Just announced and released, Wacom’s Intuos5 Professional Pen Tablets ($229-$469) offer evolutions over previous generations of the company’s popular input solutions. Available in three sizes ranging from 24 to 102 square inches of working area, they’ve undergone a redesign that not only looks better, but adds more features too. The big thing Wacom is promoting is Multi-Touch, and while these aren’t the first tablets from the company to incorporate the feature, it’s clear that gesture-based input has become a major focus for these professional products.
Think of Intuos5 as a giant, customizable Magic Trackpad with extra features. It can be used for navigation, but drawing and design apps are the main beneficiaries. Familiar gestures for scrolling, zooming, swiping, and more are available, and there are also customizable options for three, four, or five finger inputs. Creative professionals will appreciate not having to leave their tablets for pretty much anything but typing. The clickable ExpressKeys along the left side have been replaced by touch-sensitive sensors and a wheel, and of course Wacom includes a pen for input too, enabling users to write, draw, and interact with their Macs all from a single surface.
