Customer Reviews

Wacom Graphire Bluetooth 6 x 8-Inch Tablet

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This is the first Wacom tablet that I know of to "cut the cord." The Graphire Bluetooth 6x8 provides unparalleled fun and utility to any user with a Bluetooth-equipped computer. I bought mine for two reasons: I have a Bluetooth-capable Thinkpad T43 so I didn't need a cable, and I'm developing some repetitive stress disorder, so using a pen is appealing.

This model is just the right size if you want good precision control in Photoshop (or Photoshop Elements 3.0, included) and Premiere, and is about the size of most laptops, so it's easy to take along. The clear pen stand holds the pen handy, and fits into the top notch. Complaints about the pen's use for regular computing are reasonable, as it's not really suited for "point and click" computing. It's a pen. The included mouse takes over, but purchasers should be aware that this is NOT a Bluetooth mouse! The mouse and pen are battery-free, and work only with the tablet.

If the included pen feels light and insubstantial, chalk it up to being a portable tablet solution. Fortunately, the Graphire4 pen (available separately in blue, white, and silver) works with this tablet. Price for the Graphire4 pen starts at $30 depending on where you buy it. Likewise, Wacom sells a pen leash, carrying case (the Intuos3 6x8 carrying case), replacement nibs and extra stands, should you need some.

The run time of the included LiPoly battery is claimed to reach 25 hours on a charge, and I've clocked close to that. Connection is simple, but you should know that if you connect it to ONE computer, if you take it to use with ANOTHER computer, you have to perform the initial connection routine with the first computer again later. Takes all of about a minute or two.

The tablet has a removable clear frame so you can customize it with your own photos. The CD includes sample JPEG backing sheets, and blank templates in JPEG and Photoshop .PSD format, so you can easily create your own custom tablet decoration in any illustration program, and drop your art into the Photoshop template. The included PDF manual is superb.

You have to bear in mind that if you're not buying an Intuos3, you're buying one of Wacom's entry level, consumer tablets - don't expect a Aston Martin when you're paying Acura prices. In all, if you want to invest a little bit in your digital art capabilities, not deal with USB or serial connection, then this tablet is a very good entry level addition. See my photos for further illustration of the Graphire Bluetooth in action.
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2009 Update:

In practical use, I found that from time to time there's an appreciable delay in the response of this tablet. Enough so that it could be quite annoying in Photoshop, so I resorted to using wireless (or wired) mouses. I've also found from time to time, the cursor onscreen starts to wander by itself, react unpredictably from my stylus movement, and I have to turn the tablet off and then on again to re-connect. In ordinary computing, this can be annoying. In Photoshop, it became outright disruptive. I can't lower my rating with this review, but I would now downgrade this product to THREE (3) STARS. Wacom should stick with wired tablets.

I received my Graphire3 Bluetooth 6x8 drawing tablet 3 days ago, and have to say that I am more than satisfied with my purchase. The bluetooth works excellent, even with other 2.4 GHz (bluetooth frequency) gadgets running. I have cordless phones, wireless internet, and bluetooth keyboard and mouse on my mac, and found no interference or slowdown when using them all at the same time, which was the one thing I was worried about. It behaves like a normal corded tablet, but for $40 more, you get freedom from wires, which only restrict the creative process. Now I can lean back in the chair or sit however is comfortable with the tablet on my lap, up to 30 feet away (not that it would be useful at that range). The resolution accuracy is excellent, even on my 1900x1200 resolution monitor, every pixel counts and registers on the computer, and the software (for mac at least) allows for precise configuration. It might have been a little cheaper if they didn't include the basic software with the unit, which anyone buying a tablet surely already has, but I'm not complaining. The battery life is great...i've been using it for 3 days and only charged it once when I got it, and the battery is easily replaceable (and at $40 it's not too expensive to replace). It offers a good range of accessories that are available for purchase, including an inking pen, and pen replacements. While it may not be as versatile as the Intous series, it is certainly sufficient for anyone using a tablet in a medium workload environment. The included 2-button plus scroll bar mouse is a plus for anyone who doesn't have a wireless mouse already, although I have no use for it personally. Overall, excellent product, and highly recommended!

I'm a longtime user of Wacom Intuos tablets and I was looking for something similar with wireless capabilities for my new dual 2.5ghz-G5. There were no wireless Intuos products available at the time of purchase, so I went with the Graphire Bluetooth. Unfortunately, the product leaves a lot to be desired and after a couple of weeks of use, I plan on returning it. The major problem lies with the pen--both in design and responsiveness.

Design: the Graphire series is cheaper than the Intuos, and there's a good reason why: the Graphire pen is thinner, lighter, and has no grip. If you have very small hands this might be acceptable; in my hand this feels like a toothpick. It's very difficult to manipulate a tool effectively when it doesn't feel like it has any durability. Additionally, the Graphire pen stand is little more than a piece of transparent molded plastic and slides around the desk whenever I put the pen back into it.

Responsiveness: There is a half-second delay whenever using the pen to click in any finder-related options--opening windows, selecting files, etc. 1/2 second may sound acceptable, but if you, like me, use the pen for everything, not just drawing, believe me it is utterly maddening. On the other hand, the mouse behaves perfectly with no delay at all, so I know it's the pen and not my computer.

The tablet is attractive and the mouse works fine, but the bottom line is that it's more important for me to have a responsive, durable pen than a wireless tablet. If you've never used an Intuos you may not recognize the deficiencies, but for those who have, this is like going from a Mercedes to a Honda Civic. You'll get better gas mileage with the Civic but the Benz gives you the best overall driving experience. I need the driving experience, so I'm going back to the Intuos--wire and all.

I own both the Wacom Graphire Bluetooth 6x8 and the Wacom Intuos 9x12 tablets. I've noticed some reviewers were disappointed with the Graphire so I thought I'd shed some light on the differences and what to expect.

The Graphire Bluetooth is the only wireless tablet from Wacom. If you really want wireless then it's your only choice. I was a bit skeptical that the wireless tablet would be as sensitive or responsive as the wired tablets. After quite a bit of experimentation, I really find it's very hard to tell the difference. As long as the host computer is fast, the bluetooth tablet works extremely well. It'll be responsive, sensitive, etc. and you wont notice any lag. If you do notice lag -- it's probably your computer that's having trouble keeping up... not the tablet.

The Graphire is designed for a different market. The Graphire was Wacom's low-end line. The Graphire Bluetooth was the high-end of the Graphire series. It's a little more substantial than the old (now discontinued) Graphire "wired" versions of the tablet. It's quality is higher. The Graphire "wired" tablets were replaced by the "Bamboo" series -- which is the new low-end tablet. These tablets are designed for home use -- basically people who will only just occasionally want to use a tablet and don't want to spend a lot of money.

The Graphire tablet comes with one stylus (pen). It has a few replacement nibs (the tips) which will wear out over time... although if you're an occasional user they'll probably never wear out unless you're really hard on them. It also comes with a wireless 3-button mouse (middle button is a scroll-wheel). The tablet itself has two user-definable buttons at the top-middle.

Bigger is definitely better when it comes to graphics tablets. It's harder to have precise control on a tiny tablet (e.g. 3x5 or 4x6). This is especially true if you're using the tablet with drawing/painting type applications where you want to make expressive strokes -- it's hard to be expressive in a crammed & confined area. If you're using the tablet for non-drawing or painting type apps (e.g. photo-editing apps such as Photoshop) then you tend to not need to do expressive gestures and the smaller space isn't such a big deal.

If you want a tablet for occasional or moderate use and you think you'd mostly just use it with apps such as Photoshop then then this is probably a good choice. The tablet itself has an area that's probably no larger than most laptops -- that means it'll fit nicely into a bag for travel use.

If, on the other hand, you think you'll be more into the 'heavy' use category or you're the sort of artist that likes to sketch, draw, paint, or do other forms of art that rely on using your hands for more expressive strokes, etc. then Graphire probably wont offer you the level of control that you want.

The Intuos tablets are the more professional line and come in both larger and smaller sizes. I would only recommend a 'small' size tablet to someone if they told me they _needed_ a tablet for travel purposes. If you aren't traveling then buy a larger size.

Intuos tablets are angle & direction aware. The tablet can sense if the stylus is being held straight up & down or if if you're holding the stylus at an angle (leaning it to a side) and it knows how much the stylus is leaning. It also knows the direction of the lean. Not every application cares. Photoshop doesn't take advantage of angle & direction sensitivity. But drawing & paint applications do! Most artists tools that the tablet & painting application are trying to mimmic will have shaped tips (e.g. calligraphy pens, chisel or flat tipped brushes, etc.) The angle of a paintbrush tip and the direction it's held when you make a brush stroke will make a difference when working with a real brush & canvas and the tablet & stylus need to be able to mimmic that. The Intuos can do this... the Graphire series cannot.

The Intuos styluses don't just come with replacement nibs (tips), they come with different types of nibs. For example the nylon nib (the default) feels like writing with a smooth rollerball pen. If you insert the firm felt tip then it "feels" more like writing with a pencil on paper (there's a bit of friction/drag as you write with it.) The functionality doesn't change -- just the feel.

The Intuos tablet will include just one stylus, but you can buy extras. Each stylus has a unique "pen ID." This means if you buy multiple styluses the tablet will recognize each of them uniquely. Whatever type of artist tool, brush type, size, color, blend effect, etc. you last defined when holding that stylus will be remembered. If you own multiple styluses then you don't need to navigate menus to switch among effects, you just put one pen down and pick up another -- much like you'd do if they were real paint brushes or chalks or pencils, etc. The Graphire stylus doesn't have a unique "pen ID". With the Graphire, you can buy a replacement stylus should you manage to lose or break one, but owning multiple pens or styluses doesn't buy you any functionality.

The Intuos standard stylus has a more comfortable grip and feels better in your hand. You can also buy different types of styluses... for example there's one that looks and feels a bit like an airbrush.

The mouse on the Intuos tablet is a 5-button mouse with scroll wheel. The Graphire is a 3-button mouse with scroll wheel.

The Intuos tablet has many more buttons and it also has sliders. The Graphire tablet has only the two center buttons and no sliders. The sliders are nice because you can define them to do things such as control zoom level, or control the size of your brush tip, etc. With more buttons you can define many commonly used commands and modifiers. This allows you to do more with the tablet without needing to switch to the keyboard or navigate application menus. The Intuos tablet driver is also application aware. So you can define what the controls are for each application that you use. As you switch among applications, the driver knows which application you're working in and automatically defines your tablet controls to match the needs of that application. The Graphire driver is more primitive. If you switch between applications with the Graphire, the buttons & controls do not automatically remap -- you'd have to re-define the controls manually each time you change applications.

The Graphire Bluetooth is a great tablet. The quality is good. It is sensitive and responsive. If you need a tablet for occasional to moderate use and your use is more on the image-editing (Photoshop) side of things then you'll probably be very happy with it. If you need a tablet for heavier use or if your applications tend to be more on the sketching/drawing/painting side where you need it to more accurately mimmic the capabilities of physical artist tools (brushes, knives, etc. where the tips have shapes and how you hold them when you make a stroke will alter the effect) then the Graphire line is probably not going to meet your needs -- look to the Intuos line instead.

As a teacher who is fortunate enough to have permanent access to a digital projector in my classroom, this tablet is now an essential part of my classroom. With the wireless capability, I can now control my computer, and my lesson, from anywhere in the room. Using a variety of programs, but mostly PowerPoint, I can actually "write on the board" from the opposite side of the room.
I use the PowerPoint slides with Ink Annotations as my tech version of an extra-large white board, and I can be standing in the back of the room while writing on the board in the front of the room. It's so great to be able to watch what every student is doing and still write on the board at the same time. (Unlike real whiteboards, where you inevitably spend the majority of your class time with your back to the students as you are writing on the board.)
Plus, you can use it to sign electronic documents, which comes in handy when sending home notes to parents via email.
Overall, I can't live without it now. I love it. The kids love it. I will insist upon having one in every classroom I use from now on.

My Thoughts after struggling with the whole Wacom intuos v. graphire decision.

1. If you use multiple monitors... I would strongly suggest getting the 6x8 size or higher. Even if you have a widescreen 15inch.. the 6x8 would probably be better because you loose about an inch (5x8 useable area) if you lock your tablet dimensions to your screen dimensions (which I highly suggest)

2. The bluetooth is probably the smart move in the long run. You don't need to worry about the cable ever fraying or shorting out... and if you need to use the wireless capability... you will have it.

3. I can't imagine needing more than 512 pressure levels. I've ued this thing with photoshop and the pressure sensitivity is very fluid. I also couldn't imageing needing to have my tablet sense what my pencil tilt is.

4. This thing works flawlessly on my MacBook Pro. I have never noticed any jumpiness or slowness at all. The Wacom drivers are Universal Binaries.

5. The Mac drivers for this thing are great... you can set the tablet and pen buttons to do almost anything -- including execute keyboard combinations. You can set the useable area of the tablet and adjust pen sensitivity. I have never used a bluetooth device that had such good OS level support.

6. The power light flickers from blue to green depending on the usage... It's almost as cool as my backlit keyboard.

its been over 6 months ever since i had this tablet travel along with me to schools and to my friend's houses. I bought it as a high school senior and i remember researching alot - researching about this product over other tablets for about a month or so. I first came across this product when i was traveling in japan for marching band and i was really amazed how precise and accurate this tablet really was! The timing was perfect and i just fell in love.

Talking to my art and graphics teacher, they recommended me not to get it simply because the intuos had better qualities and better overall grip
i just decided to buy this simply because this tablet was WIRELESS!

thats not all (on a side note) - everytime u use the pen on the tablet, the power symbol on the tablet (top left) lights up from blue to green which is simply really cool to look at

so spending $200 + $50 dollars for the advanced bluetooth device, i just simply love it - no wires and my friends who had intuos envied how i could be over 30ft away and draw if i wanted to (and yes it still works!)


The only bad side to this tablet would be the fact that it perhaps feels really "cheap" compared to intuos like many people have stated and the pen for the tablet feels really unprofessional compared to the intuos pen.

another side note is that - i am a very clumsy person and i dropped my pen couple times and the "right button" key located near the tip of the pen kept falling out! (argh!) but it was easy putting it back - the only bad side is that i used to stress over trying to find where that button went to.

the last bad thing about this tablet besides the cheap feeling and the
"button on the pen going missing" would be the location of the button on the pen - u get used to it but at first (maybe for a month), you would probably keep pressing that "right key" on the pen by accident which would cause ur drawings to use the "undo" button which gets annoying after a while. making that perfect line that u just made disappear before ur eyes and u having to click redo over and over again! >:/ (but like i said u get used to the placement of the button later and so i dont do that anymore =])

so the conclusion. I feel EXTREMELY happy that i chose to get this tablet because it simply is extremely portable - no wires! and although it FEELS cheap, it is very durable (i accidently dropped it and stepped on it (im around 200lbs) over 20 times) and it still works PERFECTLY

u will get used to the
toothpick like pen and the
cheap plastic feeling
and this tablet just delivers what you need overall. although the screen does get scratched over 3-4 months, it really doesnt matter. And its very fun to let strangers who get amazed by this to try it and make new friends as well : ] (i frequently play drawing games like isketch or pictograph with my friends)
if u decide to get this tablet
just remember, always check to see if the button on the pen has gone missing and if anything seems weird... call ur 3 yr insurance thing - they should be there for support (although i heard they werent good)

overall, this tablet exceeds in battery life, efficency, durability, and precisions that i needed in art and graphics class. (just having one inspired my friends to get one too! =])
through it all, this tablet for me was worth every single cent i have saved for a whole year and i never regretted getting one.
hope this review helped you

-nak-

I am a photographer and use a Wacom tablet at work. There I use the smaller corded tablet. My husband was trying to be thoughtful and bought me this one to use at home, figuring that since it was bigger and more expensive it would be better. I LOVE using a tablet and the tablet works just fine, but the Bluetooth function is a pain in the neck. It seems I'm troubleshooting almost every time I use it, and I have yet another battery charger cable to keep track of. Unless you have a reason to need a cordless tablet, why bother? USB is so much easier. Buy the smaller tablet - the pen even seems a little more substantial.

The short story:
Pros: Wireless!!!, Convenient Pen Holder
Cons: Poor Pen Hovering Distance
Bottom Line: If you've used an Intuos before, you won't like the Graphire! (at least the Bluetooth one...)

The long story:
I recently decided that I needed a tablet (again). My first tablet was several years ago, and it was a 9x12 Intuos. I got rid of it a couple of years later because it was too big. In the mean time, I used an Intuos tablet here and there at school. So, now I needed one of my own and started looking into Wacom's latest line-up.

I hadn't tried a Graphire before, so I was a bit skeptical. Resisting the wireless feature of this tablet was unbearable, so I knew I had to get this one. Plus, it was just the right size.

Compared to an Intuos of the same size, the Graphire really...well...sucks. The wireless feature is really nice, as well as the tablet's pen holder (genius). But this tablet really falls apart with the pen. The Graphire pen is about an inch smaller than the Intuos pen and does not feature a comfortable rubber grip.

The biggest problem I had was the pen's hover height. You can hold a Wacom pen over the tablet without touching it and still move the cursor. After you move a certain distance from the tablet, it stops registering the movement. With the Wacom, this is about 0.75 inches. The Graphire is roughly half that, about 0.4 inches. Personally, I hold the tip of the pen on the tip of my ring finger with my wrist straight while moving around...this registers on the Intuos, but it is too far away for the Graphire. So, to see hover movement on the Graphire, I have to twist my wrist, which is fairly uncomfortable. Again, this is just the way I use pens in general. So, for me, the Graphire's hover responsiveness is very poor.

My first experience with a Wacom tablet was the one integrated into my Toshiba Portege M200 tablet PC. This is my second--third if you count the USB version of this tablet that I bought and later returned so I could go wireless.

The driver installation is painless, and drivers for Vista are very much available and working properly, including the control panel applet to configure the tablet. The only caveat is that communication between the tablet and the computer doesn't seem to be encrypted (Vista reports that the tablet failed to exchange keys properly). That's not an issue for me, but keep it in mind.

Otherwise, it functions exactly like any other tablet. There's no lag that I perceive using the pen--I don't bother with the mouse at all given my normal wireless mouse is better in every respect except requiring batteries.

The included pen feels very light, which is actually not a great thing. It doesn't bother me too much, but if you're used to heavier pens, you should consider getting one of the pens Wacom offers--nearly any Wacom pen will work on this tablet.

I printed out a screenshot of OneNote 2007 and filled it exactly to the 6x8 working area of the tablet, and stuck it to the plastic clear cover. It gives me a sort of template to use when taking notes.

Vista recognizes it as a normal digitizing tablet and therefore lets you use it for handwriting recognition and everything else a tablet PC would normally offer, but on any computer.