Vista Pad Portable Graphic Tablet

If you’ve always wanted to check out the features of a graphic tablet but shied away from the expensive price tag, then this very basic entry level graphic tablet from the crew at Capax could be just the ticket.

If you’ve always wanted to check out the features of a graphic tablet but shied away from the expensive price tag, then this very basic entry level graphic tablet from the crew at Capax could be just the ticket.

With a price tag under a $100, this plug and play tablet is obviously devoid of a lot of features that those who’ve had their eyes on the likes of a Wacom will have come to expect – however as an entry level player it doesn’t do too bad a job.

First up there’s the tablet’s display area. At just 5.8inches wide with a 5″ x 3″ active display area, there is little room to move, however for the novice tablet user this may be a good thing. The tablet’s screen is sized to match your desktop/notebook’s display area and although maneuvering around the tablet can be a little disconcerting to begin with, the tablet has a brief tutorial that will soon have you mastering the required pen flicks with ease. Hello, short cuts!

The Vista Pad Portable Graphic Tablet is designed specifically to work with Microsoft’s Vista and Office 2007 – the Tablet has macro links to launch all the major Office programs directly from the tablet. Wanna browse the net, assuming IE is your browser of choice then a simple tap on the Explorer logo and it will have you up and running in no time.

Users however will get the most use from the tablet when needing to make annotations or corrections on documents or for quick photo touch ups or if they want to compile documents from different sources – using the snip tool and the Capax Free Notes program. The device has a built in handwriting software recognition – which is pretty accurate even without training – always a plus – and it’s compact size and weight (550g) make it not too bulky to consider taking on the road.

Some drawbacks however are the flimsiness of the stylus – it might be shaped like a Mont Blanc but it certainly isn’t weighted like one; and some inconsistency with sensitivity and response time of the stylus.

Product: Vista Pad Portable Graphic Tablet

Vendor: Capax

RRP: $85