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Those devices are really amazing. I wonder why he doesn't just get rid of the pencil and paper altogether.

Large enough capacitor=power to run the mouse 5 minutes after leaving the mouse pad.

Which is great if your playing minesweeper. I prefer games which don't require a break every 5 mins to reacharge my mouse.

And before you say 'just pause the game every 5 mins' - that just destroys the realism for games that rely on it (read:FPS), even if
you could get some magic capacitor that'd manage 5 mins @ 100mA @ 5v (mouse power consumption reference here).

Anyway, how's this very different than graphics tablets that have mice? (Like this Wacom one)
which granted its not optical, but it is wireless, runs on a USB pad, is arguably far more accurate, and definatly more flexible as an input device.

it doesn't address what I consider to be the main limitation of wireless keyboards: not having the little caps/num/scroll-lock lights on them.

I'd rather that my wireless keyboard not have caps/num/scroll-lock *BUTTONS*.... they are useless remnants of an older age. Just look how Scroll Lock has been repurposed for use in kvms.... and when i'm on a PC, I pop the num-lock keycap off... otherwise I hit it about 1/6th of the time I go for the 7 key. uhg.

(Posted by someone who's done something about his Caps Lock key...)

Getting back on topic, a wireless mouse that requires a pad rather than batteries has been around for ages and ages. [link]

I would KILL for one of these The aren't catching on because they are not intended for consumers but for "creative professionals" but $1500 for a tablet is too pricy for me.

Combine a G5 type thing with a Wacom Cinteq so that we can have some seriously scary tablet computer stuff for artists? I mean, the G5 is almost completely a Tablet computer, it just lacks a way to point directly at the screen. So why not do overkill? The only problem is that if you straight out combine the prices, it gets pretty sick.

If you're looking for a tablet of some sort that you can draw on directly for photoshop and such, check out Wacom's Cintiq line -- basically an LCD monitor with a pen touchscreen. They start at $1500 and up for 15" monitors. A PC is required, though, to use them. LCD Tablets

Actually, Mike (Gabe) Krahulik (the guy that draws Penny Arcade) gives a nice little html tutorial here on using Alias Sketchbook Pro, which comes bundled (at least with Acer Tablets) and is a perfect compliment for tablet pc's I would assume.

I've been using it for a while now with a Wacom drawing tablet and for the first time can see the use for a tablet PC. Drawing in a horizontal square which has to be perpendicular to the screen is not as intuitive as it should be. I'd much prefer to be able to draw while holding the pad at an angle.

And the alternative is a Cintiq. Look at THAT price!!!! The tablet PC's in listed above do more (apparently) and cost less than these behemoths, so for the graphic artist who needs to draw, this is DEFINITELY the way to go. I understand that Wacom does some special treatment to the Cintiq screens to avoid wear, tear, and distortion as the pen touches the screen constantly, but yikes that is a pricey sketchbook.

It's strange -- Apple has always been regarded as being the machine of choice for the designer or visual artist, but it seems that they may be missing the boat on this one... Niche market, perhaps, but could be a strong one.

How well do the laptops handle pressure sensitivity in artistic applications? I know that a Wacon Cintiq has "512 layers of pressure sensitivity" (more than enough for me), but it runs about $2500 each (after a $1000 price drop, mind you!) If I were to do my web comic (link delibrately left blank, go away /. :) with a new tablet like this, would it be reasonably sensitive, or just on-off? Would I be better off with a regular old drawing tablet, where I can't look at it and see the screen as well?

How well do the laptops handle pressure sensitivity in artistic applications? I know that a Wacon Cintiq has "512 layers of pressure sensitivity" (more than enough for me), but it runs about $2500 each (after a $1000 price drop, mind you!) If I were to do my web comic (link delibrately left blank, go away /. :) with a new tablet like this, would it be reasonably sensitive, or just on-off? Would I be better off with a regular old drawing tablet, where I can't look at it and see the screen as well?

How well do the laptops handle pressure sensitivity in artistic applications? I know that a Wacon Cintiq has "512 layers of pressure sensitivity" (more than enough for me), but it runs about $2500 each (after a $1000 price drop, mind you!) If I were to do my web comic (link delibrately left blank, go away /. :) with a new tablet like this, would it be reasonably sensitive, or just on-off? Would I be better off with a regular old drawing tablet, where I can't look at it and see the screen as well?

They do seema bit like PDAs - and from the people that want to draw on a full-sized screen, it seems much nicer to hook a Wacom Cintiq lcd tablet (not tabletPC) up to a powerful laptop so you get good performance and a less bulky drawing surface. I've seen these in action with Photoshop and they are really, really nice.

Someone might want to tell Kensington, Microsoft, Logitech, Wacom, etc that their mice don't work with the Mac. Someone might also want to tell apple to stop selling those mice in their online and retail stores...

as for the global menubar, you and Paul Fitts should have a little talk.

You mean like this?

Get a wacom graphics tablet with a stylus (works with linux also). Then download dasher for doing long sessions of text entry. You spell out words by "driving" the cursor in the direction that the characters come flying toward you (see the animation). Also get xstroke to do graffiti like handwriting recognition. My next goal it to start looking into voice recognition.

Yes, I've used a Wacom tablet for quite some time. They've been discussed quite a number of times here on /. The tablet I have allows me to use either a pen-shaped stylus, or a traditional mouse (albeit a tad on the large side). Some tasks I've found are easier / quicker with a mouse, although I use the pen most of the time.

The pen does sometimes cramp my hand, particularily if I try to hold it while typing instead of putting it down, but generally speaking I've found it much more comfortable in the long run.

so what you want is one of these

you have 16 degrees of control:
1) relative X axis
2) relative Y axis
3) absolute X axis
4) absolute Y axis
5) tilt X axis*
6) tilt Y axis*
7) pressure sensitive (z axis)
8) and it knows which end of the pen your using!
16) double it with a 2nd pen & Dual Track!

*When using a mouse, you have rotate, and a scroll wheel

you know, I expected that very same thing before I bought my Wacom Graphire tablet (mine was a Graphire2, not the Graphire3 in the link). I figgered, "well, it mimics a pen, so it's gotta be comfier, right?" hmmmmmmm... sometimes a week of heavy Wacomming will give me more wrist pain and tendonitis than a week of heavy mousing. (heh, maybe my desk is the wrong height though.)

Another thing to watch out for is that the pen or mouse get a little jumpy around the edges of the tablet, so get a 6x8 instead of a 4x5 if you can afford it.

And -- before you ask -- yes, both Linux and XFree86 have drivers for the whole line of Wacom tools. The GIMP has pressure-sensitivity support built in too. All in all, I love my little tablet, but I don't know if it's eased my tendonitis or anything like that.

Wacom has a wonderful selection of writing tablets for various uses (web designer, artist, general use, etc...) and I have found it to be quit relaxing and natural to use, especially if you grew up using pencil and paper to do things. According to their website, it helps reduce Repetitive Stress Injury, and they have several testimonials to that effect.

Exactly - I've been looking at tablet PCs with great interest due to the whole "draw on screen" factor.

a article I was reading yesterday pointed out that whilst XP Tablet Edition doesn't support pressure sensitivity, there's an add-on by Wacom ("Penabled") that many oems are supporting it.

Sadly I've got an extreme lack of cash, so can't afford to buy any expensive gadgets right now, but when the time comes it's something I'll have a good think about. Also a big factor at the moment seems to be that local computer shops around me don't seem to have any interest in stocking tablets, so there isn't a chance for me to have a play with a demo machine.

Oh well, I guess by version 3 MS will actually have software that's workable (as is the usual MS way)

Also, out of interest, what's Linux support like for Wacom hardware? (I'm guessing the Penabled stuff would be pretty similar to the normal tablet drivers) - does Gimp handle pressure sensitivity? (showing my ignorance)

Exactly - I've been looking at tablet PCs with great interest due to the whole "draw on screen" factor.

a article I was reading yesterday pointed out that whilst XP Tablet Edition doesn't support pressure sensitivity, there's an add-on by Wacom ("Penabled") that many oems are supporting it.

Sadly I've got an extreme lack of cash, so can't afford to buy any expensive gadgets right now, but when the time comes it's something I'll have a good think about. Also a big factor at the moment seems to be that local computer shops around me don't seem to have any interest in stocking tablets, so there isn't a chance for me to have a play with a demo machine.

Oh well, I guess by version 3 MS will actually have software that's workable (as is the usual MS way)

Also, out of interest, what's Linux support like for Wacom hardware? (I'm guessing the Penabled stuff would be pretty similar to the normal tablet drivers) - does Gimp handle pressure sensitivity? (showing my ignorance)

[French knight]I told him we've-a already got one![/French knight]

Costs a bundle, but there's your draw-on LCD to attach to your desktop.

My solution to the battery problem is a Wacom Graphire tablet. The stylus and the (included) wireless mouse both function without batteries. Of course, you must replace your current mouse pad with the (non-wireless USB) tablet, but that's no major hardship. I am highly pleased with the Graphire, both as an inexpensive graphics tablet and a wireless mouse solution.

You mean something like this? They've been around longer than tablet PCs...

We're there already. Pricey little buggers, but if they're anywhere as good as the Intuos2 tablet I'd love one. Now if only I could convince my boss that it would in fact increase my productivity...

Apple tablet prototype pics here and there! But the best idea is the detachable touch screen that merely lifts off the iMac (the dome base serving as the brains and charging cradle). For completeness, there is also the Cintiq ($3500, and a tether to boot) and the AirBoard (Japanese Flash, sorry, it's the best I could do).

between this and my iBook, even classes with alot of symoblic math, or diagrams is a breeze. I just use ink and the handwriting recognition engine converts my own handwriting to easy-to-read-the-next-day type, and I just switch to draw mode for equations, diagrams, etc. After each class I export notes to pdf and upload them to my webserver when I get home where I have a nice php site I wrote up where I can then search all the notes by subject, date, keyword, chapter and unit. It's not as compact of a solution as a tablet pc, but quite a bit cheaper, this also works out nice for me because I can get work done in photoshop during the couple hour break I have in the middle of the day.

My only hand-input device is a Wacom Intuos 2 tablet & mouse. It seems that if you don't have a traditional USB mouse attached, Mac OS X 10.2.8 "helpfully" assumes that you must be trying to connect a bluetooth mouth and launches a Bluetooth configurator for you.

Every.
Time.
I log in, and
Every.
Time.
I log out.

Man, this sucks. Not as bad as not booting, but it's a constant annoyance.

http://www.wacom.com/

I'll even make it a hyperlink-

Why didn't you just give the schmoe a Mac and a nice Wacom tablet to use as a pointing device for it? People at my last job were doing that for years, and that was in OS 8 and 9! Now it's even easier since Jaguar has built in HWR.

Hell, Wacom even makes LCD tablets, if you're really got a bottomless budget.

~Philly

wacom drawing tablets come with 4-D mice!

I know its not exactly what you want, but its close.

Look at the http://www.wacom.com Cintiq.

And Corel Painter 8 is a really good program for simulating real painting with the Wacom tablets.

The history of tablet computing is littered with failure, and MS is joining the parade 10 years late (though, as a history lesson, MS crushed Go by promising pen-windows 3.1 and forcing vendors to dump Go to get seeded with pen windows, then after Go tanked, they pulled the plug).

If you could get a touch/pen interface for trivial incremental cost and no resolution/weight/durability penalty, people would probably go for it. Maybe someday, but not yet.

Until then, as for Apple taking the niche: I worked on Scribe, the ATG's predecessor to the PenMac, a project so lost to history you can only find references to references on the web.

And the PenMac had, back in 95/96, many of the features of the new windows versions, including pressure sensitivity, a very accurate neural net based natural handwriting engine, etc. It even seemed quite a bit more responsive on that old 68020. It sold briefly in Japan for Kanji entry...

One problem with tablets... who writes anymore? Have you tried to write a letter recently? If you're less than 20, you probably never did. It's a compelling paradigm, but ultimately retro. Honestly, I can't anymore; my hand gets tired after a few paragraphs. Sure I could if I did it every day but I still wouldn't write this much with a pen. (Would the quality of writing improve if we took away all the keyboards?)

To be sure, there are niche markets. It's a solid interface extension to existing touchscreen applications like POS and machine control, and it's a nice for sketching.

But niche markets won't make for profitable software or affordable hardware. The problem is, in a nutshell, if you do it really well - get the tactile interaction just right, eliminate the display parallax, get the contrast up, get the pen as light and durable as a regular pen, even make the display flexible, make the whole thing weigh only a few hundred grams, and make it "instant-on," uncrashable, and with failsafe archival data retention and you've got....

...paper.

i use this one its like drawing on paper. resolution sucks, but there is no other option.

I say, add touch sensitivity to an existing laptop design and you have a winner. Make the lid swivel so you can close it with the display on the outside, add some handwriting recognition software and you have effectively a "tablet PC".

Yes it's nice to directly interact with a screen. Back then it seemed like a no-brainer too, so why did the Concerto die a death along with most of the other pen computing platforms? I'm not sure, maybe it just doesn't get integrated into the mainstream so it doesn't ride the price-performance curves as well as a standard laptop. If Wacom Cintiq technology were a cheap $200 upgrade on every monitor I'd spring for it on laptops and even desktops, but clearly most customers don't perceive $200 of value in being able to interact and scribble on a screen. Meanwhile for nearly everything you do on a computer a pointing device and keyboard work just fine.

I worked at GO (later EO) on PenPoint (Byte's Magazine's operating system of the year! :o), and the MS pre-emptive announcement of Windows for Pen Computing was one of several nails in that coffin. (At least PenPoint really went for it with a gestural direct interaction UI, the original and still best implementation of gestures.) It's touching to see several die-hards from those efforts banging their heads against the same wall 10 years later, at least it's at Microsoft's expense.

Well, actually they are. Some are, anyway. Those with a Wacom driven screen. Here is Wacom's page on it.. And yes you are right - they would be one hell of a drawing tool. I wan't one - but it's the price I can't get past.

What war, did W. start a new "War on Input Devices?"
I can see it now... "This nation will not rest until that Windows key is brought to justice!"
I hear North Korea is working on a secret handwriting recognition program. We may have to remove their Wacoms of Mass Destruction.

Tablets of this sort have been around for a long time -- the most popular made by Wacom, and the cheapest model being the $99 Graphire. I've seen these for sale even at Wal-Mart..

Not a bad kit, really - you get a pen and a scrollwheel mouse that you can use interchangably. Neither the pen nor the mouse require any electricity at all, instead relying on magnets and some trick inductive stuff inside the tablet. It's pressure-sensitive, too.

Wacom released an enhanced driver for the tablet PC that brings it up to par with the regular Wacom tablets in performance (and features)... incidentally, Wacom sells a variety of different stylus for these devices!

With the enhanced driver it works the same on a variety of the Wacom tablet compatible programs as any other Wacom tablet does!

I own an Art ZII Wacom Tablet... this might be an option for a portable device to sketch at design meetings and brainstorming sessions. It would be good, I imagine, to also sketch and plug the device in at a conference room video projector to share with the room. Cool for planning and design meetings I'd imagine.

Wacom released an enhanced driver for the tablet PC that brings it up to par with the regular Wacom tablets in performance (and features)... incidentally, Wacom sells a variety of different stylus for these devices!

With the enhanced driver it works the same on a variety of the Wacom tablet compatible programs as any other Wacom tablet does!

I own an Art ZII Wacom Tablet... this might be an option for a portable device to sketch at design meetings and brainstorming sessions. It would be good, I imagine, to also sketch and plug the device in at a conference room video projector to share with the room. Cool for planning and design meetings I'd imagine.

Wacom released an enhanced driver for the tablet PC that brings it up to par with the regular Wacom tablets in performance (and features)... incidentally, Wacom sells a variety of different stylus for these devices!

With the enhanced driver it works the same on a variety of the Wacom tablet compatible programs as any other Wacom tablet does!

I own an Art ZII Wacom Tablet... this might be an option for a portable device to sketch at design meetings and brainstorming sessions. It would be good, I imagine, to also sketch and plug the device in at a conference room video projector to share with the room. Cool for planning and design meetings I'd imagine.

Maybe then again it IS a new form factor for the PC - A stylus is NOT that good of an input device for most applications*, so it's basically a computer for applications that are mostly about output - accessing existing information. Surfing the web, watching DVD's, listening to music, using as an oversized PDA. But more and more PC's are being used as a way to simply access data rather than to input or manipulate data so perhaps such a machine will find a market.

* One exception, tablets are great for artists, actually drawing on the screen would be cool. Wacom has a pressure sensitive tablet w/LCD screen (as well as a TabletPC). The problem I noticed playing around with it was that there was a delay between what you did and what happened on the screen. So the "paint" was following along a bit behind what you are doing - you don't notice this when the tablet and the screen are seperate but it is very noticable and distracting when you are drawing right on the screen. I played around with one a while ago so maybe advances in technology have advanced to where this is no longer such a big problem.

Maybe then again it IS a new form factor for the PC - A stylus is NOT that good of an input device for most applications*, so it's basically a computer for applications that are mostly about output - accessing existing information. Surfing the web, watching DVD's, listening to music, using as an oversized PDA. But more and more PC's are being used as a way to simply access data rather than to input or manipulate data so perhaps such a machine will find a market.

* One exception, tablets are great for artists, actually drawing on the screen would be cool. Wacom has a pressure sensitive tablet w/LCD screen (as well as a TabletPC). The problem I noticed playing around with it was that there was a delay between what you did and what happened on the screen. So the "paint" was following along a bit behind what you are doing - you don't notice this when the tablet and the screen are seperate but it is very noticable and distracting when you are drawing right on the screen. I played around with one a while ago so maybe advances in technology have advanced to where this is no longer such a big problem.

has been making very nice draw on monitors for a few years now, which do quite well for hi-res drawings, we have one here that gets drawn on for several hours/day, for 6 months, no sign of wearing out yet.

I think the limit is in how well the handwriting recognition software works, not in the hardware.

something like this? (just a screen...)

Slap a G4 sled under one of these, and activate Jaguar Inkwell..

Hell, OS X even has the Newton "delete cloud" when you dispose of Dock occupants!

Slap a G4 sled under one of these, and activate Jaguar Inkwell..

Hell, OS X even has the Newton "delete cloud" when you dispose of Dock occupants!

Here here. Using a mouse for graphics is like oil painting with a bar of soap. I'm a firm evangelist of the trackball/tablet combo.

The trackball lets you get all your "macro" work done fast, doesn't eat up desk space and doesnt't need to be picked up and put back down every 30 seconds.You can then use you stylus, or other tablet device (wacom makes an airbrush ) for fine, expresssive, and pressure sensitive needs. No way I coulda colored this using a mouse.

Shade http://www.kickintheeye.com

True, it may be better for graphics artists... (though it has nothing to do with a PDA... it is a different form-factor for PC and notebook computers, more like another way to use a monitor, keyboard, and mouse) It is like a detachable version of the Wacom Cintiq line of tablets...

Upon closer inspections of the features of both of the types of products (at the bottom of that web page) you can see a side by side comparison of these similar products.

A compelling reason to look at this is an ergonomic issue. As an artist, I'd like to work with a sketch pad for the general ergonomics of it. This seems like a good potential fusion of what I need. It's hooked up to your PC so you have the processing power to run Photoshop, Illustrator, Procreate Painter, etc. as well as not having to hold onto a clunky notebook computer (ever try typing on one, as you are standing up, while holding the computer with your other hand?... it doesn't seem too much like a real notebook when you try to do that!).

IBM's recently deceased Transnote notebook seemed promising but was not a pressure sensitive display as this one is. Additionally, this a cleaner, all in one implementation (no paper fuss, why use paper for a computer? For that, buy a paper pad, draw, and scan it into your computer). With modern graphics software, this Tablet PC is like carrying around paper, pens, markers, pastels, watercolors, colored pencils, chalk, paint, etc. all in one package. Clearly an advantage.

This seems like the form factor graphics designers have been waiting for to replace the often awkward monitor/keyboard combo on a desktop computer (I don't necessarily need to take it with me elsewhere, though I suppose the version of this product that docks to become a notebook computer would address that adequately if I needed to take it out of my studio).

With products like the Cintiq from Wacom, you get close to what you need, but there really is no good way to use the Cintiq on a desk with a keyboard and have it be anything less than physically uncomfortable to switch back and forth between using the two as you often have to. This has the potential to solve that and what is potentially revolutionary about it to me. I'm am going to demo it in the near future to see for myself.

True, it may be better for graphics artists... (though it has nothing to do with a PDA... it is a different form-factor for PC and notebook computers, more like another way to use a monitor, keyboard, and mouse) It is like a detachable version of the Wacom Cintiq line of tablets...

Upon closer inspections of the features of both of the types of products (at the bottom of that web page) you can see a side by side comparison of these similar products.

A compelling reason to look at this is an ergonomic issue. As an artist, I'd like to work with a sketch pad for the general ergonomics of it. This seems like a good potential fusion of what I need. It's hooked up to your PC so you have the processing power to run Photoshop, Illustrator, Procreate Painter, etc. as well as not having to hold onto a clunky notebook computer (ever try typing on one, as you are standing up, while holding the computer with your other hand?... it doesn't seem too much like a real notebook when you try to do that!).

IBM's recently deceased Transnote notebook seemed promising but was not a pressure sensitive display as this one is. Additionally, this a cleaner, all in one implementation (no paper fuss, why use paper for a computer? For that, buy a paper pad, draw, and scan it into your computer). With modern graphics software, this Tablet PC is like carrying around paper, pens, markers, pastels, watercolors, colored pencils, chalk, paint, etc. all in one package. Clearly an advantage.

This seems like the form factor graphics designers have been waiting for to replace the often awkward monitor/keyboard combo on a desktop computer (I don't necessarily need to take it with me elsewhere, though I suppose the version of this product that docks to become a notebook computer would address that adequately if I needed to take it out of my studio).

With products like the Cintiq from Wacom, you get close to what you need, but there really is no good way to use the Cintiq on a desk with a keyboard and have it be anything less than physically uncomfortable to switch back and forth between using the two as you often have to. This has the potential to solve that and what is potentially revolutionary about it to me. I'm am going to demo it in the near future to see for myself.

Or this?
Wacom Cintiq