Wacom on Tuesday remade its tablets to get the whole range of possible touch input. The Bamboo Connect is its new entry level and is intended for those who just need a moderate amount of input. It relies solely on its wireless, battery-free, 1,024 pressure pen for control and, with a 5.8-by-3.6 inch area, is intended mostly for quick drawing using apps like Autodesk’s Sketchbook Express (bundled) or handwritten notes.
The Capture has the same surface area but adds multi-touch support for finger gestures in apps and operating systems that support it. Owners also get programmable buttons and Adobe’s Photoshop Elements for free to add some basic photo editing. The new device is a second-generation multi-touch model and has much faster input sampling to improve accuracy.
Topping the group, the Create has a much larger 8.5-by-5.4 inch surface intended more for artists and other pros. It keeps the newer generation multi-touch but adds a pressure-based ‘eraser’ on the pen and tosses in Corel Painter Essentials as a third app.
All three work with both Macs and Windows PCs. The Connect, Capture, and Create ship now for $80, $100, and $200 respectively. Capture and Create owners who don’t want to be tethered over USB can add an RF wireless module for $39 that gives “hours” of use on a charge.
Top to bottom: Bamboo Connect, Capture, Create
