Wacom Bamboo Review

I just started using the Wacom Bamboo "Pen and Touch”, and have been using it for about three weeks now.  It is an Amazing tool for the Creator, and a big huge track pad for the consumer.  So I think it is pretty much a niche market.  I have never used a one of these before.  I had limited experience working with a Macbook Pro's touchpad. 

Let me go into some further detail.  I am an engineer in the US who often times communicate with engineers in Asia.  Many times I will be reading or writing a spec, but not fully understanding the technical detail because of the lack of a picture or drawing.  Enter the tablet.  It’s great for business meetings.  I used to only draw on the whiteboard at work,

but now you can make a virtual, digital whiteboard with the Tablet.  The only catch is, if you can't draw that well, then it may not be that useful to you.  However, I work with mechanical engineers and folks in Industrial Design who can whip up a drawing in seconds with one of these things.  You just give it to your fellow engineer in a .pdf, and presto it makes breaking the language barrier that much easier. 

I also edit digital photos in PS3.  I used the Bamboo to work with masks and layers.  Let me tell you this is a very intuitive use for this device.  It really shines when I am revealing detail on a composition that I have hidden underneath a layer mask.  I really enjoy the pen use for this.  So the tablet improved my workflow when using it for Photoshop, and just for that it makes the purchase worth it if you do a bunch of very detailed work in Photoshop. 

As a consumer (consuming media, trying to reach the end of the internet, and everywhere in-between) I see this device as pretty much just a big touchpad with some nifty features.  I like the two finger swipe for going back and forth on the browser and the two finger scroll because I use those features the most.  The pressure sensitivity seemed adequate for me out of the box, after you take a few days to get used to it.  I would say for normal consumer use a nice wireless mouse would be handier. 

Overall:

1)  I see the primary use of the device as, you probably guessed it:  A great drawing tool to bring drawings to digital life.  For me this means drawing pictures for the engineers I work with in Asia.

2)  I would use this device as an asset for most consumer uses.  In other words it would not be my main device, but I would use it when my laptop is docked for example. 

I would recommend this product to the Heavy Photoshop user, or for anyone that needs to draw to convey ideas.  I would not recommend this product for the average consumer.  I really wish the bamboo was wireless as well.