Wacom's new range of Bamboo graphics tablets are not just for designers and illustrators anymore — the introduction of touch technology means that even people totally unfamiliar with tablets can now use the devices.
Upside
If there's one thing that Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch are responsible for propagating throughout the greater tech community, it's touch gestures. Wacom has taken this one step further on its new range of Bamboo graphics tablets, which use capacitive touch interfaces to recognise gestures like zooming and rotating, as well as functioning like a traditional tablet with a stylus.
Theoretically, the tablet can be used as a mouse replacement (though we're not sure how practical this would be for anything but a casual user) as it can sense when the pen is near the surface of the tablet and switch the input mode accordingly.
In the vein of customisable apps, Wacom has introduced the Bamboo Dock which houses widgets and applications for the tablet. There's a number of "Mini's" currently available, including DrawTweet which takes a sketch and automatically uploads it to Twitter, but developers can use the open API to customise and create new applications for the device.
Inside the package you get a tablet, stylus and a software bundle including Adobe Photoshop Elements 7 and Ink Squared Deluxe, plus the Bamboo is compatible across Windows and Mac, including Windows 7.
Downside
The Bamboo can only recognise two digits at any time, plus it's not possible to use the pen and the touch gestures simultaneously.
The new Bamboo range is available in a variety of flavours, including the Bamboo Touch (AU$99) which has no pen functionality, and the Bamboo Fun (AU$289) which is a larger version of the Pen & Touch. We'll have our full review of the Bamboo Pen & Touch shortly.
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