When I first saw this pen/mouse combo pad online, I thought to myself what a great idea this was... Although not in any way new technology, the Graphire tablet surpassed all my expectations for its intended purposes. First off, I purchased this tablet solely for the purpose of photo editing / media creation in Photoshop and original drawings in Flash and Illustrator. I soon found that this little 4x5 tablet was everything I could have possibly wanted, and cursed myself for not getting one sooner...

At 79.99, this tablet was a deal, and upon receiving it, immediately plugged it into my USB port and installed the software. Now on to the real test....

At first, using the pen and tablet was awkward. I've been using a mouse ever since I started using computers 15+ years ago, and it took me quite a while to get used to the interface of using this pen. The mouse option is completely useless, unless you have a really old mouse. I have an Intellimouse Explorer, and I was happy to find that both mouse and pen can be used simultaneously. (Although I don't recommend it, they tend to "confuse" each other)

In Photoshop 5.5, which I use the most, the tablet was perfect from the start. Easy start up, easy interface, and 500 some-odd levels of pressure sensitivity... Bundled with an award winning set of photoshop plugins, I'm sold.

I didn't unplug my mouse though, because for everything other than graphics applications, I'm just not comfortable using the pen... I've found it to be not as accurate as using a mouse, as a slight jitter with your hand can move the cursor significantly, as a mouse is definitely easier to maneuver precisely.



Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 79.99