Webmaster forum - Can anyone recommend a really good tablet/stylus (i.e. mouse substitue)?

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Can anyone recommend a really good tablet/stylus (i.e. mouse substitue)?

ship

2006-08-24, 6:57 pm

Hi

Can anyone recommend a really good tablet/stylus?
(Sorry for being slightly off topic but I always get such useful advice
here !)

I need something to replace my mouse & trackpoint stud thing, because I
am starting
to get RSI again... :-[

For my work PC I have a Wacom Intuos tablet.
Intuos is good because
a) Very high resolution of pointing - i.e. a very high densitity of
sensors in tablet
b) Nice ergonomic stylus (that looks/feels like a pen) made with soft
rubber.
c) It has easy to use 3 button-function

(left-click - on the point)
(right click - top end of lever switch under your index finger)
(double-click - BOTTOM end of the switch under your finger)

BUT it is bad because
A) Intuos 3 no-longer allows you to have multiple mappings (unlike
Intuos 2 !)
B) It's rather combersome for using on the move
C) It EXTREMELY expensive !

I should stress that it's ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL to me to set up a
mapping(s) .
i.e. be able to map a small area of the tablet to the entire (Windows)
output screen.
And much the best is to be able to set up *multiple* mappings.
(Whereby if you miss one mapping area on the table with your stylus
you can easily find another one!)

Any recommendations?

Ship
Shiperton Henethe

SpaceGirl

2006-08-24, 6:57 pm

ship wrote:
> Hi
>
> Can anyone recommend a really good tablet/stylus?
> (Sorry for being slightly off topic but I always get such useful advice
> here !)
>
> I need something to replace my mouse & trackpoint stud thing, because I
> am starting
> to get RSI again... :-[
>
> For my work PC I have a Wacom Intuos tablet.
> Intuos is good because
> a) Very high resolution of pointing - i.e. a very high densitity of
> sensors in tablet
> b) Nice ergonomic stylus (that looks/feels like a pen) made with soft
> rubber.
> c) It has easy to use 3 button-function
>
> (left-click - on the point)
> (right click - top end of lever switch under your index finger)
> (double-click - BOTTOM end of the switch under your finger)
>
> BUT it is bad because
> A) Intuos 3 no-longer allows you to have multiple mappings (unlike
> Intuos 2 !)
> B) It's rather combersome for using on the move
> C) It EXTREMELY expensive !
>
> I should stress that it's ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL to me to set up a
> mapping(s) .
> i.e. be able to map a small area of the tablet to the entire (Windows)
> output screen.
> And much the best is to be able to set up *multiple* mappings.
> (Whereby if you miss one mapping area on the table with your stylus
> you can easily find another one!)

You can do this with the Wacom Intuous 3 just fine.

Took a screenshot of the setup:
http://www.dhnewmedia.com/temp/mapping.jpg.

I have different mapping set up for PhotoShop (where I have the
palettes on a 2nd displays) and Vegas (where I have the video controls
on the main screen only, video play back on a 3rd screen) and
Illustrator and Flash (which I keep all tools on one screen)

ship

2006-08-24, 6:57 pm

SpaceGirl wrote:
> ship wrote:
>
> You can do this with the Wacom Intuous 3 just fine.
>
> Took a screenshot of the setup:
> http://www.dhnewmedia.com/temp/mapping.jpg.
>
> I have different mapping set up for PhotoShop (where I have the
> palettes on a 2nd displays) and Vegas (where I have the video controls
> on the main screen only, video play back on a 3rd screen) and
> Illustrator and Flash (which I keep all tools on one screen)

No - maybe I didnt make myself clear enough.
On the Intuos2 you used to be able to have more than one
mapping area working at the same time on the same application.

e.g. when you move the stylus across the tablet from left to right
the mouse pounter arrow thing on your screen goes from left to right
(1st mapping area) and then when you KEEP going right, it the finds
the NEXT mapping area that you have set up and so the pointer
goes back to the left of you screen and tracks across to the right
again
as you move across... etc.

In this way you can divide you tablet area into several different
mapping
areas at once - and these can all be made to apply to all applications.
This is extremely useful because for when you want to navigate between
applications, you just set up a small mapping area and for when you are

doing more sensitive work you can just move your stylus over to the
LARGER mapping area that you have set up and hey presto you have
much finer control.

Last year I cheerfully bought an Intuos3 assuming it would be able to
do all the good stuff that Intuos2 used to be able to do.

I was incorrect. Intuos3 can only do one mapping area at a time for any

one application. And when I spoke to Wacom they said no one (other than
me it seems) used the multiple mappings. Worse they also said that they
had no plans to incorporate the multiple mapping back in.

Ship

P.S. Interestingly it turned out that it WAS technically possible to
get
under the bonnet of Intuos3 and make it do multiple, simultaneous
mapping
that applied to all application - but when I tried to edit the source
data
it was an utter nightmare and I had do abandon the whole idea.

Despite my vociferous complaints Wacom wouldnt budge. They are one of
the very few examples of technology clearly getting WORSE that I can
think of. Extremely irritating. I did vaguely hope that someone would
build some pluggin to make it possible again.

There again Intuos3 *is* rather heavy for me so may be I should
abandon Wacom completely - even though their kit is excellent in
most other ways, IMHO...

SpaceGirl

2006-08-28, 6:40 pm

ship wrote:

> doing more sensitive work you can just move your stylus over to the
> LARGER mapping area that you have set up and hey presto you have
> much finer control.
>
> Last year I cheerfully bought an Intuos3 assuming it would be able to
> do all the good stuff that Intuos2 used to be able to do.
>
> I was incorrect. Intuos3 can only do one mapping area at a time for any
>
> one application. And when I spoke to Wacom they said no one (other than
> me it seems) used the multiple mappings. Worse they also said that they
> had no plans to incorporate the multiple mapping back in.
>
>
> Ship

Hmm, I can't see any practical use for this at all. If I want to edit
in greater detail/more acurate I... um... zoom in? Isn't that a lot
easier?

As for switch between applications... that's what alt+tab is for. If
using PhotoShop or Illustrator, I use it in full-screen professional
mode (no toolbars, fullscreen so that I don't see any of the Windows
desktop, or titlebars, or task bar -- press F twice, then tab to switch
into "pro" mode). Switching between documents inside of PS is done via
ctrl+tab.