Intuos 4 Wireless graphics tablet
There are two notable improvements here to Wacom’s pro-grade graphics tablet. First, it’s wireless, hooking up to computers via BlueTooth and recharging via USB. Secondly, the on-tablet buttons and controls are vastly improved on the third-gen models: there’s a configurable iPod-like scrollwheel (draw circles to change brush size, zoom, rotation, or working layer) and eight buttons assignable to special commands. Tiny LCD displays indicate what each is set to do.
The “Precision Mode” button, for example, slows tracking speed down while depressed–great for fine detail work in shoop. Also super is the menu system: hit an appropriately configured button, and a radial set of options appears around your pointer, offering common keyboard shortcuts, app switching and all that jazz.
It (and its wired-only brethren) also looks much nice than earlier models. Black and clean-lined, it makes the utilitarian and space-filling nature of the device more tolerable to those who like minimal clutter on their deskspace. The pen holder comes with a bunch of differently-textured nibs, too, which is great. The benefit of the 16:9 surface ratio I felt, but the 2048 levels of sensitivity (double the Intuos 3’s) I did not.
Working wirelessly, its not as smooth or precise as when hooked up by USB. If you don’t notice the difference between Bluetooth and wired mice, you won’t notice this, either. But myself, I think I’d have been happier with a custom RF dongle, like Logitech and Microsoft use with decent wireless mice. The wired connection, however, is of course perfect.
It never presented any technical woes, tested with a current-gen iMac, except when running out on battery power after a few hours’ untethered use.
One nit: with the default nib, the click occasionally stayed “down” even (like having a sticky left mouse button) after lifting the pen tip off the tablet. Changing sensitivity settings didn’t seem to fix this, but switching to a different nib did.
Product Page [Intuos] – Amazon
Music Skin
As a $17 sticker-cum-scratch protector, this seems a crummy deal. But I’m happy with how it came out: upload a pic and they send you an iPhone or iPad skin in a few days. Printing is crisp: I selected sharp-edged contrasts to see how clean a line I got. I also held off writing for a couple of months to see how durable it was, and how the adhesive held up. It’s just as neat as the day it went on, which was imperfectly — it takes a steady hand to get it on just right and it doesn’t go all the way to the edges of the plastic. But I am not disappointed.
Product Page [Music Skins]
HP Envy 13
HP’s Envy 13 laptop takes design cues from Apple, but adds enticing extras (1600×900 display, HDMI, instant-on Linux and discrete video) that you won’t find in the MacBook Pro of similar dimensions. This makes it a great choice for those wanting a stout Windows 7 performer that fits in a messenger bag. But it has consequences for battery life–barely 3 hours on a charge–and loadout: it comes with an external optical drive. I also found it hard to get used to the jumpy multitouch trackpad. The $1300-plus price tag seems a bit steep, too.
Unless you really want that high-def display, I can’t recommend it over a 13″ MBP (itself freshly upgraded and still cheaper, even when you add in a copy of Windows 7). But it’s a close-run thing!
Product Page [HP]