Wacom Bamboo (09/18/2007)

Review: Having wanted a tablet for quite a while, I finally was convinced to splurge on this; true, not very pricey and very simple, but it was the best that we could afford. However, I came to find out that, despite the company's assurance that their refurbished products were reviewed and ended up with the result of so much as being able to work, I have found that I paid a hundred dollars for a useless hunk of plastic.

For one, each and every computer, each and every time I have plugged this device in, at the exact time it says to, it isn't recognized. I download the driver, everything seems fine. Except, of course, that the computer doesn't recognize the device, and neither does its own driver!! When I initially plug it in, the navigation ring does flash blue -something it didn't do the last time I attempted to make it work- but that is literally all that happens.

So, alas, I suppose I now have a useless device that may or may not make me a couple dollars at a pawn shop. If anyone is completely awesome and has magically figured out a way to make this hunk of blue plastic actually do something, then please, PLEASE contact me.

Review: i would recommend it to folks who want it use it to play around.

Review: I hate the 'Apple like' behavior of incompetent technicians: it is the other party problem, not ours!

Review: Companies are under pressure to bring new devices and gadgets to the market. Some of them try to rehash established technology in some way or another. Of course, it does not mean that they will put out a better product. These Bamboo tablets from Watcom are just that-rehashed technology.
These tablets are practically useless because they force you to mimic some of the gestures of cellphone touch screens such as sliding, pinching,etc. While that type of input is cute on cell screens, it feels unatural on your computer, and it will slow you down on your desktop or loptop. Unless you are an artist that can afford an expensive, high precision pen/tablet input device for your work, forget it.

Stick with the Mouse. It is quicker, more intuitive, and it has not been matched for its input efficiency yet by any other input adget or device. Long live the Mouse.

Review: I like the fact that unlike a tablet pc you are not limited to editing on just one system, it's like having a tablet PC on any computer you work on even on your large LCD TV (if you were to hook one up to your PC for presentational purposes).

They engineers perfected the overall design and the functionability of it, .... in short, with so many positive reviews of people praising it ... so many can't be wrong and with Wacom being in this business since the 1980's with virtually no competitors ... they've mastered and dominate this market."

Review: I recommend this product to anyone! its simply amazing!

Review: The device wasn't as intuitive as tablet pc's are. That is is what I was hoping for was a cheap addition to my existing laptop - to make it more like a tablet PC. But the flow was tough to get used to, especially with multiple monitors. As a homebuider and designer I was hoping to use it to make notes on customer contracts and plans and send them off to drafting - etc. But it just seemed quicker to use the conventional methods text boxes and notes on plans rather than trying to use the pen function. The accuracy didn't seem to be there.

For an artist or photoshop guru - this may be the magic ticket but if you are looking to make your basic drafting notes quicker - or do some quick photo touch up in paint - I would recomend the trusty mouse.

Review: This thing is fantastic for the money. The one thing i don't understand is how people think there is such a difference between this and the bamboo fun. Technically, both of the pads have 512 levels of pressure sensitivity, have all the same buttons, and are the same size. Only difference is that the bamboo fun comes with a mouse (uhh... no thanks) and a bunch of software which ill admit is a good deal, but when you already have stuff like the gimp to draw with, you'll realize then you might as well stick with the bamboo. it can have the same level artistry as the bamboo fun..

Anyway this is a sleek little tablet. When i say little, i don't mean small writing surface, i mean this thing is only like a half 1cm thick throughout and sits really nice on your desk. It feels incredibly expensive even though it isn't. It's heavier than it looks and has grips so it doesn't slip around. You'll put great use to the buttons as well, i guarantee. I didn't think i'd use the scroll buttons or any of the preset buttons, but it turns out i actually use all the buttons. The two on the pad itself that have presets i gotta say i use the least, but the back, forward, and scroll buttons i use as frequently as needed. The two buttons on the pen are very useful. I use the bottom one as a center click for quick scrolling and when i use blender, and the top one i use as right click for obvious reasons.

The included disk comes with your obvious drivers and preferences software as well as a handy tutorial. i didn't think this tutorial would serve me very productively either, but i was wrong. I went through it and it tells you optimal setup on your desk for maximum comfort, and all the tips and tricks for this truely unique way of navigating. It goes fast as well just the way i like it. My complaint about the box is that its rather wasteful having a box within a box (much compared to apple). Even so, i had this thing hooked up and working within 15 minutes of me getting home from buying it. I can't stress enough how this is worth every penny. Its only 10 dollars more than an xbox 360 game and you'd probably end up enjoying it for longer as well. I was already used to this thing like a half hour after hooking it up. It makes computing really addictive because you can navigate so much quicker after you're used to it. The issue i had with games was i had to turn the mouse sensitivity all the way down. In the end it wasn't a problem, but on such games as ut2004, you can only turn it so low and ut didn't go low enough for my tablet to work with the game. Other than that i played audiosurf and with this tablet, it becomes so much easier. The problem i had with my laser mouse was that if i'd move it too jerky, it would spazz out a little and accidentally hit a grey block. With the tablet, it responds to your every move! *picks up pen / scrolls down/ pokes submit XD

Review: Overall, this is an excellent college student graphics tablet. It is small enough to carry around to class, but big enough for comfortable note taking or other graphics applications.

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