| Product: |
Wacom Graphire Blueberry |
| Date: |
12/07/02 (1449 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: natural feel, holder for pen so you don't lose it, keen price
Disadvantages: people run off with the pen and say "your biro doesn't work", not everyone can get on with it
Why would you buy one of these when a Mouse is only a tenner?
Some people like the gadgety nature, some people like to try new things - for me, it was because RSI meant that I just couldn't use a mouse.
When you went to school back in the old days, what did you learn to write with? Did you push a plastic shape around on a small rubber area to form your first letters, or did you use a pen/pencil? Our education has made our fine motor control excellent on pen-shaped objects; yet when we start using computers we go for something completely different, using different muscles.
Some of us consequently get problems with our hands (also from typing). When I discovered I had an RSI-type problem, I did everything I could (changed chair, got Natural Keyboard) and then realised that my problems were largely caused by my mouse-clicking finger. Can I get rid of the Mouse?
I purchased a Wacom graphics tablet (A6 size) and haven't looked back since.
It took a little time to get used to the way it works. Specifically, with a Mouse if you run out of mousemat you pick it up and reposition it. With the Wacom, the top left hand corner of the tablet is ALWAYS the top left hand corner of your screen (assuming it's not upside down!).
Once you get over the initial strangeness, you realise how much more natural holding a pen feels. Ever tried to sign your name with a mouse? You tend to get lots of jerky upward lines. With a graphics tablet you get a reasonable signature. And if you've ever done a lot of editing in something like Photoshop with a mouse, I take my hat off to you!
These graphics tablets can come in much larger sizes, but I have to say that the A6 size seems perfect for me. You don't have to move your hand very much to cover the entire monitor space, and if you need to be more detailed then you zoom in on your editing package. You can write without actually touching the tablet (just hov
ering above) so it's a very free and easy movement. Lots of editing packages detect harder pressure on the pen and will draw a thicker line, as well as using the other end of the pen as an eraser. Wacom also supply a mouse tool with it (why would I want to use that!) for those who are "borrowing" your computer and can't get used to the pen.
As a self-powered USB device it's just so convenient. Plug it in, off you go. You can adjust settings to suit your style (the double-click settings can be difficult to get right) and set the buttons for particular tasks. A note of warning - I can never press the buttons the way I hold the pen - it's all done with single or double clicks of the pen on the pad.
I use the Wacom with a Mac but have also used them with PCs in the past. The right click of a PC mouse will have to be set up as one of the button settings, but does work OK like that if you can actually get at the buttons.
Oh, and did the Wacom fix my RSI? The answer is no, not for me, although one did for a friend. My RSI was actually a neck problem which was fixed by two visits to an Osteopath. Oh well!
Summary:
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Last comments:
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- 14/07/02 Sounds brilliant, I treid editing some of our wedding pictures on photoshop I ended up with 'odd shaped heads' and stuff. I might just invest in one.
Thanks. Christine |
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- 14/07/02 Thanks for your comment John.
Interestin gly three of my friends have an RSI-type problem too. The one significant similarity between us all is that we are all tall. This started me thinking about the whole neck thing, rather than hands, and so the Osteopath unscrewed my head and fixed it magically!
Got an appointment to see him again next week. I seem to need to go every six months or so to keep on top of it, and have been typing so many Dooyoo ops in the last week or so it has flared up again! Few neck crunches and I'll be back to normal.
I've not lost a Wacom pen yet, but presume you can get replacements (or nick someone else's!) |
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- 12/07/02 Product endorsed here too! My Mum uses one for painting, which is fun with the Wacom supplied Painter program. I bought a bin-end version from Esselte, which was a bit daft, as although I saved 30 quid, I'm rather untidy and lost the pen. Being an unsupported device, I can't get a new one, so have to ditch the tablet (make sure you take care of your pen!!) Didn't do a lot for my RSI, just made different bits hurt - though the same solutions to this don't work for everyone (I use low desk, split keyboard, & wheel mouse instead, and break up my working time better). Thanks for the op, cheers, John |
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