Until now, buying a graphics tablet meant either accepting a very cramped working area or parting with a not insignificant amount of cash. Spending several hundred dollars or more on a graphics tablet makes sense for an artist, illustrator, or other graphics professional, but not for most casual users.

The latest entry in Aiptek's line of graphics tablets offers both a generous drawing area (12x9 inches) and a very affordable price. By comparison, the equivalent Wacom Intuos2 graphics tablet currently retails for more than $450.

Installation is easy, and the bundled software gets you up and running immediately. The cordless pen is light and comfortable, and it offers 512 levels of pressure, more than enough for most image creation and editing tasks. You can use the pen to perform almost any task you'd normally perform with a mouse, in addition to drawing or painting anything from a fine line to a broad brushstroke. You can also use the cordless mouse for traditional mousing tasks.

Bundled software includes ULead Photo Impact, ULead Photo Express, Art Dabbler, Cadix Signature software, Office Ink, Free Notes, and Microsoft NetMeeting. ArtDabbler is a drawing and painting program with a familiar interface of art tools, including pens, crayons, pencils, markers, chalk, and erasers, as well as sketch pads, tracing paper, and a selection of more than 120 paper textures. PhotoImpact lets you create and edit images, photos, and Web pages. PhotoExpress lets you enhance, organize, store, and share photos. You can use OfficeInk to sign or annotate documents in Microsoft Word. FreeNotes is a handy sticky-notes program. CADIX creates and verifies signatures electronically. The tablet can also be used with any Windows or Macintosh application that supports a mouse.

The affordable price does come with a few tradeoffs. Unlike Wacom, Aiptek doesn't currently offer tablet accessories, such airbrush, stroke, or inking pens, or additional mice. Replacement pens don't appear to be readily available. The generous size of this graphics tablet might be a little too generous. It takes up a lot of desktop space, is a little awkward to use on your lap, and needs a fair amount of storage space when not in use.

Pro: Versatile graphics tablet and comfortable drawing area at an affordable price. Con: The bundled software runs only under Windows, and the tablet doesn't currently support Macintosh OS X.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Aiptek 51 Discovery, Ste. #100 Irvine, CA 92618 949-585-9600 949-585-9345 (fax) http://www.aiptek.com

Warranty
1 years