@ STRIDER_MT2K: That makes me Groen. That's right, I'm Groening....

Mandatory_Field

@The Chad: Yes, I have a font for Groening's handwriting. It's called Akbar (no relation with the General). That drawing, however, was written.

jesusdiaz

@god.DLL: I use it over the table just fine. But any position I've tried works great. If you place it flat over the table, depending on your arm position while drawing you can interfere with the side trackpads, so you just have to angle it accordingly.

jesusdiaz

So I guess by this you're drawing attention to it?

It seems quite specular. Optic works out for ya.

strider_mt2k

@Reilaos, Original Asus Fanboy: Good observation. :-)

jesusdiaz

I always thought that was a font that looks like simpsons handwriting, not your actual handwriting. nice!

The Chad

@AznSmith: I love the new iMovie. I find it much more intuitive, easy and enjoyable than the old one, which is just a mini-Premiere. It lacks some controls, but I find myself editing and enjoying it, rather than editing and suffering.

jesusdiaz

@qbix: Ah! I know why you see the delay. You're looking at the tablet from a different angle than Jesus was! You can't see it, but there's a layer of glass between the pen and the display part of the screen, and the depth's compensated for from one viewing angle, but not the one the camera's at, so it looks like the pen's a bit to the side from the actual point on the screen which it's corresponding to.

Reilaos, Original Asus Fanboy

@What dreams may come: You may be perceiving that because of the distance between the surface and the actual LCD. It's a millimeter or two.

The result is that it appears the trace is chasing the tip of the pen. But this only appears like that on the video. It's an optical illusion. The fact is that the response has zero delay. It's like real pen and paper.

jesusdiaz

fuck the new imovie, the only good thing is direct youtube upload. i cant find in the help page how to adjust speed

AznSmith

Smudges, Jesus? What is the most comfort position (tabletop, lap, etc.)?
As a Wacom Intuos 3 user, what will I most probably make of it? Is it worth the upgrade for people who already own "blind" tablets (Graphire/Intuos) and tablet skills/habits?

god.DLL

@rexplex: Yeah, it seems weird to think of it that way. I just go by what I know I'm susceptible to in LCD response time numbers. To be honest, I would say it's more like 200 real milliseconds, not 20. It's probably wrong to use gray-to-gray response time measurements in this case, so I should clear that up. I've tried 25ms LCDs with time-sensitive games and the lag feels about the same as the table in this video.

When Jesus is starting to draw bender's head, that's when it's most noticeable in my opinion.

qbix

I've dreamed of owning one of these for a long time :\

daath

Jezus; out of curiosity, how is this different from the Sony Vaio PCV-LX900 I picked up in Hong Kong in 2001? It was also a Wacom made display and if memory serves right, it too had a pressure sensitive pen.

I'm just wondering what Wacom did to improve on the product in the past 6 years. Besides the price of course, considering I paid $3400 for my Vaio back then...

scoobydoo

@jesusdiaz: From the video itself, just look at the beginning of bender's drawing when he's drawing the first lines for the head and the ink doesn't show up on the screen right away.

I admit I haven't tried one myself but I've seen people working with it at Siggraph. It may be a matter of getting used to it, but personally, any sort of screen lag kills me whether I'm working or playing games.

Don't get me wrong, it's an awesome product, but Wacom has no competition, so they don't seem too concerned about improving their product too drastically each generation. I just hope they release an instant feedback tablet one day.

qbix

@kumuasata: I've got $2 for you. In this, our first ever Let's Raise Money to Buy a Deserving Dude Some Gear event!!

kevjohn

@jesusdiaz: from the video it looks like the strokes on the screen lag behind your pen movements noticeably (I've noticed the same thing myself), not sure if this is the video, the tablet or whatever drawing program you are using.

What dreams may come

@qbix:
you can percieve 20 miliseconds?
2 100ths of a second?
Ninja or Jedi? I would have thought that such a small period of time would be immesurable to a normal person.

rexplex

And i just bought a new pen tablet!

hu_hu_cool

@russtophiles: it gets warm, but it's not unbearable.

jesusdiaz

Man, that thing is ribs. I'd love to have one of those but I haven't picked up my camera in awhile. In a few years I hope the price drops. That would be a great addition to any photographers digi darkroom.

halfro

@kumuasata:
I use the 6x11 intuos at work and love it, I have the 4x6 at home and it's really nice as well. The 6x11 is much heavier on the arm movement, whereas the 4x6 feels more wrist dependent. They're both impressive as hell :)

Daversa

Is the tablet surface warm after a while? I used to own a Gateway 14 inch widescreen convertable tablet and it was very warm to the touch after a few minutes, though that may have more to do with it being smushed up against the rest of the laptop. I dislike the warmth of the tablet surface and it made me avoid drawing on it altogether, so if this one stayed room temperature that'd be a real selling point.

russtophiles

skills like that deserves that pad! ...sigh....

trailingedge

@qbix: Not true. The tablet has ZERO response time. If there's any, you can't perceive it. It perfectly fits your motion. Where do you get that idea from?

jesusdiaz

I'm still not convinced about the response time. It seems like you are physically moving but the screen takes over 20 milliseconds to show your strokes on the screen. That's something I couldn't get use to.

Until they have instant feedback, I won't be shelling out the money for one of these.

qbix

i'm already saving up to buy one of these. about a third of the way there.

i've been waiting for WACOM to release a smaller version of the Cintiq line. over 2 grand for the big model was too steep for my needs, but this one fits perfectly in my budget/needs. glad to hear it performs as well as expected.

TonyRockyHorror

@JESUSDIAZ
Your wife is probably measuring your, uhm..., tablet in minutes.

JChristopher

Wow, nice drawing skills! I would love one of these...if i knew how to draw

MrBlahBlah

Thank you both, Jesus and OldSchoolGadgetLover. I can't stop drooling at the Cintiq, and wishing I hadn't already bought myself too many Christmas presents....

Mandatory_Field

Yeah... I have a Fujitsu tablet PC and never loved the feel of the digitizer...

I heard the Lenova convertibles were very much a paper feel to them, but I never tried it. I'll have to check this one out, as I do a lot of digital drawings.

dcartist

@Mandatory_Field: Just bought one for my nephew, and he loves it.

But it is a tablet surface that gets connected to a PC, so you have to look at the PC screen to see what you are editing / drawing, which takes some time to get used to.

OldSchoolGadgetLover

@Mandatory_Field: Yes, the blind tablet is better than a mouse. The Cintiq is just in a different league and makes the rest look primitive.

jesusdiaz

@OldSchoolGadgetLover: I agree... it sounds expensive for a peripheral, however if that's your hobby or your job, this is a no-brainer to get. Kick ass product... wish I could justify it myself!

zombo

So cool... this may sound a little expensive but a unit like this used to cost 2-3 thousand (a unit that allowed you to see what you were drawing on the surface where you were drawing it, and not some separate screen, or one where you had to own a tablet PC). I've always liked the Wacom products and software bundles.

OldSchoolGadgetLover

Excellent timing: This looks like a totally awsome product, and I can immediately see the utility. Thing is, though, I'm a complete newb to digital photography (and not to photography or computing in general thank god -- or I'd be completely lost). I'm considering the purchase of a Wacom Bamboo Fun, at the other end of the pricing spectrum, just to get my feet wet with using a tablet. Does it make that much of a difference when working with photographs? As I said, the utility of the Cintiq is immediately apparent, but is a "blind" tablet that much better than a mouse/touchpad/whatever for editing photos?

Mandatory_Field

@zombo: As the article says, it works with ALL software. It's completely transparent to the OS.

jesusdiaz

Kaiser no function Cintiq well without

Kaiser-Machead

Does it use its own software or can it also integrate with Photoshop somehow?

zombo

Too bad im only $1000 short.

Anyone had experience with the intuos3 4*6? Im planning to get one and I need a brief summary of what it does and what you like/dislike.

kumuasata

Pah! I'm waiting for the CRT-based version! ;)

LittleJon

I WANNNNNNT!! (goddammit - being out of work SUCKS in so many ways)

Pixelologist

good lord I want this so bad, I could use it to such extent.

Josh Lanphear

@jesusdiaz: Your terrible pun (I say that with a grin and respect, as I've made my share of them) only works if you forget that his name is pronounced "grey-ning."

TurboFool

A friend of mine's a professional freelance animator (his credits are amazing), and I know for a fact he'll be buying this thing. He's been waiting for something that even vaguely approached this, and I think this has more than exceeded his plans. Hell, I want one, and I have no artistic abilities.

TurboFool

Yeah that looks like a really cool product.

If only I could draw.... ;-(

ideaman2020

@Reilaos, Original Asus Fanboy: Good point. I think I'm also being deceived by the hand motions which don't create a line, and understandably so because he's not always pushing the pen towards the tablet for every stroke.

After looking at this video [www.youtube.com] , response time doesn't seem bad at all. Sorry Jesus (I never thought I'd say that). Ok, now I'm a little jealous.

qbix

@djfred: You, me and I guess a couple million people more.

jesusdiaz

Yup, peanuts is the word, especially now that it's about half what it was when it first came out.
What I really really want is for Apple to combine this technology and an iphonish interface in a $1,500 tablet.

djfred

@Ultraorange: No? What about the inches on the bottom? :-)

jesusdiaz

The biggest improvement is size(thickness) and the implementation of the programmable buttons I got to play with a citiq about 4 years ago and now they are much sleeker. I have a 9x12 intous3 I like it but I don't use it very often. I can tell you it's durable. Oh Jesus I didn't see a mention for the other bigger brothers of the 12 inch citiq

Ultraorange

Jesus - GREAT Bender! You rock as an artist!

And thanks for the great vid too, I am totally buying one.

Bruhaha

@kumuasata: I must admit, I probably haven't used mine in over 3 years, but I've got an Intuos2 6x8 and Wacom does indeed make the best quality input devices. I'm not sure what changes/improvements they've made to the Intuos3 line.

I do remember that there was a pretty substantial learning curve for me when first using it. I was constantly adjusting settings and ergonomics, trying to find the perfect fit and function. Once I found it, using it for photo editing and cartooning became second nature, and with practice some people make amazing digital art with these. The best thing is that all the buttons and functions are 100% customizable, something that other input device manufacturers still don't get [**cough**Logitech**cough**}.

My one issue, other than my learning curve, was that I found the included mouse to be hard to use, and thus I never used it. I'm not sure if anything has changed with Intuos3, but the mouse doesn't have any optical or physical tracking built within it. All of the mouse movements are based on the relation to its position on the tablet. The differences are slight, but the dynamics aren't quite the same as with a standard optical or trackball mouse, which move in relation to their own movement on a surface.

Its very hard to explain, but for example: If you turn a standard optical/trackball mouse upside-down, all of the cursor movements are inverted on the screen. If I turn my Intuos2 mouse upside down, all of the movements are still correct because the tablet is still rightside-up. The Intuos mouse is still usable, but depending on what angle you hold your mouse, the arc of your wrist movement, having to keep the mouse on the tablet, all make for an experience that isn't quite the same as using a normal mouse, thus slightly distracting.

However, don't let the mouse be any selling point, consider it a freebie, because the pen and tablet bundle are well worth the price of admission if you plan on using it a lot. Hell, sometimes I liked using the Intuos Pen and Tablet simply for navigating around my computer, or browsing the internet, as a total mouse replacement!

LastVigilante

DO WANT

bradc2755

PS. Jesus - your Bender is awesome. Nice work.

Pixelologist

@R031E5: Touch Me by The Doors. Second one is Memory of a Free Festival by David Bowie.

jesusdiaz

I would love to have one of these. Not being able to see what I was drawing has kept me from getting a wacom now I do not have to wait.

hyruu

Hey, what's the name of the first song?

R031E5

does it work with inkwell technology for text recognition for use in other apps an such ? (like that video that showed the guy who was supposedly powering the Dell tablet?)

jschulman1591

Thanks J!
Just got it from Wacom's site with Next Day delivery ... Now I can't wait to see it :)

What can I say - great review!

peconi

Where has this been all my life???? I'm an archaic artist turned digital as of a few years ago, this is a wet dream as far as I'm concerned. Now I just need to start hustlin so I can afford it....

bunnypower

@kumuasata:
I have an intuos 3 4x6 and love it. The 6x11 was far too large for my comfort.

tutelary

God, this thing is my new holy grail. If this was under the $200-mark I would get it now.

wolfsingleton

also, what would i do in my situation? I have a macbook pro hooked up to a 23" ACD........doesn't this require a DVI input? Would I have to ditch the ACD when I wanted to use the Cintiq?

jschulman1591

@jschulman1591: It works with Inkwell yes, but Apple's technology is more of a concept than a true useful addition. For Inkwell to work for good, they need to truly integrate it in applications.

jesusdiaz

Fantastic machine, nice video. But I can't help but wonder: couldn't they just have some flash memory on it to store, say, 5 calibration settings and have a button or something to get to them? That would make flipping to portrait/landscape/lap/desk etc just so much easier (and more productive).

Quantum

Bender is great. Oh, Bender is great. Bender is great.

michaelportent

This is one of the best reviews of a product I have seen on Gizmodo. Jesus, you did a great job and have restored my faith in using Gizmodo as my main source of gadget news. Just tone down the Apple Fanboyism (as a whole site, it gets ridiculous at times) and make more great reviews like this, whether they be positive or negative. I myself would love one of these Wacom tablets, but being a poor amateur photographer and student, there is no way I would spend that much loot on such a thing. I would prefer to put it towards a new Macbook Pro or camera equipment. The cheaper Non-LCD pads will have to do.

Sixdust

That looks fantastic. After seeing your video, if I could afford one of these, I would go buy it right now.

Brian Sexton

@kumuasata: got a 9x12 and it kicks the proverbial! ordered it from amazon US as i saved some money but its the best thing ever, as much as id like a cintiq id rather wait till i can afford it/find a need for it. Only downfall with 9x12 is it is huge but is great for pretty much anything, and its good for browsing the web in a relaxed way :D

drallac

I'd love one but of course, it's (taking into account the dollar to pound conversion) about $1600 over here in the UK.

Tony-E

For an additional few hundred why not just get a Lenovo Tablet PC? It's got it all built in and a fantastic laptop pc comes along with it.

BikerMiker

Will This work well with vector programs (CorelDraw)

dan1942

I want Wacom to think BIGGER - drive up production enabling them to reduce the price. Or maybe better still Apple to buy Wacom so integrating Wacom's patents into Apple's machines and drive down the price

illustratordavid

@Jesus
Will this work with CorelDraw X3 and illustrator CS3 ?
Is it worth using it with these vector based programs will it help save me time at work?

dan1942

"The only thing you will miss is the drag of the actual pencil or pastel on paper."

The pen for this tablet seems to be the same one I have with my Intuos 3, so Wacom should have you covered here.

You should have received a bag of spare nibs for the pen, try swapping out the hard white plastic standard nib for the softer black one. From their description, they created these for people who wanted the 'pen on paper' feel on their tablet.

If you didn't get the bag of replacement nibs I'd suggest yelling at Wacom now :)

qupada

Just ordered one, overnight shipping. In my hands Saturday morning. Well done Gizmodo.

Mmix60

@jesusdiaz: This is a bit off topic (no doubt) but I would like to send you a product called a HD Recovery Card. It is a preventative measure, meaning if you already deleted your wedding pics, it wont magically bring them back, but once installed it makes data recovery a breeze. (And a hell of a lot cheaper that the software recovery methods)If you are interested, how do i go about doing that?

uptimistik

@QBIX:

i went back and watched the scene you described and saw this "delay".

I've never actually used Painter (or Painter Essentials) but could the "delay" perhaps be the pressure sensitivity of the display at work?

Meaning, could his first stroke have been extremely light (kinda like when you're making a sketch in real life) and therefore not registering on the canvas?

anyways, I got to use the 21" Cintiq at a demo they had here at work and it was pretty seamless in Photoshop. I'd buy if I had the money.

frryy

It seems like only one person here has ever heard of the Cintiq 21ux. If you want to see amazing, look there. It's been out for a couple years now. I work on one every day, as I am a designer, and you can't compare one of these to anything else. They beat pen and paper, and far beat a mouse. I use a Wacom Intuos 6x9 at home, the Cintiq is even way better than that. It feels perfectly natural, the pen tip is pressure sensitive, plus you can swap tips for spring loaded ones depending on preferences, and the whole unit swivels on it's base, slides flat to a table top, and rolls with ease. I hope never to return to pen and paper. There's simply no need to.

And indeed, as with any wacom tablet, it works seamlessly with any Adobe CS program, and the buttons are customizable for any command. The big boy is worth the money, all $2500. You can't beat the screen real estate. For sketching, it is supreme.

i8kermit

@Kumusata I just got one for christmas. I'm loving every part of it.
Honestly, it's got everything a good tablet should have, and I can't find any beef with it, other than the included mouse, which moves relative to the tablet pad, not your hand, so playing a game is near impossible. Looking left and right will make an arc, not just a horizontal sweep.

Ounce

@jesusdiaz: you mentioned Alias Sketchbook Pro but have you tried it with it? For me there's no substitute for SBP and I'll be ordering one of these tomorrow. I've been eyeballing the 21UX for years but it's just too much (even for a designer/illustrator like me), but this seems to be the perfect price/performance.

My 12x12 Intuos just became garbage. Thanks for the review and the video of it at work Jesus! If you could have worked Addy in it would have been perfect ;-)

drewdraws2

Sweet angry Jesus, this is what I've been waiting for in a wacom pad. I wonder what the chance of a price drop is...

dawn703

Uh, can I bum a thousand bucks of somebody?

Rhainor

Another great review. Excellent stuff. I've been trying to sell my friend the IDEA of a tablet, but he's stuck on the idea of a Cintiq. Seeing this, he clearly has a point, but he hasn't actually USED a Cintiq yet, and a tablet is still better than NO tablet I think.

Cleverboy

Awesome! I love Futurama and am an illustrator who uses a Wacom tablet all the time, but that new LCD pen tablet would be a great time saver and fun too!

CrazyGoLucky

When I show this to my animation student fiance he is totally gonna cream.

morganlh85

dude... awesome hardware review except for one tiny thing... quit it with the ADHD cuts and the compulsive need to add more dumb subtitles when we could all just sit there and watch you work quite happily. :)

saeble

@LastVigilante: On my Mac, the tablet controls allow the option to use relative positioning or not, allowing both the mouse and the pen to operate as your standard mouse would.

Useless1998

uh it works with excel. Maybe you should mention how you can program the strips and key to do different things in different programs.

Ultraorange

@Tony-E:
i don't know what conversion you're using, but the GBP is about 2x the worth of the US dollar.......so if you could get it from the US, it would cost you about 500 pounds. . .

jschulman1591

What Bowie song was that?

amr

@Useless1998: Indeed. I was going to go into detail about that feature, but my post was already half a novel in length.

I believe you are referring to enabling the ability to pick up the mouse from the tablet and shuffle your cursor across the screen like a normal mouse. (Is there a technical term for that action?) What I found most excellent is that the Wacom tablets know when you switch between the mouse and pen, and shifts between mouse shuffling and relative positioning automatically.

However, even with this enabled I found the mouse tracking to be not-quite-right... usable, but distracting enough not to use it for day-to-day computing, and most definitely not for gaming.

Perhaps you only need to be OCD to notice the differences, and, again, with or without the mouse, Wacom tablets are truly amazing technologies.

LastVigilante

That is Amazing! I am putting that on my list for next year.

CCNA1AB

How is this different from a good tablet pc like a Thinkpad?

BikerMiker

I think i'm going with the Wiimote option :D

cjlopez

@BikerMiker: @BikerMiker: Wacom tablets are different from tablet PCs because, first and foremost, they are designed for artists. When used with programs like Photoshop and Corel Painter, they realistically simulate real fine art tools and surfaces.

The pen tips have fine pressure sensitivity, so, say you're using a felt-tip marker tool, the harder you press, the darker and thicker the line becomes. The tools also adjust for what angle and direction you hold the pen, so you can simulate the effect of holding a sharpened pencil on its side, or different oil paint brushes at different angles. Wacom also makes different accessories, like airbrushes, for different effects. And of course, there are a wide range of uses for fine photo editing and so forth. Art departments in big time film studios and game design houses swear by using Wacom tablets.

Its really quite amazing, and you have to try it to get the full impression. Take a look at some artist who create some jaw dropping work that I'm sure you'll agree couldn't be done on any Thinkpad tablet PC:
[browse.deviantart.com]
[www.gfxartist.com]

LastVigilante

Did GOD give you this Tablet Jesus?

EspadaUno

A few questions for Jesus...

How glossy/reflective is the screen? Does it have an anti-glare hardcoat like other Cintiqs?

Does it come with a few different nibs? (Like the intuos line does)... I find the black felt-tip nibs work the best with tablet displays (no scratches!)

Do you find the 12" and 1280 resolution restrictive, especially with palettes in the way?

cookedart

@LastVigilante...

This is actually completely wrong... a ThinkPad X61 tablet PC (not to mention tons of other tablet pcs) all use a wacom digitizer... albeit with around 256 levels of pressure sensitivity versus the cintiq's 1024. Tablet PCs do not also have the tilt sensitivity of the cintiq, but for all intents and purposes, most tablet pcs ARE wacom tablets (unless they do not expressly use wacom technology, like Dell's, or some of Gateway's tablets)... the pens are even interchangeable with the old Cintiq 18X pens. The ThinkPad, Toshiba, Fujitsu, and many other companies' tablet pcs are all compatible with pressure sensitivity with Photoshop, Painter, Sketchbook Pro, Maya, etc.

So no, I don't agree that an artist could not have created such artwork on a Thinkpad Tablet PC.

cookedart

you complained in your video...here's the answer

add slowmo or fastff to your Imovie 08

[karsten.schluter.googlepages.com]

be happy!

erredois

I drawded sum animulz awn my Cintiq 12wx... [randommusingsandvisuals.blogspot.com]

Nice bender!

jbennett304

This is amazing hardware!!! I have personally worked with a 6x8 intous3 and a 21" Cintiq at the university I work for and the mouse sucks compared to these graphic tablets. It absolutely looks like its worth the $1000 price tag. Awesome Article.

dmca3f

So how do you connect it as a second display?
does it use its own DVI port? which in case i believe you might need 2 DVI ports on your graphic card.
And is the work area size of it same as an Intuos3 9x12?

LSD25

Sorry to sound like a party pooper, but I'm beginning to hate these kinds of "OMG it's so new to me so I'm gonna give it three thumbs up!" kind of reviews. 12WX is a big WTF product to an experienced Cintiq user.

First thing wrong with the device: The ridiculous rat's nest of wires that the video breakout box entails. Seriously Wacom? You somehow turned 3 cable affair (USB, DVI-I, power) into like 6 or 7 cable orgy. Was it really that impossible to incorporate the video components into the main housing? I'm not even asking for power supply to be jammed into the case and generate more heat, but just the lousy video connection breakout box! I'd love to see someone juggle that mess to Starbucks.

Which brings me to the second problem: If I'm going to suffer through drawing on a tiny 6"x10" drawing area, then I demand it to be portable. But who'd want to manage that cable nightmare back and fro everyday? I'm gonna guarantee you that 99% if the owners will stop bothering to take this thing places and leave it on their desks on permanent basis after couple of weeks of struggling with them cables.

That brings up the real problem for Wacom: Who the hell is this thing for? It's fairly obvious that some marketing douche inside Wacom thought this thing up for all those Mac artists who were bitching up a storm for a Mac Tablet for the last 4 years, watching in jealosy as their PC counterparts take their Tablet PCs everywhere doing art. It's not that obvious? Well it is to me since Wacom just happened to delay the firmware for their UART UD digitizer to increase the pressure sensitivity from 256 levels to 512, which is one of the big deals promised by the Axitron's Modbook. Yeah, remember those guys? Well they just made big news this week in announcing a solid ship date after a whole year of vaporwaring the thing (yeah, that's a word I just made up. What of it?). Why such a long delay? They had fully working units for show and tell since Macworld in January (I myself used what looked like ready to go units at Comicon in July). The only one that makes sense is that Wacom dragged their feat, first with the supply of the digitizer, then by enticing Axiotron with the 512 level firmware update (which BTW, can be applied in theory to all TPC Wacom digitizers), which happens to arrive a month after their own 12WX is announced and shipped... Hmmm I say. Hmmm I say indeed.

So Wacom hopes that this will be the answer for all those Macbook Pro toting artists that yearns to be more portable while using LCD tablets. The problem is that it's portability is highly suspect, and everyone will realize this fact soon or later (isn't it intersting that Wacom NEVER shows the breakout box or the mess of cables involved in their website about the 12WX?). 12WX will sell well not because of it's design, but because of it's price. At $999, it's overpriced for what it is (a 12" WXGA LCD married to a 6"x10" Intuos 3), but that's par for the course for Wacom. It does undercut the closest Cintiq brotheren by a grand, and for poor student artists or just starving artists in general, $1000 is much closer goal to their Cintiq dream than $2000.

Those who never had a Cintiq or any other LCD Tablets of past will marvel at their new experience, but likes of us who's been using them for 5 ~ 6 years, it's a big disappointment. The glass is far too slippery compared to previous Cintiqs, the screen is too small, the stand is a joke, and it's no where near portable due to bad industrial design. What we really want from Wacom is to come to their senses and lower the price on all their Cintiqs by at least 33%.

Shogmaster

Question: Is there additional hidden cost: Second video card if you are already using all your video ports?

How restricting is the cable if I want to take it to my couch?

Denver80203

@LastVigilante:

"Wacom tablets are different from tablet PCs because, first and foremost, they are designed for artists. When used with programs like Photoshop and Corel Painter, they realistically simulate real fine art tools and surfaces........... Take a look at some artist who create some jaw dropping work that I'm sure you'll agree couldn't be done on any Thinkpad tablet PC:"

Please stop talking about what you obviously know very little. The same UD series digitizer sensor board that I enjoyed in my Wacom Art Z II back in 1997 is in my Toshiba R25 Tablet PC (but with double the pressure sensitivity). In fact, 95% of Tablet PCs shipped with active EMR digitizer uses Wacom's UD series part. I actually use my old Cintiq 15X pen with my R25 because they are frequency compatible (and gives me 2 buttons instead of 1 of Toshiba standard pen).

I use a Cintiq 21UX at work, and have my R25 at home. Many times, I take my work back and forth between the two setups. Besides the pressure sensitivity difference and missing tilt and rotation features (which very little amount of tools in apps like Photoshop and Painter uses), my experience of the pen on the Tablet PC isn't all that different using a Cintiq (other than the obvious screen size and resolution difference).

And guess what? That IBM/Lenovo Tablet PC you mentioned uses Wacom digitizer. And many of those great professional digital artists that uses Wacom tablets/Cintiqs at work on their big workstations often have Tablet PCs in their arsenal for on the go creativity work, using the exact same apps they are use to like Photoshop and Painter, along with new ones like Sketchbook Pro.

Tablet PCs today is pretty much Wacom. Get that fact through your ignorant noggin, k?

Shogmaster

@SHOGMASTER: You're crying too much man. Maybe for such a "pro" as you are this is not such a great product, but for thousands of other people this will be Pocket Friendly AND do the job they need it for (AND MORE)...

You want to take this to a Starbucks? What a hell dude? Can you take a 21" version to Starbucks? You'd look ridiculous with EITHER ONE - so seriously... The main thing is that it has a really nice, soft and long cable, as Jesus mentioned, which is perfect to move it around your desk area or even small office.

I just ordered it 30 minutes after I read the review. Wacom shipped it same day and it arrived Friday morning. I've been using it for only less than a day now - but I can clearly say it's the best peripheral device I've bought EVER!

It's super thin, super light, the display is GREAT, precision is amazing - and the damn size is PERFECT!!!! I do NOT need more than a 12" display in order to edit regular pictures, or even design websites for clients. All my sites are optimized for 1024x768 and at that resolution you can work in Photoshop at 1:1 ratio on the document.

When it comes to comparing it with the higher models, I bet they are a lot better, but it's not like comparing Ferrari and Yugo - but more like comparing Ferrari and Tesla.

Guys - if you have money - feel free to buy this - you will LOVE IT!!!

With Tablet PC functionality Vista has integrated - this baby is going to replace your mouse in NO time for ALL tasks, NOT just drawing. That's the only reason I installed Vista actually. Wacom brings Vista back - and my iMac loves it in Boot Camp :)

peconi

@peconi:

"Pocket friendly"? Who are you, Andre the giant? Even his biggest cargo pants won't fit all the cables and mess this thing comes with. And from the review did you expect the ridiculous cable mess? He really should have mentioned that. But he was too busy drawing Bender.

BTW, did you like the Wacom driver glitch in Vista that makes your INK lines in Tablet Input Panel and Journal look like you have Parkinson's disease? Wacom really sucks at writing software.

Oh Wacom... I love you and hate you at once...

Shogmaster

@TurboFool: Thanks for the clarification! I still stand by my bad pun.... :-) Cheers.

On another topic: Bowie rules!

Mandatory_Field

That is awesome. I want. I'm not much of an artist though. This would be great for my uncle if he hadn't already retired.

BTW, You draw an awesome Bender.

P.S. Is there a way to adjust speed in the last iMovie (not '08)?

timerider42

I recently upgraded from an old serial Wacom to a 6x11. Wish I had known there would be a smaller Cintiq coming out as I would've bought that instead! damn it!

Awesome choice of music, esp. Bowie - I was surprised to hear it.

spaceman37

It's quite easy to find a cable that splits from one DVI output end to two DVI input ends. Most Dells come with them (at least the ones I have at work use them). Do some digging, I'm sure they're cheap.

cerebud

There are probably more uses than just art for these Wacoms, no? I would want a small one for myself and a bigger one for my gf, she's the artist.... Darn you Wacom and your prices!!

wallmaker

Thanks for the helpful review.

I'm a freelance illustrator, and have written a lengthy review of the Cintiq 12wx on my blog. If anyone is interested, go to:

[cedrichohnstadt.wordpress.com]

cedricstudio

I want. Particularly because I now know it's Leopard compatible, thanks to the video.

nightelfmohawk

Argh! I need a new camera with that $1k before I need a tablet. But this gave me the most serious case of "I want"s I've had in a while. My biggest question before going into the video or article was if it was Leopard compatible - and my question was answered with a "woohoo!" about 2 seconds into the video. Looks like I need to work some OT or go buy some lottery tickets...

nightelfmohawk