Customer Reviews

Adesso CYBERTABLET Z12 10 x 6.25-inch Widescreen Graphics USB Tablet PC

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This is my first graphics tablet. Being a mechanical engineer that started out on a drafting board, I come from a different mind set than a graphics artist. I spent over a week researching every manufacturer of graphics tablets I could find, reading the reviews, etc. The overwhelming number of reviews were of Wacom tablets. Frankly, I almost went with a Wacom Bamboo but, the price just seemed way out of proportion for the features. But, it seemed like everyone kept chanting the Wacom mantra.

One thing that should be stressed is software. There are basically two kinds, Pixel Image Editors and Vector Illustration Software. Editors are like Photoshop, PhotoImpact, etc. and vector based are like Adobe Illustrator ($$$), CorelDraw ($$), or InkScape(free). Image editors have lots different brush types (pen, crayon, airbrush, etc.) that produce a more painted, artistic image. Vector software is really more for those who are more serious about making images as accurate and realistic as possible.

The Cybertablet z12 came with Ulead's PhotoImpact 12se and I downloaded Adobe Photoshop Elements (trial version). Personally, the PhotoImpact software is easier to use.

The cheapest Wacom that had the same size table, Intuos3 6x11 goes for $330. That's nearly 3 times the cost of a Adesso. Is the quality there, maybe not, but at this point, I can't tell.

Long story short, give the Cybertablet a shot. :)

I use my tablet to animate in 3D package, so it needs to be rather accurate, and I use it 8-10 hrs every day. This tablet, though very promising on paper, was a serious let down.
The tablet itself is really nice, very thin, looks spiffy, the pen is just a pen, it did the job which is all that's needed. But:

- As for the '1024 levels of sensitivity': to get anything going, you need to perform quite a bit of pressure with the pen on the tablet. So I don't know where the extra sensitivity comes in. If we measure the pressure needed on a scale from 0 to 10, on a Wacom the first level would be 0.5 (hovering over the tablet), on this tablet, to get a response at all: 5 (after 2 days the muscles in my arm started to hurt).

- the software seems inadequate. I use the tip of the pen as LMB, the lower button as RMB, the top button as MMB. Whether in 'mouse' or in 'pen' mode (mouse=relative=no limits or pen=absolute=the sensitive area of the tablet conforms to your screen, important when you use 2 screens), it doesn't matter, there's always one of the 2 buttons on the pen that doesn't do what it's supposed to, no matter what you set the button to in the software, but it's a different button depending on the 'mode' the tablet is set to.

- whenever you release the RMB or the MMB, there is an additional 'click', meaning that when animating, whatever is selected and is being manipulated, is deselected. When manipulating the view, every zoom/rotation/pan of the view gets an extra, random jerk. Very tiresome and irritating.

- and man, the "help desk" of Adesso leaves something to be desired: I emailed, I left 'requests' on the web site, I basically begged for help for over 2 weeks, without a single response. Sick of it I finally wrote them I wanted a refund, and they got back to me within hours (hey, imagine that) telling me to address my claim to Amazon, because within 30 days of the sale it's the seller's responsibility, not theirs... I sent back the tablet, Amazon refunded everything.
It's not even that the help desk is understaffed or nonexistent, they actively ignore you, and that's just bad business, especially if your product doesn't perform as advertised.

Bottom line, reading all those reviews about 'the daughter who loves it', they could be real: it's probably OK for kids to draw with, or to point and click, but I wouldn't recommend the Z12 if you want to use it for more than that.

i borrowed a friend's wacom tablet before i bought this. the rate of reaction between pen and pad is noticably slower and skips more on the adesso. but it is also remarkably cheaper. for the patient artist the adesso is good for a cheap starter. but if you plan to use it professionally and need it to be quick and efficient, i would suggest investing in a wacom, which are top of the line, and very expensive in comparison

This tablet as described by others before me performs as it should. the control and pressure levels have worked wonderfully and I have no complaints about its functionality. There is however a point that I cant seem to get around. The macros that come programed into it already don't seem to be changeable. while they are fine the way they are I suppose, the symbols on the top don't match up to what they actually do, a minor inconvenience I suppose but one none the less.

I don't know if it's common for this brand to just quit working, as it's the first Adesso product I've ever had. I received this tablet for my birthday only 3 months ago. Just a couple days ago it decided to stop working. The pen is fine, but the tablet is completely screwed up. It's as if the right side of the tablet is reading as the left side, and the left side is just completely dead. I've never dropped it, hit it, bent it, spilled something on it, or anything. I always take good care of my electronics. I tried the troubleshooting for it, reinstalling the driver, etc. Nothing has worked. I contacted Adesso tech support for help, but have yet to hear from them. I'm very upset, as I was working on a pretty big project, and it decides to malfunction right in the middle of it. Hopefully, only having had it for 3 months, it will still be covered by warranty.

I am an art student who has owned and used both Wacom and Adesso products. I will admit that there are certain things that I like better about Wacom. The first is that there is no battery needed for the wacom tablets (which is not the case with this tablet). This tablet sometimes pause, but so does my wacom. I think, especially for the price, that this is a decent product for a serious or non-serious artist. The tablet came with a battery, that I am still using and it has been a year! Also the pen is not flimsy, and the tablet will last for a while it seems. I have created plenty of animations with this thing, and would buy one again if I needed to same some money. Don't be fooled by everyone saying "Wacom is the Standard" all the time. Try it for yourself. I am using mine as I write this!

I bought this tablet for my husband for Christmas as a surprise gift. He is a graphic designer. I thought this could be a useful tool for him to use as an alternative to a mouse...which he is amazing at working with a mouse, so I figured this might help him even more. The first few times he used it, he was a little clumsy but he has learned fast. It is a learning process to get use to using a pen rather than a mouse. He likes it overall and is very happy with his gift. I think it is a great beginner tablet and we will upgrade in the future to a higher end tablet.

I had no problems connecting this tablet to my iMac. The Mac documentation is a little sketchy as this product seems to be geared more toward PC users but it works just fine once you get it set up. BE SURE to load the MAC DRIVERS then RESTART! it will plug and play but it does not work properly w/o the drivers. Also keep the tablet and pen away from electromagnetic disturbances like your monitor, halogen and LED lighting, headphones etc - manual says at least five inches and that seems to be fine. overall a fine product for the money. Its not a WACOM but it is still quite accurate and has fine sensitivity for this 10 plus year graphic designer. I use it with Photoshop and Illustrator all the time. Use it on mouse mode - it's much easier to control.

I have zero complains about this graphics pad. It work wonderfully with both PhotoShop and GIMP, and is a fun replacement for my mouse. I have already recommended it to 2 friends. Price 10. Usability 10. Fun 11!

If you are running on a Mac, do not buy this product. It claims to be Mac Compatible, but I assure you from experience...you will have nothing but trouble trying to get everything working on the mac. You also will probably never successfully reach anyone for answers at Addesso. They do not stick to their "business hours." Their website claims to have online chat tech support, but they are NEVER online. Tried sending several emails and got no responses. I uninstalled the drivers it came with and tried to reinstall them to see if that would solve my problems, but once I uninstalled it, it would not let me reinstall it. I believe this is because the uninstall left misc. files on my HD. Who knows where they are...