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Of all the tablets we reviewed, the Kurta XGT 6x8 and
12x12 are the ones artists will be most likely to flip over and are
still topnotch for traditional CAD use. I guess I'm a little jaded with
regular 12 x 12 digitizers so even adding a pen and pressure sensitivity
doesn't get me going as much as the small size and unobtrusive nature of
the Kurta XGT 6 x 8. I'm not a artist but I am a CAD user and I love the
small footprint and find it doesn't hinder most regular CAD operations.
Both tablets offer a "dazzling spectrum of special features and
customization options."
Cordless, of course, makes both tablets a joy to use and we
were impressed with the light weight and sensitivity of the Kurta pens.
The 12 x 12 is as good and solid as any digitizer and was clearly
designed for professional use in a production shop. Pressure lock,
on-tablet pressure adjustment and built-in airbrush mode (the only
tablets we know of that offer this), extensive emulations, lifetime
warranty, and unlimited free technical support are features unmatched by
other tablet manufacturers. How long will they be able to keep up that
free tech support deal? The company has been around since 1979, an
eternity in the computer business, and have all the signs of being able
to stick it out for the long haul. Also, since the product is as well
designed as it is they probably don't need a huge support staff so we
suggest free tech support and lifetime warranty may be features that tip
the balance in favor of Kurta when making buying decisions.
Both tablets offer screen and tablet scaling so the user can
change the active area of the tablet without leaving the application.
Pressure levels can be adjusted and locked. Both tablets offer 256
pressure levels and are WinTab compliant. A non-pressure sensitive pen
can be used for signature capture and handwriting recognition. Units are
available for IBM compatible PCs, Sun systems, and Macs.
I think the 6 x 8 is destined to become "the crown jewel of
small footprint graphics tablets." Once you use one of these tablets
your mouse is headed for the trash can. They are really addictive. They
are hardly bigger than a mouse pad so the size problem with traditional
digitizers is solved and the tablets are so much nicer than using a
mouse that I see a real flood of people purchasing these types of
tablets. Once the average user finds out what the graphic arts
professionals already know small tablets will find their way onto most
desktops. May I be so bold as to predict the demise of the mouse? This
is not just my beery genius talking either–the XGT 6 x 8 is so much
nicer than a mouse that they have the potential to take over the world!
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