by Tina Z. Velgos

Say goodbye to Carpel Tunnel Syndrome when you meet up with Wacom's 4" x 5" electronic graphics tablet. Drawing, shading, tracing and coloring have never been easier on your wrists. The ArtPad II also mimics a traditional mouse and mousepad, so if you haven't parted company with your mouse, here's your chance!

The ArtPad II has a feather-light Erasing UltraPen which weighs in at a mere 0.36 ounce! Since the cordless UltraPen requires no batteries, the pressure sensitive pen is lighter than its competitors' pens. The erasing action works like the eraser on a pencil -- just turn the pen upside down (with compatible software) and you're ready to erase. Even the eraser is pressure-sensitive!!

Digitizing tablets are high-tech drawing tools which allow computer users, with the use of a pressure-sensitive pen stylus and a thin, lightweight electromagnetic tablet, an affordable, fun and fast way to draw, sketch, paint and create masterpieces on the computer. You can even comfortably sketch images on a digitizing tablet on your lap. Think of it as a laptop drawing tablet!

Is the Erasing UltraPen too light and thin to be considered a serious contender in the digitizing tablet arena? "No way", according to my panel of kid testers, who ranged in age from 4 to 16 years old. The kids gave the ArtPad II two thumbs up for ease of operation for drawing cartoons, creating animated flip-books and erasing fun. "It's just like a pencil," insisted 11-year-old Stefanie. Would any of the kids like their mouse back? A resounding "NO" was the consensus on that question.

If you prefer a heavier and thicker pen stylus and don't mind replacing batteries, you might be more comfortable with CalComp's Drawing Slate II (see previous review). You can choose to purchase optional UltraPens. Wacom manufactures seven (count 'em) different pens which have different features such as a pen with multiple switches (DuoSwitch), a pen for handwriting (Handwriting) or the WideBody UltraPen with Ink, where you can see what's at your pen tip as well as what's on the computer screen.

Competitively priced to fit into most family budgets, Wacom's 4" x 5" ArtPad II (PC or Mac format) has a suggested retail price (SRP) of $174.99 (street price between $145-150). The ArtPad II can be bundled with Fractal Design's popular drawing software, Dabbler 2, at $189.99 SRP.

Wacom's software disk installed without a hitch on a Macintosh Quadra 660AV computer. After installing the driver software, I plugged the ArtPad II into the Apple Desktop Bus (ADB) port. By turning the computer back on, a Wacom Tablet startup icon appears on the screen which tells you that the installation was successful. A comprehensive, easy-to-read User's Manual made initial navigation with the digitizing tablet a cinch. Many pages are devoted to common questions and potential problems regarding installation and operation of the tablet. You certainly don't need technical experience to install and operate the ArtPad II.

We used Fractal Design's Dabbler 2, a terrific drawing program which makes full use of the pen's pressure-sensitive capabilities, with the ArtPad II. The kids felt right at home with the digitizing tablet, taking special delight in erasing and experimenting with the pressure-sensitive eraser. They found that by using the eraser lightly, a smudged, artistic effect could be accomplished. Particularly interesting were the rainbows they painted with the pen, fine details, yet a vivid splash of color. The novelty of turning the pen upside down to erase was "way rad", according to the kids.

Other drawing programs that do particularly well with ArtPad II are Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Fractal Design Painter and Macromedia Freehand. It also works fine with Kid Pix Studio.

The 4" x 5" digitizing tablet, which weighs one pound, is the ideal replacement for the typical mouse and mousepad. Depending on your computer system, you can connect both digitizing tablet and traditional mouse at the same time. After many hours of tracing illustrations, freehand drawings and surfing the Web (of course), the pen felt more comfortable and effortless compared to using a mouse. The sturdy, weighted circular pen-holder fits comfortable on the computer without the need for self-stick tape. Be sure to establish rules for the kids as to where the pen goes when it is not in use. The pen might easily be mistaken for a stick pen and could be a costly replacement, if lost.

I enjoy the "absolute positioning" ability of digitizing tablets. Wherever you place the pen on the tablet, the pointer will be at the same corresponding point on the computer screen. Simply translated, drawing on a 4" by 5" digitizing tablet allows you to draw with precision and ease, despite the scrawny size. Tracing is a breeze -- something you can't easily do with a mouse.

Of course, you can point, click, double click and drag with the UltraPen. This is especially important for kids learning to draw and write. Four-year-old Timmy has always been better at drawing with a mouse instead of a crayon. Call me old-fashioned, but in another year he will probably have to use a traditional crayon to draw on real paper!! Transitioning Timmy to the pen was easy. After 3 weeks of use, Timmy can expertly handle the pen-stylus, while his traditional crayon drawings are improving on paper. There is nothing natural about using a mouse. Why confuse preschool kids with a mouse? Start them young on a digitizing tablet instead! It's always a good idea to supervise young children on the computer, especially when using a digitizing tablet. Otherwise, don't be surprised if you find scratches(the pen tips can be removed and kids can easily damage the tablet by using the pen without the tip) and crayon marks on the tablet.

The UltraPen was responsive to shading and fine-line detailing, although I had to press harder than usual to draw thick lines or use dense colors. It was much easier for me to exert less pressure to draw thinner lines and apply softer colors.

Open the Control Panels and you can customize and change settings on the UltraPen such as tip pressure, eraser and other settings. The best way to find out what tip pressure to use is by experimentation with the full range of different pressures. I found that a light click pressure gave me a wider range of pressure values and by setting the pressure to the lowest setting, the pen worked better in pressure-sensitive applications.

Wacom's UltraPen has one switch only. You can easily set the switch to automatically double click, when pressed. Words are fun to select by using the switch to double click. The tablet also has one basic indicator light (the light remains on when plugged into the computer).

It would have been nice to see a Menu Strip on the Wacom Art Pad II. If a menu strip is an important feature for you (great for short-cuts to cut, copy, edit and undo), Wacom offers the Menu Strip on their higher-end 6" x 8" ArtZ II digitizing tablet (SRP $389.99, street price $300), or you can choose CalComp's Drawing Slate II (see previous review).

Overall, Wacom's ArtPad II is the best replacement for the mouse and mouse pad yet. The pen made day-to-day file navigation simple, and was great to use while surfing the Net. The pressure-sensitive UltraPen wasn't the most responsive stylus I've used, but that could probably be remedied by buying an optional UltraPen with more specific features. Although the ArtPad II doesn't offer any bells and whistles, it remains a popular choice among family users who want a basic, durable digitizing tablet at a good price.

Wacom ArtPad II
Wacom Technology Corp.
501 SE Columbia Shores Blvd., Ste. 300
Vancouver, WA 98661
http://www.wacom.com/
(800) 922-9348 (USA only)
(360) 750-8882
sales@wacom.com

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