I love a spot of doodling, graphics and design and using a
laptop and mouse pad generally means that it can be a long and difficult
process, even when using a mouse I can’t get precise movement for my images.
I’m a complete novice when it comes to design and while I
like to undertake most tasks myself like designing this site for example, I am
no where near professional standards. I needed something that would help with my
level of design, something that was simple to use and understand whilst still
giving me the results I desired. When the lovely people at Wacom offered me the
chance to review the Wacom Bamboo Pen & Touch with wireless capabilities, I
could not say no, having previously used a Wacom Bamboo fun I knew that I would
not be disappointed.
Wacom have revamped the design from it’s
predecessors, the tablet is bright, bold and stylish which stands out from it’s
crowd of competitors. The black gloss finish gives it an artistic appeal and is
aesthetically pleasing. I could not fault the look and finish of the
tablet.
It features a 9.7-inch touch responsive surface with four
‘ExpressKeys’ which you can customise and assign access to desired tasks. The
pen/stylus has been ergonomically designed and boasts a pressure sensitive tip
that replicates the touch of standard pen and paper. Being able to lock the pen
to one screen with the simple press of a button has its benefits especially when
using dual and multiple monitor setups and the lack of need for batteries helps
to keep the weight of the pen to a minimum making handling a pleasant
experience.
The tablet was quick and easy to install, I had it up and
running and within less than 5 minutes I was ready to go and explore the Bamboo
features using the installation disk included in the pack. The wireless set up
was a little trickier but as long as you follow the instructions you should not
go wrong or have difficulty. When it was correctly synced it meant that I had no
restrictions of a wired connection.
Performance wise I had no qualms, the tablet is responsive
and I love being able to switch between using the pen and manual touchpad
mode.
When using the Pen & Touch I discovered that it has all
the features you’d expect from a Wacom tablet. The stylus is pressure-sensitive
so you can simulate pen and brush strokes in supported software programs like
Adobe Photoshop. It is a consumer level tablet but that doesn’t mean to say it
would disappoint.
The handwriting recognition was a little interesting
but my handwriting isn’t the most legible at the best of times let alone when a
computer has to decipher my scribbling. On the whole it managed about 90% of
written text so I had to double check emails before I sent them.
One of
my favourite features was also being able to use the tablet as a touch pad. I
found the tablet perfect for something more accurate than a mouse when producing
for creative work and could not fault in when using in Photoshop but I did find
the surface area a little on the small side.
What I loved
-
Ease of use
-
Stylish Design
What could be improved
-
The size of the working area
Overall I found the Pen & Touch to be beautifully
simplistic and perfect for my needs, for a budget model I cannot fault the
price even with the added extra or purchasing the wireless accessory kit.
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