Graphics Tablet with pen and mouse

[lkgrainger]

Hi all, seen a recient catalog from a local Aldi store (which started today) with a wireless rechargable mouse and a graphics tablet thought I would take a look, the five button mouse dosent seem to bad (havent pluged it in yet) just from looking at it and at $14.99 I grabbed two (Tevion brand). Then I was hoping they had a tablet left (cause the store was full five min after opeaning). Its a 30.48cmx22.86cm tablet with a pen and a mouse (Medion brand, havent heard of it but will give anything a go once)with soft felt under to stop scratches, software supplied - Art dabbler/Photoimpact 5/Free notes/Office ink/Hyperpen manager all OEM versions. And at $49.95 I picked up one of these also. I will give a further update as soon as I have a decient play. But if you want one I sugest you hurry along to a store because I dont think they will last long.

[Nnnnsic]

A graphics tablet at $49.95?

You're kidding me?!

What's it like?

[gstark]

because I dont think they will last long.

As in it will fall apart after a day's use?

[Geoff]

FWIW I have a medion desktop PC, have it it over a year now and got it for a bargain with all EXCELLENT specs and known internal brands, i.e P4 processor, pioneer, panasonic, seagate etc etc...has not skipped a beat.

[radar]

Can always sell it on ebay if it does do the job, currently bidding at around $120!!
ebay medion

If you google about it, gets a few good reviews around the place, if that means anything.

Cheers,

Radar.

[Atorie]

There's been a fair bit of talk over at the Australian appletalk forum.. here's the thread:
http://forums.appletalk.com.au/index.ph ... =8431&st=0

Personally i'd prefer to keep my intuos3 9x12[/img]

[Oneputt]

Leigh we will require a product evaluation very shortly

[Nnnnsic]

Thanks for that link, Atorie.

According to that talk, they're not too friendly with CS2 on XP...

Oh well, I'll just stick to my trackball.

[lkgrainger]

The tablet seems sturdy enough solid not flimsy and dosent look to bad either, the pen seems ok bout the same size as those 4 colour in one pens and it comes with two spare nibs and 24 shortcuts along the top 9 are user defined, the mouse hmmm I didn't buy it for that but it will do in a pinch while the tablet is in use. More about it soon when I install the software and have a play.
I just read some of the reviews on the said tablet...Nowhere on the box I have or on the unit does it ay its a "Aiptek", I plugged the unit in winxp pro picked it up straight away then I put on the driver software from CD with no probs. I could be wrong as I quite often am and the product looks a little diferent, this one I have may be an updated model? For the moment I'm happy.

[Nnnnsic]

It's just a badge-engineered Aiptek, Lk.
No different to if you buy a Sony DVD burner, you're just getting a badge-engineered Liteon.

[birddog114]

No different to if you buy a Sony DVD burner, you're just getting a badge-engineered Liteon.

Hello Sony basher

[Nnnnsic]

I don't bash Sony products. That's Dad.

Sony occasionally get some good gear out... and sometimes (although rare), it's actually made by them.

[gstark]

I don't bash Sony products. That's Dad.

Sony occasionally get some good gear out... and sometimes (although rare), it's actually made by them.

I don't bash their products either.

Except of course their laptop computers, which are not built to last much beyond the warranty period.

But I do bash their marketing policies which effectively means that they treat their customers like shit. The upshot of that is that I will rarely buy any of their products.

[Atorie]

But I do bash their marketing policies which effectively means that they treat their customers like shit. The upshot of that is that I will rarely buy any of their products.

 LOL.. I learnt that the hard way.. as a teen spent a fair bit of my hard earned dough on all sorts of Sony gear.. cool marketing, crap gear... ah well least I learnt.... ah to be a teen in the 90's

[Onyx]

Thanks for the heads up lk - I just went down to my local Aldi late night shopping and picked one of these up.

First impressions - wow, it's BIG! I didn't expect it to be bigger than a mousepad or A4 sheet of paper; maybe I can't use it as my mousepad replacement after all!

The size alone makes it worth $50 IMHO. And I was pleasantly surprised it came with a cordless mouse... going from your initial post, I thought that was something extra that you purchased at the same time, but this tablet package comes with a mouse! It's a super crap mouse though - and doesn't have an optical sensor so it can't be used on its own.

Now to find blimmin' triple A batteries to see what it's like in use...

Don't hesitate to head down to your Aldi store and grab one. Interstaters - if you don't live near an Aldi and want one, PM me and I'll see about posting one to you at cost.

[Nnnnsic]

First tell us what it's like.

Or better yet, bring it on Saturday with your lappy.

[lkgrainger]

yeh sorry it does come with a mouse (the pic should show),but as you say a crappy one. And read the instructions you cant use both of them together on the tablet (asignment of areas is different).
But wait there is more IT COMES WITH BATTERIES!! in the packet with the pen. And I did also pick up a couple of rechargable (sits in its own little cradle) 5 button mice from Aldi at $14.95 could not pass up.

[leek]

OK...

So far... we have established that
it's big...
it's cheap...
it has a mouse...
and a pen...
and it needs batteries...

Call me sceptical, but I'll wait until you've both plugged it in and read your impressions of it in use with Photoshop or similar...

Does it just respond to position, or is it pressure sensitive???
Do you find the A4 size useful or does it take up too much desk space... Is the size a disguise for lack of sensitivity in the pad???

If all the above is positive - then I look forward to hunting down my nearest German grocer...

[shockadelica-]

Read the link that Atorie pasted
http://forums.appletalk.com.au/index.php?showtopic=8431&st=0

Apparently its a no go with CS2
but should be fine with others? i think

[Onyx]

OK, my impressions after one evening:

First, a disclaimer - I just setup the tablet for pen use, I didn't bother unpacking the included mouse as it felt shithouse so I kept my current optical mouse. I also didn't bother to load any of the included software as I felt they were well out of date - eg. there's mention of Win9x/NT compatibility on them, and adobe reader version 4 was included!

I've never used a tablet before, so I'm still getting used to certain aspects of it - and don't know how this compares to the benchmark (Wacom).

Upon plugging it in, WinXP detects it as such and such... useable to move the cursor about - but upon installing the included driver, its functionality is much improved. Yes, there are 512 levels of pressure sensitivity (supposedly just like the latest Wacoms), totally user adjustable within the driver. There's a test thingy that shows you the greater pressure you exert with the pen, the bigger the virtual ink blot you make onscreen. The driver also offer programmable buttons, and selectable scribbling area, among many other options.

This tablet is big!!! I think a little too big so for my needs... I had to shift alot of junk off my desk to accomodate it. It's about the size of A3 sheet of paper.

The mapping of tablet co-ordinate to onscreen - well, previously my mouse is setup to shift the cursor fully from left to right/top to bottom of the screen with less than 1 inch movement. That's the way I like it, and what I've been used to over the years.

This tablet has like a physical map of the screen - the co-ordinate point on the tablet corresponds to that point on the monitor. The tablet is bigger than my monitor, hence moving the pen 3 inches across corresponds to maybe a 2 inch cursor movement onscreen. I guess I'll have to reduce the scribble area to a small portion of the whole to reduce the needed movement. This means that by default, one can draw/move with great precision. This can be great for photoshop use, where one can very finely select/draw portions of the image or trace an outline for instance.

For as long as I can remember, I could type faster than I could write, and moving a mouse to select areas in photoshop came more natural to me than using a pen... however, YOUR mileage will vary. I would say most people would prefer tablets to mice for image manipulation, drawing or writing applications, as a pen seems a more natural instrument to use... however, as I have discovered, I'm not like most people.

Attempting to use the pen for more mundane tasks like surfing the net or browsing windows explorer presents a few challenges. Firstly, the tip of the pen defaults to a left click. It's very hard to glide the pen over the tablet surface in moving the cursor and not accidently apply too much pressure that it registers as a left click. I guess that's why they included the cordless mouse... and yes, there's alkaline AAA batteries included in the package for both pen and mouse.


Edit: I have no idea what the appletalk forum folks are on about - it works fine in CS2 on my machine, with the drivers included on the CD.

[Atorie]

Yes, there are 512 levels of pressure sensitivity (supposedly just like the latest Wacoms),

Sorry to correct you but the Wacom Intuos3 (and even Series 2) all have 1024 levels, much more control.

[Raydar]

Over the years I’ve used a few different brands of tablets, some good, some not!!!!
I think you would be hard pressed to beat a Wacom.
The tablet I have now has had a hard life & still performs like the day I got it.
I’d like to have the new model with the short cut keys, but until then I’ll stick with old faithful.

Cheers
Ray:P

[Nnnnsic]

Whilst I do agree that it'd be hard to compare it to an Intuos, it might compare to a Graphire.

Are you coming on Saturday, Chi, and if so, could you bring it?

For that price, I might consider one if it's not too bad, and I've got experience with the Intuos' series so I'll be a good judge... maybe...

[Onyx]

Sorry Leigh, I'll be paintballing on Sat. If you're used to Wacoms or other brandname tablets - this Medion/Aiptek will no doubt disappoint, but then again, what percentage of a Wacom can you buy with $50?!

Like Andre linked to earlier, these are selling on ebay for twice what they cost at Aldi - just grab one and if you don't like it, flog it off and let ebay be your whore!

[Nnnnsic]

I think it's about 1/2 to 1/3 of a Graphire's price, but 3 times the size.

[gstark]

So .... you're suggesting that size matters?

[PiroStitch]

I have the graphire 1 but if this is any good or comparable to that, i think I might just have to splurge the $50 for it

[Nnnnsic]

In the world of graphic tablets, it does indeed.

[birddog114]

For that price, I might consider one if it's not too bad, and I've got experience with the Intuos' series so I'll be a good judge... maybe...

Just 50 bucks, why are you waiting for?

[stubbsy]

Guys. One thing to bear in mind is that if you want to slum it at Aldi these sort of bargains are only every in limited quantities at each store and don't last long. he who hesitates misses out.

[birddog114]

It will turn into the serving tray to the mini meet anyway

I need a bigger tray for coffee mugs and other stuff

[gstark]

he who hesitates misses out.

You say that as if it's a bad thing.

[Nnnnsic]

Just 50 bucks, why are you waiting for?

Being jobless puts spending money in a different perspective.

[birddog114]

Just 50 bucks, why are you waiting for?

Being jobless puts spending money in a different perspective.

Go get one, if it turns bad, you can pass it to me as a serving tray

[Nnnnsic]

Promise?

[Dargan]

The Brisbane Camera Club Meet had a session on Graphics tablets as part of the evening this week. Most users said they were essential to move to the next level of management with images. I have an old ACECAT cheapy with pressure sensitive stylus but it is small and users advised me to get larger tablets to achieve closer to 1:1 ratios with the screen you are working with.

An earlier comment was that this would not run with CS2. Can anyone else confirm or explain this comment.

[birddog114]

Promise?

Yes, I give you the bond tomorrow at the mini meet.

[Nnnnsic]

The Apple forum previous mentioned in this thread made mention of this tablet not working in CS2 on Win XP, however Onyx disagrees and seems to have no problem.

I'm not sure why you would have a problem with it... it's just a mouse driver.

[Dargan]

That was my thought. It is only a driver and XP would recognise it generically

[Atorie]

A graphic tablet is an excellent tool to use with Photoshop, a tool which I have used since Wacom released the Intuos 1 series (I still have my Intuos1 9x12 which sadly now only works on Mac OS 9). With Photoshop feeding of the pen pressure & pen tilt it gives me so much more depth of control a mouse ever could. I find it irreplaceable when painting layer masks or a quick mask for selecting, I know a mouse can do this but not with the same finesse as a tablet.

I normally set the pen pressure to control the brush shape dynamics for the pen jitter (aka the brush size). With upgrade to a intuos3 9x12 the express keys further reduces the need to touch the keyboard. If any brisbane members are keen to see a wacom in action let me know and I'll bring it along to a meet soon.

Oh and by the way if any DSLRusers are running photoshop on Mac OS 9 i'll give you my old Intuos1 9x12 as i no longer use it (and no it cannot run on Windows or Mac OS x).

[big pix]

A graphic tablet is an excellent tool to use with Photoshop, a tool which I have used since Wacom released the Intuos 1 series (I still have my Intuos1 9x12 which sadly now only works on Mac OS 9). With Photoshop feeding of the pen pressure & pen tilt it gives me so much more depth of control a mouse ever could. I find it irreplaceable when painting layer masks or a quick mask for selecting, I know a mouse can do this but not with the same finesse as a tablet.

I normally set the pen pressure to control the brush shape dynamics for the pen jitter (aka the brush size). With upgrade to a intuos3 9x12 the express keys further reduces the need to touch the keyboard. If any brisbane members are keen to see a wacom in action let me know and I'll bring it along to a meet soon.

Oh and by the way if any DSLRusers are running photoshop on Mac OS 9 i'll give you my old Intuos1 9x12 as i no longer use it (and no it cannot run on Windows or Mac OS x).

.......I would love some help with my intuos3 when I get home....... may be a mini meet.....

[Atorie]

the appletalk forum discussion was that it didn't work with CS2 on XP or Mac OS X, to shed some more light on this the tablet would still work as a standard mouse however the pressure sensitivity would not be recognised by CS2, which is different that just a mouse driver.

[Nnnnsic]

I think I may have to consider buying one of these for $50... could be useful with NURBS in Maya, not just Photoshop.

[Atorie]

.......I would love some help with my intuos3 when I get home....... may be a mini meet.....

no probs bp, you must be due home soon so we'll have to catch up for a few cold ones and share some tips & tricks.

[Atorie]

I think I may have to consider buying one of these for $50... could be useful with NURBS in Maya, not just Photoshop.

Yeah defiantly not just for PS, I have a few mates who use it in Maya and couple who use it in FinalCut to edit scenes (excellent to watch)...

If you want a get used to the idea of a tablet go get one from Aldi then upgrade to a Intuos once/if you see the need.

[birddog114]

I think I may have to consider buying one of these for $50... could be useful with NURBS in Maya, not just Photoshop.

I told Ya! go get one and I have you covered

[Cyrus]

What's the best way for Brisbanites to get one of these $50 jobs? It's something I've been thinking about for some time and for $50 I can't really go wrong I guess.

Cyrus

[Dargan]

All the Aldi stores are shut now, but what is the use if it can't work with CS2.

[lkgrainger]

Thanks Onyx you said everything that needs to be said on the tablet. I'm not one for getting myself across properly enough to write a full on review. I cant give an opinion on PS/PS2 because I haven't used it or have it. The most I do is crop and resize in Acdsee. The little ones will prob get more use out of the tablet than myself.

[Nnnnsic]

I know there are no Aldi's out Bondi way... I wonder if there are any on the way to Birdy's...

I just learned a bit about NURBS and Maya seems to give my trackball the slow treatment... perhaps the tablet will help?

And I do know what an Intuos3 is like, but I doubt that I'll ever need to spend that sort of cash for one as I'm still a trackball person...