Sleek and unique! (Aiptek Slim Tablet 600U)

Member Name: Jozeyu

Product:	Aiptek Slim Tablet 600U
Date:	08/10/08 (1376 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Drawing surface size, pen, pressure sensitivity

Disadvantages: Pen nib, mine broke in 8 months.

I've been using tablets for years now, my first one being a small and simple Trust tablet but later upgrading to the Aiptek SlimTablet 600U and (finally) a Wacom. If I'm completely honest, the Wacom is the only one that hasn't broken yet. However, the problem I experienced with the Aiptek tablet was so unusual I expect it was just a one-off.

First of all, fresh out of the box this tablet is gorgeous! Its slim shape makes it incredibly easy to carry around and put into laptop cases or simply tuck away neatly. There are a range of features along the navigation panel (around the frame of the tablet), however I never used them - navigation can easily be done by a mouse, right?
The tablet's size is also a big plus. Compared to the tiny Trust one I was expecting a hard time moving my hand about the surface, but you get used to the large space very quickly. An added bonus was that I could simply plug the tablet in and it would work - no installation disks, driver downloads etc.

Since I used the tablet in Photoshop an awful lot, I needed the benefits of pressure sensitivity - something the Aiptek tablet handled better than my current Wacom! The transition between pressure levels was incredibly smooth and worked wonders with the various brushes I used.

Included in the package is a pen, two spare nibs, a metal enforcer for the pen and also a stand for it. The pen is made of a warm plastic which can be gripped comfortably, with two buttons located near your thumb for easy clicking. However, in the time I owned this tablet, I could not figure out how to replace the nib. You open the pen like a normal household one to insert a new battery, but there is no explanation as to how to remove the nib!

I was very happy with this tablet and for about eight months it worked to perfection. However, for an unknown reason the surface began to not respond correctly to the pen, often skipping over the screen and moving when the pen was stationary. Being a computer nerd, I knew for a fact that it was a technical fault with the tablet and not my laptop. So, unfortunately, I have given up on using it.

Despite the problem I had, for the time I used it this was a perfect tablet and I'd recommend it to anyone. It also comes with a one-year warranty (which I misplaced...) to cover you if it does happen to break.

Summary: A great buy for all digital designers!

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