Wacom Bamboo Pen and Touch
by Wacom, Inc
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Our Price: $66.95
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Category: CE
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Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: Wacom, IncFormat: CD-ROM
Platform: Windows
Model: CTH460
Color: Black
Product features:
- Two sensors for precise pen and Multi-Touch input
- Pressure-sensitive pen tip for natural pen and brush strokes
- Quick access to user-defined shortcuts with four ExpressKeys
- Adobe Photoshop Elements 7.0 Win / 6.0 Mac for editing, retouching, enhancing and sharing digital photos
- Battery-free, ergonomic pen with two switches
- Active Area Touch (W x H) - 4.9" x 3.4" (124mm x 86mm); Pen (W x H) - 5.8" x 3.6" (147mm x 91mm)
- Anime Studio Debut 6 [OLD VERSION]
- Adobe Creative Suite 4 Design Premium [OLD VERSION]
- Adobe Creative Suite 5 Design Premium[OLD VERSION]
- Pixelmator [Old Version]
- Anime Studio Pro 6 [OLD VERSION]
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Wacom Bamboo Pen and Touch
Customer Review: Nice tablet, iffy touch
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
I've been using Wacom products for a long time, going back to the old ADB Macintoshes. When the new Bamboo tablets came out, I picked up one of the large ones for my main workstation, and then the smaller one (the subject of this review) to travel with my laptop. Most of the comments here would apply equally to both. I use the tablets both for their particular capabilities when it comes to art and photography and also as a mouse substitute. I've long had tendonitis and I found it helpful to have both a mouse and tablet available, depending on the particular discomfort I might be enjoying.
First a few comments for owners of previous Wacom tablets. The pen itself feels a little different. It's a bit larger and lighter and feels less substantial than previous versions. There's no way to know if that translates into shorter life--we'll just have to see as the months and years go by. The surface of the tablet is different as well. Whereas previous Wacoms had a smooth glassy feel, the Bamboo feels more paper-like. No big deal, but it does feel different. I do notice that Wacom includes spare tips for the pen along with a strange little tool to remove the pen's tip (you'll find an unlabeled metal loop in the package. That's the tool). In my previous experience, the tablet surface always wore out before the pen. Perhaps this new surface is a bit abrasive to the pen tip. Again, we'll just have to see. There's also no mouse included with the package. For me that's not a problem--I never liked their mouse anyway.
Back to the more general reader. You'll like using a tablet. It's easy to draw things, and the increased resolution in pressure sensitivity is welcome. You'll also like the fact that the surface of the tablet has a one-to-one correspondence with screen position. No continued picking up the mouse and moving it. If you have any sort of repetitive motion injury, you'll also appreciate having the ability to put the load on other muscle groups. If you use dual-monitors or a single monitor 24" or larger, you'll want the larger version of this tablet--unless you have extreme fine motor skills.
Over the years, Wacom has employed several methods to keep track of your pen when you're not using it. They've had little stands that are attached to the tablets, and little stands that go somewhere on your desk. This new tablet has the best and--simplest--way of doing it. There's a little fabric loop on the outer edge. The pen slips easily into the loop--close by and out of the way.
Now what I didn't like. Touch is awfully finicky and needs a lot more work. I've never had any trouble getting used to a trackpad, but I have yet to build any trust with the touch system in the Wacom. There are particular gestures for selecting, opening, and dragging things around. Sometimes, they simply don't work. Sometimes they work too well. I've found myself continually opening files I only meant to reposition. I've found myself moving files I didn't want to move. I've found that the slightest inadvertent touch of a pinky makes things happen that I didn't want to happen. While the four buttons on the keyboard side of the tablet can be programmed to take over some of these functions, they're too far away for smaller hands. Luckily, the upper button turns the touch system off and on. I've found that 'off' is my preferred position. I keep going back and practicing to improve my control of touch, but something this critical ought to work right out of the box. The four buttons could be more useful as well. They're top-level only, with no context sensitivity. I'd love to be able to program them to do specific things in different programs, but I can't do that. Perhaps future driver updates will remedy some of these problems.
I wouldn't base my buy decision on the touch feature. There may be some people that love it, but I think a lot of people will be frustrated. But the tablet performance is nice and the overall price is attractive compared to previous Wacom products. So I'm not as disappointed as I might sound.
The software bundle is nothing to write home about. There's an old version of Photoshop Elements that may not be fully compatible with Snow Leopard or Win 7. Adobe has announced new versions, but you're going to have to pay full freight on those. I contacted Wacom sales, and they have no plans to offer the newer versions. There also a small filter plugin bundle. The bundle is so old that it's unaware of Photoshop CS4. You can hand-drag it to the right place (don't use touch to do it) and it will work, but it doesn't offer any value that's not already in CS4. The larger tablet also includes a little Corel draw program that's cute, but nothing special. If you're new to computer graphics, you might be perfectly happy with these starter programs. If you're a repeat Wacom buyer, the extras CD makes nice trivet.
In conclusion, I think Wacom shows nice progress in making a solid tablet at an increasingly low price. The touch system feels rushed and not ready for prime time. I'm still a happy Wacom customer.
Description of Wacom Bamboo Pen and Touch
Bamboo Pen and Touch combines the benefits of Multi-Touch with the comfort and precision of Wacom?s ergonomically-designed pen, giving you a powerful new way to work with your computer. Multi-Touch allows you to use simple gestures and finger taps in an area larger than on standard mobile devices or laptop trackpads. Easily move around your desktop, scroll through documents, navigate the web, zoom in and out of photos, and rotate images. For precision work, pick up the pressure-sensitive pen to edit photos, create personal greetings, make sketches, and mark up documents in your own handwriting. The tablet?s generous active area makes it more natural to use. It?s easy - even if you?re new to the touch experience. You can even customize your Bamboo Pen and Touch experience by assigning your own shortcuts to the four ExpressKeys. Bamboo Pen and Touch works with your existing computer: desktop or laptop, PC or Mac. And it?s an incredible value with the included software: Adobe Photoshop Elements and Nik Color Efex Pro. Sleek and black, the tablet makes for a stylish addition to your workspace. Attach Bamboo Pen and Touch to a standard USB port, set it comfortably by your keyboard, and let your intuition guide you.Combining intuitive design and versatility, the Bamboo Pen and Touch is a powerful creative workstation that lets PC and Mac users create digital art with an organic, hands-on feel. Using an innovative tablet and Wacom's "Multi-Touch" system, users can manipulate images and navigate the Web using simple gestures and finger taps. When combined with Wacom's pen-input technology, Pen and Touch allows you to write, doodle, and embellish with ease.
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 Large, textured work surface and customizable keys give you artistic control. View larger. |
 Multi-Touch lets you scroll, zoom, and rotate your screen with simple hand gestures. |
Measuring 9.8 by 6.9 inches, the Pen and Touch is compact enough to store comfortably in a laptop case. It features a large and responsive active area, providing enough workspace for even your most ambitious projects. For added convenience, four ExpressKeys provide quick access to user-defined shortcuts.
The tablet comes with a battery-free pen with an easy-to-grip design, so you can have maximum control over your drawing. The work surface is textured, providing a pen-on-paper feel. It's also reversible, so you can use it comfortably whether you're right- or left-handed.
The Pen and Touch is simple to set up. Simply plug the tablet into your computer via a USB port, install the provided drivers, and you're ready to go. You'll be doodling, writing, and painting in minutes.
Enhance Creativity with Multi-Touch Technology
With the Pen and Touch, Wacom has implemented a new technology called Multi-Touch. Typically, tablets require you to use the stylus for navigation, but Multi-Touch provides a comfortable hands-on alternative. It allows you to quickly navigate through your computer with a single finger. You can also scroll, zoom, and rotate your screen with simple hand gestures. It's intuitively-designed and easy to use -- even if you're new to the touch experience.
For precision work, you can use the included pen. When you use the pen, the screen will automatically recalibrate for more precise use. In your hands, the pen quickly becomes an all-purpose art tool. It features 1,024 levels of pressure sensitivity, allowing you to perform tasks ranging from fine hand-writing to wide-brush painting. You can add hand-drawn embellishments to your favorite photos, add life to your digital sketches, or provide a personal touch to your scrapbooking pages.
First-Class Visual Editing Software The tablet also comes with a full suite of visual editing software, including Adobe Photoshop Elements 7.0 Win/6.0 Mac and Nik Color Efex Pro 3.0 WE3--valued separately at several hundred dollars.
Pen and Touch is compatible with Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP (Service Pack 2) and Mac OS X (10.4.8 or higher.) It requires a powered USB drive, a colored screen, and a CD/DVD drive.
What's in the Box Bamboo Pen and Touch tablet, Bamboo pen, Quick Start guide, installation CD (includes driver software, interactive tutorial and user's manual), software DVD.
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