Wacom Intuos A4 Regular Tablet

The system certainly works, but it's not quite as simple and transparent as Wacom suggests. In particular, to make the most of each device you first have to fine-tune it with the Wacom control panel. This is an intimidating process with no fewer than nine tabs for setting everything from the responsiveness of the pen tip and eraser to defining the menu strip shortcuts. What's more, each setting should be controlled precisely not just for each input device but for each application that you use.

At least the control panel offers one new option that's worth its weight in gold. The QuickPoint option allows the tablet to be divided into a large and small area, both of which are mapped onto the screen. This means the small area can be used for quick navigation and the large area for finer control. This saves an unnecessary arm movement, but for most users I'd still recommend saving effort, money and desk space by going for a smaller tablet.

So, is the Intuos a success? The increased sensitivity and usability are certainly welcome and make the traditional mouse look more inadequate than ever. In the end, though, I'm not convinced by the concept of switching between alternative input devices. After all, an artist working with Painter who feels constrained by only having a single pen simply hasn't understood the near infinite range of brushes and effects that can be achieved with it. Intuos' hardware-based approach adds complexity but little benefit. Ultimately, the majority of users are quite right: life's much too short to waste it thinking about your input device. I'll be sticking with my ArtPad II.

Author: Tom Arah