Wacom Graphire Bluetooth: the pen is pointier than the mouse

By Mary Lojkine on 14 July 2005, 10:48am

Wacom has introduced the Graphire Bluetooth, a wireless pen-and-tablet combo. It's aimed at digital imaging enthusiasts who want to create artwork and edit photos using a pen instead of a mouse.

The silver tablet connects to your PC via Bluetooth (if your computer doesn't have Bluetooth built in, you'll need to spend another £25-30 on an adaptor). Once it's chatting to your computer, you can move the mouse pointer by drawing on the tablet with the matching pen. Tap the tip for a left click; press the button on the side for a right click; or flip the pen over to erase whatever you've just drawn or typed. The 208 by 150mm active area maps exactly on to your screen, so moving the pen to the top left corner always moves the mouse pointer to the top left corner of your screen. If you're rubbish at drawing, you can place a picture under the transparent photo frame and trace round it with the pen.

Our resident Photoshop geek was keen to try the Graphire Bluetooth, but was mildly disappointed. "If I were more interested in digital illustration, this would be an essential item. However, I only ever use Photoshop for manipulating photos, where very precise control of the pointer is less crucial. Everything worked well, but the benefits were not great enough to go through the pain of retraining my right hand to use it properly."

We also used it for general Windows tasks such as word processing and Web browsing. The pen is great for pointing, but not so good for clicking -- sometimes it took several taps or button presses to select an icon or bring up a menu. We also kept grabbing the wrong end and rubbing things out by mistake. To be fair, Wacom does include a wireless mouse that you can use on the tablet, but you can get a normal wireless mouse for a lot less money and use it on any surface.

If you're a digital artist, using Bluetooth rather than a wired connection means you can move the tablet into any position that feels comfortable. You can even balance it on one arm like a traditional palette and wander around the room, muttering maniacally -- although you'll need a big screen if you want to stand at the outer limit of the 10m range.

The Graphire Bluetooth costs £190 and is available through Computers Unlimited. -ML & CB