If you are not a professional artist/designer, this may not be a good investment of your money. It's not ideal for general usage since it lacks a scroll button like newer mouses. The wacom mouse just isn't usable unless as a backup.

Another factor is the pen is small and can easily be lost or misplaced. If so, you are in trouble. (...) No other stores sell replacements, so wacom obviously exploits the situation with inflated prices and poor service.

"Great tool for an artist - Bad tool for the average user", Wacom tablets are the best choice for a pen type interface. It takes a while to adjust, but once adjusted, it works much faster and precise than a mouse. It works great for illustration work and graphic design.

If you are not a professional artist/designer, this may not be a good investment of your money. It's not ideal for general usage since it lacks a scroll button like newer mouses. The wacom mouse just isn't usable unless as a backup.

Another factor is the pen is small and can easily be lost or misplaced. If so, you are in trouble. The replacement for the pen or the mouse costs ($) (($) total) from wacom.com. Shipping is "free", but a unscrupulous ($) handling fee is added. No other stores sell replacements, so wacom obviously exploits the situation with inflated prices and poor service.

"Mac Users Beware", Something that you should be aware before buying this product. If you own a Mac, 3 of the applications that are provided will not work (Pen Office, Sensiva and ActiveShare) since they are PC only. Worse yet, if you run OSX, you cannot use any of the "real" features of the tablet since the OSX drivers are not yet ready. What that leaves you is mouse emulation mode for the tablet. Personally, that is a lot of missing stuff if you own a Mac.

I prefer my Logitech cordless mouse to the mouse on the Graphire as it isn't as smooth as the Logitech, and I also use an ergonomic mouse pad to prevent wrist strain. You must use the Graphire mouse on the Graphire pad--that's how the electronic connection is made, through the tablet. Still, this is a wonderful interface especially if you have kids. They can draw and paint on the computer. What a great idea. And this is wonderful for creating digital art for your webpage. (ok, who'm I kidding! I'm the one who uses the pad and draws for the website and sends pictures to my mom in email.)

Wacom sells their Graphire tablets with a copy of Painter Classic. Great idea as this helps you get a lot out of the tablet. Painter Classic is a cut-down version of the powerful Painter sold by Corel and developed by Metacreations. It replicates the look and feel of real art media like oils, watercolor, chalk, crayon and pencil. For the home user (maybe doing some homepage graphics, someone wanting to dabble in digital art, or for kid) it's simply great.) The art you create can be saved as a .jpg, gif, .tif, .bmp files, put on your page, used as screensavers or sent to Grandma in email. If you want to know more about what Painter does, check my reviews about it and Painter Classic.

Check out the Wacom website http://www.wacom.com . You can find out more about Painter at http://www.corel.com .

"Well worth it for a simple artist", I've been eyeing the Wacom 4x5 tablets for about four monthes now, ever since I really started to develop a taste for computer art (I'm an artist at heart, but my actual ability with a pen is about nil). I finally got one (for Christmas this year) and was a little worried about how it would work out. Fortunately, it works like a wonder. While it does take some getting used to, and was not exactly how I percieved it would work, it is still a fine piece of equipment. The small size of the tablet is really not a hinderence at all (unless you want to use the included mouse, which is about the same size as the actual drawing area). My only real gripe, though, is the over sensitivity of the pen over the pad, but that is really more of a training issue than anything else, I just need to get used to the slight differences from a normal pen and paper. A great purchase if you need a tablet and don't want to go broke in the process.

"Excellent, Inexpensive Alternative to Larger Tablets", I finally decided to invest in my own personal graphics tablet, but couldn't yet afford one of the larger models, of which I've grown quite accustomed to at work. By trade, I am an Illustrator/Animator, so a tool such as a graphics tablet can be quite valuable, especially if you draw directly onto the computer. The model I use at work (is much more), which would be a MAJOR investment. I decided to take a chance on the 4x5 Graphire version, which priced about 60% less than the next size up. The price was a relief, but I didn't know if I would be getting what I payed for (cheap) or if that size was even workable? Well, I just recieved it and have been EXTREMELY satisfied and relieved. It works very smoothly and accurately, and seems to me to be a more convenient size than those other monster tablets. Included are several programs, including Painter Classic, which enables you to take full, immediate action of your pressure-sensitive pen. A cordless mouse is also part of the package . . . it has great features such as the scrolling wheel, but is a little annoying to use on the tablet (running off edges or bumping into the pen holder). I'm sure it takes practice, but it isn't really a concern. The real star of the package is the pressure-sensitive pen, which was the only feature I was interested in for drawing purposes. The pen glides smoothly across the surface and the scale of the workable area doesn't even seem to be a factor. The size is NOT a problem and I HIGHLY recommend!