Bamboo Fun (Small) Black Tablet with Pen, Mouse & Graphics Software

by Wacom

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 7.6 x 0.5 inches ; 12.3 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000V9NU2A
• Item model number: CTE450K
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (110 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 13, 2007

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

From the Manufacturer

Create Your World
Now there's a simple, easy, and fun way to harness your creativity. Bamboo Fun makes your computer your canvas, allowing you to freely express yourself by simply touching the pen tip to the tablet. Touch up digital photos, draw by hand, create artwork and paintings, and even write in your own handwriting.

Bamboo Fun includes full editions of valuable creative software to help get your creative juices flowing. Edit photos with Adobe Photoshop Elements, create artwork with Corel Painter Essentials, and apply photo effects with Nik Color Efex Pro. Bamboo Fun is available in a variety of colors and sizes.

Bamboo funs offers a more comfortable and natural way to work, enabling you to alternate between a pen, a mouse, and a keyboard.

Edit
Bring out the best in your photos. Bamboo Fun's pressure-sensitive pen makes it easy to edit, retouch, and enhance and digital photograph. Create a collage with your favorite pictures, design your own unique borders, or write directly on your photos in your own handwriting.

Paint
Make perfect brush strokes without the mess. Bamboo Fun puts painting effects and artistic tools right at your fingertips. Control brush size, paint, patterns, and textures by changing how hard you press the pen tip to the tablet.

Draw
Bring your ideas to life by drawing, sketching, and illustrating with Bamboo Fun. Use the pressure-sensitive control of the pen to vary line thickness, and add shading and color with the natural feel of pen-on-paper.

Write
Express yourself. Write notes and email, sign your name, mark up documents, and enter handwritten text anywhere typed text is accepted. Combine Bamboo Fun with Mac Inkwell or Microsoft Windows Vista and Office 2007 to unleash pen-specific features and capabilities to communicate more personally.

Simplify
Navigate quickly and easily. Bamboo Fun makes it a cinch to move files, switch views, and work in applications. ExpressKeys provide shortcuts to your most commonly-used keystrokes, and the Touch Ring allows you to zoom and scroll with the touch of your finger.

Precise control with an active area of 21 square inches and 512 levels of pressure sensitivity on both pen and eraser.

Features

• Supports widescreen displays and has a textured work surface for a natural pen-on-paper feel
• Quick access to user-defined shortcuts with four Express Keys
• High resolution and report rate for outstanding accuracy
• Easy scrolling and zooming with finger-sensitive Touch Ring
• Detachable USB cable unplugs from your computer and your tablet for easy storage and transport
• Ergonomic design provides a comfortable supplement to keyboard input
• Includes one year warranty
• Free US-based technical support available

What's in the Box

• Bamboo Fun pen tablet
• Bamboo Fun mouse
• Bamboo Fun pen
• Pen stand
• USB cable
• Quick start guide
• Installation CD (includes tablet driver and electronic user manual)
• Software DVD that includes: Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0 Win/4.0 Mac, Corel Painter Essentials 4.0, and Nik Color Efex Pro 2.0 GE
• Package of 3 replacement pen nibs
• Available in blue, black, silver, and white

Product Description

Bamboo Fun (Small) Black Tablet with Pen, Mouse and Graphics Software

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

65 of 69 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wacom delivers with Bamboo Fun!, October 14, 2007

By 

Mark "Technology, Music and Movies" (East Coast) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (2008 HOLIDAY TEAM)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Bamboo Fun (Small) Black Tablet with Pen, Mouse & Graphics Software (Personal Computers)

Wacom has brought this technology a long way. Many shopping for Wacom tablets probably have owned similar products in the past. This product is more affordable than the higher end Intuos3 models, yet powerful enough for many pros.

For me, the small size is perfect. The "medium" sized tablet is suited for hard core graphics people who need to work at the pixel level for large images. Those using this for the mouse also may prefer the medium size. However, most users will find the small size probably fits their needs. Either way, the tablet maps to your screen size for any of these models.

This unit comes in a variety of colors and configurations. I prefer the look of the black tablet, but there are silver, white and blue ones also.
Bamboo Fun (Medium) Silver Tablet with Pen, Mouse & Graphics Software
Bamboo Fun (Medium) Black Tablet with Pen, Mouse & Graphics Software
Bamboo Fun (Medium) Blue Tablet with Pen, Mouse & Graphics Software


Upon plugging in the device, the mouse worked immediately! The pen also works as a mouse or as a pen/brush for drawing applications.

The mouse is nice because it allows you to free up a USB port if you're using a USB mouse. Power users will need more from a mouse though. If you're anything like me, you prefer a mouse with many more options than this one provides.

Installing the drivers and software allows you to access the settings and tools that make this device versatile and customizable. The Bamboo software also allows you to customize the buttons. Left-handers will greatly appreciate this! Be prepared to spend some time tweaking this unit to your likes.

The software included with this device is a nice to have. Many people who buy this will already have or need full blown Adobe Photoshop. Adobe Elements gives you everything casual users need. The Corel application is nice to play with. But other than a few "macro" type functions I have yet to find anything I can't already do with Adobe. Perhaps newer users may find the Corel product more user-friendly.

Pros
+ USB connection
+ Works on XP and Vista almost plug and play - before software installation
+ Nice customizable software
+ Nice bundled applications - Adobe Elements and Corel Draw
+ No additional power adapter needed
+ Traditional or pen mouse for casual users
+ Small size is perfect for users not using the mouse

Cons
- The scrolling zoom function does not work uniformly on all applications
- The mouse with this model will not suffice for power users
- Default settings require a lot of adjusting for graphics editing
- The tablet would have been ideal with several additional USB ports

Overall, the graphic artist or visual junkie NEEDS one of these. If you are a casual user, it is worth getting one on sale. The small model with pen only will meet most users' needs.

Enjoy.

98 of 107 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Oh, Wow, I Love This Thing-- And It's Aptly Named-- Bamboo Fun, September 27, 2007

By 

Sires "I enjoy mysteries, historical and proc... (Chesapeake, OH, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bamboo Fun (Small) Black Tablet with Pen, Mouse & Graphics Software (Personal Computers)

(What's this?)

I intended to write a serious review explaining the many useful features but that doesn't actually capture the fact that this thing is also fun, Fun, FUN!

*Deep breath*. Ok, back to serious mode. I've owned several pen shaped mouses (mice?) over the course of the last few decades and two graphics tablets. Prior to USB the tablets required some serious thought about how I was going to connect the tablet, a mouse and a keyboard. This one though just plugs in to a USB port, no need for any other power source -- and there is a ring in the top that lights up to let you know it is ready to go.

The graphics pen feels good and there are lots of choices when it comes to the function to assign to the two buttons. I like right click for the top one, scroll for the bottom and click for the tip. If you don't want to actually touch the pen to the tablet then you can set it to hover and make the lower button perform the click function. There is also a box you can check to get a click sound. The pen takes a little getting use to but I caught on fast and there is even a stand to keep it in although I keep knocking it over-- I assume it isn't weighted to keep the total postage weight down.

In addition to the pen is an elegant black and grey mouse that works like any other wireless mouse except it has to be used in proximity to the tablet.

The lit up ring on the tablet can also be used to manipulate documents, web pages, etc. Run your finger inside it clockwise and a web page increases in size, counter clockwise make it decrease in size. There are also two bottoms to each side which can be assigned functions.

There's some nice software on the disc that comes bundled with this set-- Adobe Photoshop Elements, Corel Painter Essentials 3.0 and Nik Color Etex Pro 2 GE. I found myself sitting here doing some juvenile things with photographs just because I could.

This would make a really good Christmas gift or a great gift for yourself any time.

88 of 100 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars so-so if you have older software, otherwise fun, October 7, 2007

By 

Paladin08 (Folsom, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Bamboo Fun (Small) Black Tablet with Pen, Mouse & Graphics Software (Personal Computers)

(What's this?)

I've never used this type of device before so this was a fun experience yet frustrating at the same time. I rated this a 3 stars (a good buy vs a great[4 stars] or must have buy[5 stars]).

Pro's:
1) Packaging and product are attractive and modern. Kudos to the marketing team

2) Installation was a snap. Plug in the USB cable, run the software driver installer and you're all set between 5-7 minutes for the main unit. The additional software takes a bit longer.

3) The tablet is heavy enough to sit in place and not get easily knocked or slide. Yet light enough to hold it in your lap or against your body like a pad of paper and write/draw on

4) The pen is just the right thickness to be comfortable without giving hand cramp like thin, cheap BIC pens do when writing for a long duration

5) If you don't already have a wireless mouse, this package comes with one

6) Even though I was suspect of getting the "small" tablet, the software allows the entire tablet space to span the entire desktop

7) The express navigation keys on the keypad itself were useful for navigating through documents, web pages and zooming in/out

8) Variable speeds controlled by the software along with sensitivity settings. You can configure the device to work to your level of comfortability

9) Product registration was a snap and can be done online or via a form you print out and mail

Cons:
1) I wanted to use this unit specifically for writing. But, I have XP and Office 2003. According to the manual I need Vista and Office 2007 to be able to accomplish digital writing. Purchase of two additional software packages?!? Darn. Just blew the whole reason I wanted to use this. Thus the system requirements aren't very clear before you buy.

2) The 4 ft USB cable is just not long enough for desktop users. Six foot would have been a lot better. Thus if you have a desktop that isn't near your monitor/work area (i.e. sitting on the ground), then get a USB extension cable for about $10 at a local computer store

3) I had some difficulty at first. If I wanted to reach the lower left corner of my desktop to click on the XP Start button, I'd have to move the pen to the lower-left corner of the tablet. When running in high resolutions as I do, this makes fine, small movements act as big leaps of the cursor when using this small tablet pad.

4) The mouse that comes with this is not ergonomic and very, very basic. Best to get a $30 or more wireless mouse for more functionality and a more comfortable feel. But if you wind up using the pen (pen mode or mouse mode) it takes about 10 minutes to get use to it and then you almost never need a mouse

5) Wacom's Product Support page was a bit confusing. I couldn't tell if I needed the Graphire3(CTE) drivers or the Graphire4(CTE) drivers. Nowhere on this product box does it have the name Graphire, so I wasn't sure if which were the correct drivers

OVERALL:
This is a fun gadget (just like the name) and if/when I upgrade my OS and Office products or find another writing software then I may find more use for it. I'm not into the photo editing but it does come with some free software to get a user going. Its a VERY specific device for a specific use. Hopefully some of my pitfalls will help prepare you ahead of time to enjoy this item to its fullest.