, but I chose to ignore the advice instead. To tell you the truth, I'm glad I ignored the advice. After all, why would Genius send something that would just mess with the computer? Do they REALLY want a thousand people, per day, telling them that their CD does not do what it is intended to do? My advice is to pop in the CD, read through the already printed instructions, wait for the 10+ minutes of installation (depending on your computer RAM, I think), and download the add-on from [...] for your specific operating system (OS). After that, if you have the same problem with sensitivity that I had, you should check the settings with the tablet often in case they change unexpectedly. Other than that, your tablet, after you check the battery on the pen, will be working well.
Overall, this tablet is great. The ONLY thing that I have against this tablet is that it is too big for my work area. That, however, is something that applies only to me. Do your own measurements and it should become clear if you have enough space for this. Then again, you can clear area.
I hope my review will help some of you thinking about buying this tablet and some of you who are having these temporary problems with the tablet.
Thank you for reading,
Abdiel