debcook

Wacom tablets are one of those gadgets that look cool enough to invent a reason to have one. People that work in the graphics industry find that their work is made easier with the digital tablet and the various pens that work with it. I am not a graphics artist but I would still like to have a Wacom Tablet.

Control of details is the alluring thing for me. I have tried in the past to outline an object in a photo to digitally “cut” it away from the background. A computer mouse worked well on straight lines but once the edges curved it was all over. Writing with a computer mouse reminds me of elementary school days when I first learned to write with a pencil.

Working on a Microsoft Word document with a Wacom tablet seems like overkill but that is not to say that it cannot be done. In fact some Wacom pens work much like an ordinary computer mouse. The Wacom software allows you to set up “Clicking” (both single and double) by touching the end of the pen to the pad.

People with Carpel Tunnel can often hold a Wacom Pen with less pain than with a computer mouse. Artists that learned to draw with pencil and pad learn quickly to draw on the computer instead. Other than drawing on the Wacom Pad and seeing the results on the screen there are similarities to the paper pad and pencil.

Another reason the Wacom Pad is so popular is that it works just as well on a Mac as it does on a PC. Bluetooth and USB connections make them very easy to work with and they come in different sizes which included 4” x 6” or the larger one measures 12” x 19”. Features on each size vary as well.

The price may bring an enamored gadget geek back to reality. You could easily spend hundreds of dollars so if you don’t have a specialized need for a Wacom Tablet maybe you don’t need one – yet.

The Cintiq is a Wacom Touchscreen monitor that works directly with a Wacom wireless pen. I could truly get used to one of these. The monitor can be used at any angle. Then if you prefer to work in a more comfortable position just remove the Cintiq from its base and hold it on your lap.

I am about to convince myself that I need one of these gadgets.