CES 2016: Wacom Introduces Bamboo Smart Styluses for Windows and Android

PRESS RELEASE

Backed by three decades of digital pen input innovation, Bamboo Smart delivers the power of note-taking and ideation to a wider audience of laptop and tablet users. 

Las Vegas, Nev. - Jan. 5, 2016 - As mobile users demand more from their devices with the help of digital styluses, Wacom® continues to innovate and raise awareness in the smart stylus category. 

Bamboo Smart for select media tablets and 2-in-1 devices builds on Wacom’s 30 years of pen input leadership and the feedback of thousands of professional users as well as enthusiasts and hobbyists. The result is two premium Bamboo Smart styluses. 

The first, making its debut at CES 2016, is Bamboo Smart for select Windows® 2-in-1 devices enabled with Active Electro-Static (AES) technology. 

The second, introduced this past September, but new to most CES attendees, is Bamboo Smart for select Samsung® devices using Wacom’s Electro-Magnetic Resonance (EMR) technology. Both styluses offer pressure-sensitive precision and sublime comfort, producing handwritten notes and rough ink concepts that feel and look like they were produced by traditional media. 

Deep Digital Stylus Experience Drives Performance 
“We drew on Wacom’s long history and market knowledge to come up with the new Bamboo Smart styluses,” says Mike Gay, Senior Vice President for the Consumer Product Business Unit at Wacom. “Not only are we opening up digital note-taking and ideation to a new set of laptop and tablet users, but we are also providing a way for users to think differently and explore new ways to communicate and collaborate.” 

Both Bamboo Smart styluses are designed with high quality materials and use technology developed to enhance the effortless experience of a traditional inking pen. Every subtle written or drawn detail is captured accurately. Comfortable and balanced in the hand, Bamboo Smart owners can fearlessly take notes and sketch out rough ideas and concepts on their laptops and mobile devices just like they would with pen and paper.

Two programmable side switches on the barrel of Bamboo Smart’s AES stylus allow for fast and convenient access to regularly used commands, such as right click or double click. The stylus requires a AAAA battery that will last approximately one year when used around three hours per day. 

The Bamboo Smart for Samsung features one side switch and requires no batteries or any type of charging. Bamboo Smart users will find that they can get more out of their favorite productivity apps such as OneNote and Wacom’s own note-taking app, Bamboo Paper. 

Current Devices Compatible with Bamboo Smart Bamboo Smart for select Windows 2-in-1 devices: 

• Dell® Venue™ 10, 5000 Series (5050) 
• Dell Venue Pro 10 5000 Series (5055) 
• HP® Elite x2 1021 (New) 
• Lenovo® ThinkPad® P40 Yoga™ 
• Toshiba dynaPad N72 (New) 

Because AES technology is native to these devices, the Bamboo Smart works immediately, no pairing required. 

Bamboo Smart for Samsung devices: 

• Samsung Galaxy™ Note 3
• Samsung Galaxy Note Edge
• Samsung Galaxy Note 4
• Samsung Galaxy Note 5
• Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.0“ with S-Pen
• Samsung Galaxy Tab 9.7“ with S-Pen 

Bamboo Smart for Samsung is battery-free and cordless. 

For more compatibility information, visit wacom.com/comp Availability and Pricing Bamboo Smart ($39.95 USD) for Samsung is available now on the Wacom eStore and at online retailers such as Amazon. Bamboo Smart for Windows will be available in February

CES 2016: Toshiba announces availability of dynaPad

PRESS RELEASE

• 12-inch Windows-powered tablet measures just 6.9mm (0.27 in) thin and weighs only 1.28 pounds 

• Delivers precision digital inking technologies by Wacom for a truly natural handwriting experience that feels like writing with pen on paper

• Suite of Toshiba original business applications inspire creativity, productivity and collaboration

• Available for pre-order starting today direct from Toshiba and at Microsoft Stores in late January for $569.99 MSRP

LAS VEGAS – CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW – January 5, 2016 – Toshiba’s Digital Products Division (DPD), a division of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., today announced the availability of dynaPad™, a light and powerful tablet powered by Windows 10 and engineered to deliver the natural feel of pen to paper so you can work and create freely.

“Precision digital inking technology is the next frontier of truly personal computing,” said Philip Osako, senior director of product marketing, Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., Digital Products Division. “Advances in engineering and pen technology have enabled us to create an amazingly thin and light tablet that’s ideal for instant creativity while also offering the versatility to immediately transition to a clamshell form factor for productivity. Toshiba dynaPad is the ultimate digital notebook.”

Remarkably Accurate Pen Experience
Built with professional-grade digital inking technologies by Wacom®, Toshiba’s exclusive Active Electrostatics (ES) TruPen™ with Wacom® Feel delivers pen precision and accuracy, so note-taking, sketching and drawing feels like writing with pen on paper.Ideal for designers, artists and note-takers, it is also great for highlighting and writing notes directly on webpages through the annotating features in the Microsoft Edge browser. Featuring a sophisticated metal design, this fine-tip digitizer pen supports 2,048 levels of pressure sensitivity and writing or drawing capabilities from extreme angles with virtually no latency. And because the pen is battery-powered, it can last for more than 1,000 hours so there is no need to carry a separate charging connector.

“Our Active ES solution continues to deliver a best-in-class writing and drawing experience on tablets like the Toshiba dynaPad,” said Masahiko Yamada, president and CEO of Wacom Ltd. “Toshiba’s TruPen stylus delivers unprecedented accuracy and speed and allows users to create intricate details, just like they would with a pen or pencil on paper.”

Dynamic Full HD Display Precision Engineered for Handwriting
Toshiba dynaPad features a 12-inch Full HD+ (1920x1280) TruBrite® display1
remastered for handwriting. To achieve a digital canvas that best replicates the natural feel of pen to paper, Toshiba bonds two sheets of high-quality glass with a metal mesh sensor and incorporates Corning’s Gorilla Glass 3 with Native Damage Resistance™, plus an anti-fingerprint coating to deliver a sturdy surface that accepts fine lines and pressure-sensitive strokes – all while delivering a crystal clear 2 million pixel-perfect view. 

The World’s Lightest 12-inch Windows Tablet
The innovative slim and lightweight design of dynaPad – 6.9mm thin and 1.28 pounds – makes dynaPad the lightest 12-inch tablet that is powered by Windows. Sized to mimic a traditional A4 paper size, dynaPad’s design complements the large display area with a carbon fiber housing and a sophisticated, rubberized finish to give it a solid feel in hand, while reducing flex. The device also offers an optional ultra-thin, full-size keyboard with a 19mm pitch and 1.5mm stroke for easier typing and a well-sized touchpad ideal for Windows navigation. Attached by magnets, users canquickly convert the tablet to a clamshell laptop for productivity applications. The TruPen neatly attaches to the side of the tablet.

“Toshiba’s dynaPad is a great example of a device that highlights how Windows 10 can help people do great things,” said Peter Han, vice president of Worldwide OEM Marketing, Microsoft Corp. “Toshiba’s TruPen with Wacom Feel technology is fantastic for taking notes and highlighting on webpages in the Microsoft Edge browser and the detachable keyboard combined with Continuum on Windows 10
enables you to use it as a tablet or laptop.”

Toshiba’s Suite of Original Apps Designed for the Way You Work
The dynaPad also includes updated versions of Toshiba’s exclusive suite of original business applications that enable users to easily collect, organize and share notes, images and files and integrate them seamlessly with Microsoft Office. The suite includes:

• TruNote™: A simple, yet powerful handwriting app lets you effortlessly take lecture or meeting notes, create detailed hand drawings, search handwritten messages, manage multiple notebooks and more. Smart settings allow for left- or right-handed use to maintain a normal writing style.
• TruCapture™: Easily capture images and text from whiteboards, textbooks, newspapers and more, at any angle for simple importing into presentations and sharing.
• TruRecorder™: A powerful voice recording application for meetings, lectures and interviews that can recognize the speaker’s voice for easy playback.
• TruNote Clip: Easily capture screen clips and mark them up for easy sharing.
• TruNote Share: Turn the tablet into a real-time whiteboard that can be shared with up to 40
people.

Performance for Creativity and Productivity
The tablet features the Intel® Atom™ x5 Z8300 processor with up to 4GB of RAM and up to 64GB of flash storage delivering snappy performance for navigating Windows 10, using apps and getting work done. Offering a range of connectivity options, dynaPad includes two Micro USB 2.0 ports, a microSD card slot that supports up to 128GB cards and a Micro HDMI® port for connecting to external devices. In
addition, the device includes ultrafast 802.11ac Wi-Fi® and Bluetooth as well as a 2MP front-facing camera and dual-array TruTalk™ mics for video chatting and an 8MP rear camera with auto-focus.

Pricing & Availability
Toshiba dynaPad is available today for pre-order starting today direct from Toshiba at toshiba.com/us and at Microsoft Stores in late January for $569.99 MSRP. 

CES 2016: Lenovo Unveils Thinkpad X1 Tablet

PRESS RELEASE

X1 Tablet with Intel® Core™ m7 Processor reaches 10 hours’ battery and unique modules add functionality

LAS VEGAS, NV – January 3, 2016 – Lenovo (HKSE:992) today unveiled its newly expanded and highly innovative X1 portfolio. Designed for forward thinkers, the series includes new additions such as the brilliantly adaptable ThinkPad X1 Tablet with its unique modular design; the immersive ThinkPad X1 Yoga with world’s first OLED display; and the award-winning ThinkPad X1 Carbon is even thinner and lighter, strengthening its superiority in the ultrabook market.  Furthermore, desktop users will be wowed by the stunning new ThinkCentre X1 all-in-one, the must-have design centerpiece for any office with outstanding performance to match.

Introducing Lenovo new offering - ThinkPad X1 Tablet. More than just a lightweight tablet, it can be a laptop, a projector and a 3D camera with new generation modular design! Will your tablet still be a tablet? #thinkfirst #thisisthinkpad Learn more from: http://www.thisisthinkpad.com

Designed and Engineered for Forward Thinkers
 
The modular design of the ThinkPad X1 Tablet offers something no other tablet can - adding functionality through simple clip-on optional modules:
 
·        Need more battery? The Productivity Module increases use up to 15 hours total
·        Ready to present? The Presenter Module includes a pico projector and HDMI port
·        Creating in 3D? Add the 3D Imaging Module with its rear-facing Intel RealSense camera

The full size ThinkPad keyboard with the iconic TrackPoint has three adjustable typing angles and recreates the classic ThinkPad keystroke feel. Keyboard and tablet together weigh just 2.4 pounds for an ultra-light laptop experience. What’s more, it is the first Windows tablet with LTE Advanced support for superfast connectivity from virtually anywhere. The ThinkPad X1 Tablet also features a removable rear panel for serviceability and upgrades.

ThinkPad X1 Yoga, a powerful laptop yet a device adapts your needs with 4 different modes: laptop, stand, tent & tablet. ThinkPad X1 Yoga, not just one way of working! #thinkfirst #thisisthinkpad Learn more from: http://www.thisisthinkpad.com

ThinkPad X1 Yoga is incredibly thin at just 0.66 inches and light at only 2.8 pounds. It is also the world’s first convertible featuring an optional Samsung OLED display that reproduces beautifully rich colors and deeper blacks. With a patented Lift and Lock keyboard that retracts keys in tablet mode, X1 Yoga also features an active pen that is perfect for highlighting and writing notes directly on webpages using the Microsoft Edge browser. The pen is also housed & charged inside the system so it won’t get lost.

Introducing the new ThinkPad X1 Carbon (2016) - the world's lightest 14" business notebook. ThinkPad X1 Carbon, THIN. LIGHT. TOUGH. #thinkfirst #thisisthinkpad Learn more from: http://www.thisisthinkpad.com

ThinkPad X1 Carbon continues to stand out as the world’s lightest 14-inch business ultrabook. One of the most refined and elegant notebooks available today, the X1 Carbon is thinner, lighter and more powerful than ever.   Focused on customer-centric design improvements, we listened to customer feedback and made a number of improvements, including more display options, increased memory and storage capacity, improved connectivity and made the X1 Carbon lighter at just 2.6 pounds.
 
Customers expect Lenovo to keep pushing the boundaries and the ThinkPad X1 series doesn’t disappoint. With a unique combination of performance, connectivity and security focused features available in all three products, the new ThinkPad X1 family is designed and engineered for forward thinkers:
 
·        Up to 1TB high-density, low-power Samsung M.2 NVMe SSD storage offers speeds up to five times that of standard SATA SSD
·        Ultra-fast enterprise class connectivity with the Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ X7 LTE modem with 4G LTE Advanced Carrier Aggregation support for up to 300 Mbps download speeds
·        Fast and secure WiGig wireless docking for a cable-free desk environment
·        Touch Fingerprint reader and Trusted Platform Module (TPM) security chip for peace of mind
·        Built tough to withstand the rigors of mobile working by passing more than two hundred Lenovo stress tests
 
The ThinkPad X1 family also includes a number of accessories specifically designed to match and enhance the overall user experience:
·        ThinkPad X1 Wireless Touch Mouse is a thin and light dual mode mouse optimized for travel. Flip it over to use the integrated touchpad presenter for easy navigation through slides.
·        The ThinkPad X1 In-Ear Headphones have been optimized by Dolby for the X1 series and engineered with dual drivers to improve phone calls, music and movies.
·        The X1 Sleeve, with its soft-touch interior and easy-to-open magnetic flap, is the perfect transport companion for your X1 Carbon or X1 Yoga.
·        The ThinkPad 65W Micro Adapter is 58 percent smaller and 50 percent lighter than a standard power adapter and is the ideal lightweight travel mate for the ThinkPad X1 Carbon and X1 Yoga.
 
The Desk Space of Tomorrow
 The ThinkCentre X1 AIO offers a superlative design within an ultra-thin 11mm frame giving one of the world’s thinnest desktops. The premium anti-glare display offers a bright picture from any angle on its 23.8-inch screen and despite the incredibly thin chassis, the ThinkCentre X1 is built tough. Designed to withstand dust build up, a common cause of hardware failure with desktop PCs, the all-in-one has been tested for eight hours in a dust chamber, replicating ten years in an office environment.
 
The 7.5mm ultra-slim ThinkVision X1 is the world’s first monitor to receive the TUV Eye-Comfort certification. Featuring a 27-inch UltraHD edge-to-edge anti-glare display, the ThinkVision X1 includes rich connectivity options such as a USB type C port, providing the perfect complement to the ThinkPad X1 Tablet.
 
Pricing and Availability
ThinkPad X1 Tablet will be available starting February from $899.
The Productivity Module will be available starting February from $149
The Projector Module will be available starting May from $279
The 3D Imaging Module will be available starting May from $149
ThinkPad X1 Yoga will be available starting January from $1449. OLED models will be available starting April. Prices will be quoted nearer the time.
ThinkPad X1 Carbon will be available starting February from $1299
ThinkPad X1 Wireless Touch Mouse will be available starting end of January for $69.99
ThinkPad X1 In-Ear Headphones will be available starting January for $69.99
ThinkPad X1 Sleeve will be available starting February for $50
ThinkPad 65W Micro Power Adapter will be available later in 2016 from $80.
ThinkCentre X1 AIO will be available starting March from $1029
ThinkVision X1 will be available starting March from $799.
 
http://www.lenovo.com/think
 
About Lenovo
Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) is a $46 billion global Fortune 500 company and a leader in providing innovative consumer, commercial and enterprise technology. Our portfolio of high-quality, secure products and services covers PCs (including the legendary Think and multimode Yoga brands), workstations, servers, storage, smart TVs and a family of mobile products like smartphones (including the Motorola brand), tablets and apps. Join us on LinkedIn, follow us on Facebook or Twitter (@Lenovo) or visit us at www.lenovo.com.
 
Qualcomm and Snapdragon are trademarks of Qualcomm Incorporated, registered in the United States and other countries. All Qualcomm Incorporated trademarks are used with permission.
Qualcomm Snapdragon X7 is a product of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

All Things (Re)Considered: my year in tech

Perhaps it's due to the overwhelming volume of gadgets I've got clattering around the SurfaceProArtist labs or just my advancing old age, but it's getting increasingly difficult to remember all the gear that I've reviewed and exactly when I reviewed it. Fortunately, despite the somewhat awkward design of the Squarespace template behind this site, everything I've ever posted here is only a keyword search away.

So as the year draws to a close, I thought it would be fun to revisit my last twelve months of reviews and see if my conclusions then have withstood the test of time.

In many cases, the time I invested while writing the review was about as much as I ended up spending with the device for the entire year, so I'll try to distinguish between the gear that I've really put through its paces and the stuff I only ever skimmed.

January
N-Trig DuoSensePen2 http://surfaceproartist.com/blog/2015/1/3/n-trig-now-selling-replacement-pens- The first of a couple of products on this list that disappeared shortly after their release, these replacement pens were N-Trig's first foray into standalone consumer products. It was nice to see an option in case your Surface Pro 3 or Sony VAIO pen went missing, but I didn't care for the short body. When Microsoft bought N-Trig's pen technology later in 2015, the pens vanished.

Monoprice 22" HD SmartTouch Drawing Display http://surfaceproartist.com/blog/2015/1/10/review-new-monoprice-pen-display-puts-multi-touch-within-reach - This touch capable drawing display was Monoprice's second attempt to entire the Wacom - Huion - Yiynova fray, but it also disappeared unceremoniously shortly after release. I still use it occasionally, as its attached to my second desktop. It's really not a bad value and I hope that Monoprice and its anonymous Chinese suppliers take another stab at it in 2016. UPDATE 12/24/15: In the comments section below, reader Vachel Shannon informed me that the Smarttouch pen display has resurfaced on Monoprice's website. You can find it here: http://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=12077

Toshiba 8" Encore 2 Write http://surfaceproartist.com/blog/2015/1/31/massive-guest-post-8-toshiba-encore-2-write-impressions - TabletPCReview member Precurve did a great job capturing the virtues of the 8-inch version of what was the best pen computing value of the year.

February
Lenovo Thinkpad Helix 2 http://surfaceproartist.com/blog/2014/11/28/keyboard-hinders-helix-2 -
I expected to love the Helix 2, but I didn't, thanks to its high pricetag and crappy keyboard. Had it been discounted a couple hundred bucks, I might feel otherwise. When the Ultrabook Pro keyboard was ultimately released, it cost a ridiculous $400.

March
HP Pro x2 612 G1 http://surfaceproartist.com/blog/2015/3/1/hp-pro-x2-612-g1-review - Because I reviewed it so closely to the pricey Helix 2, I probably ended up inflating my rating of this tablet. I admit I grade on a curve for lower cost devices, but there's something about this ugly duckling tablet that reminds me of the Surface Pro 1 that got this blog started. UPDATE 12/24/15 : Vachel Shannon also let me know that refurbished i5/8/256 HP Pro x2 612 G1s are on sale over at Woot! for only $399 until supplies last. This is an exceptional value. http://computers.woot.com/offers/hp-pro-x2-612-12-5-intel-i5-tablet-7?ref=cp_cnt_wp_2_9

Toshiba 10" Encore 2 Write http://surfaceproartist.com/blog/2015/3/1/guest-post-10-toshiba-encore-2-write-review- I never got around to writing my own review of the TE2W, but Eric Merced did the honors here. The TE2W is the first Wacom ActiveES tablet I owned and it's an exceptional value.

Wacom Cintiq Companion 2 http://surfaceproartist.com/blog/2015/2/20/wacom-companion-2 - I'll admit I haven't gotten as much use out of the CC2 has I had imagined/hoped when I first purchased it. I'm spoiled by having so many other options at my disposal and I consider the CC2 too large and loud to use outside of the office. But performance is fantastic and it's still the one to buy if art is your foremost concern.

June
Lenovo Thinkpad Yoga 14 http://surfaceproartist.com/blog/2015/6/26/thinkpad-yoga-14-sneaks-into-best-buy- My credit cards were able to take a break during April and May, and they were taxed a little more lightly by this Best Buy-exclusive offer. The laptop is my daily driver at the office. I've changed out the slow 1TB HDD for a much more responsive 512 GB SSD. You won't need to make that additional expense if you purchase the latest model, which has been updated several times since I purchased it. The TPY14 offers the best price-performance ratio on the market. It's not a style champion, but the Skylake version is essentially an i5 dGPU Surface Book for half the price.

July
Lenovo Thinkpad Active Capacitive Pen http://surfaceproartist.com/blog/2015/7/7/lenovos-elusive-thinkpad-active-capacitive-pen-arrives - The pen that accompanies Lenovo's Wacom ActiveES devices has since been rebranded as the Lenovo Thinkpad Pen Pro. But it remains a must-have for anyone buying one of the new penabled devices, as the bundled rechargeable pen is too small for serious artists.

October
VAIO Z Canvas http://surfaceproartist.com/blog/2015/10/26/vaio-z-canvas-is-windows-tablet-performance-champ - I was a reluctant buyer but the performance of the VAIO Z Canvas really won me over. It's been discounted $500 in recent weeks and is really hard to pass up at that price.

November
Microsoft Surface Pen http://surfaceproartist.com/blog/2015/11/5/man-sets-out-to-review-surface-book-settles-for-pen-instead - A must-have for any Surface Pro 3 or 4 owner. The new pen and softer nibs are a huge improvement over their predecessors.

Microsoft Surface Pro 4 http://surfaceproartist.com/blog/2015/11/7/entry-level-surface-pro-4-is-the-only-ipad-pro-youll-ever-need - I purposely decided to review the low end m3 SP4 because I was looking for a fanless option. I love it and find I'm using my i5 SP3 less and less often. This is the perfect digital sketchbook Sorry Apple.

Miscrosoft Surface Book http://surfaceproartist.com/blog/2015/12/5/surface-book-is-great-but-artists-should-stay-with-the-surface-pro - Early growing pains have almost been resolved. This is a beautiful prestige device, but I think it's a less than ideal form factor for digital artists.

December
Apple iPad Pro & Apple Pencil - Coming soon. Trying to take my time so I don't come off like an Apple hater or Microsoft fanboy.

So that's it. Funny doesn't seem like so many gadgets when you put them all on one page. I don't know how many I'll get to review in 2016. You guys were great the first couple of days I began my appeal for donations, but that's all died down now and revenue is no where near where it needs to be to pay for this site. So if you haven't yet, please consider a small contribution or click on as many ads as you can. Also, remember to begin your Amazon shopping sessions with a click on one of our Amazon links and we'll receive a small kickback.

So what was your favorite gadget of 2015? What are you most looking forward to in 2016? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below. 

Wacom updates Feel driver to 7.3.2-12

Wacom just posted an update to its enhanced tablet driver. This is significant for owners of recently released devices with Wacom pens who were reporting problems or incompatibility with the previous Feel version.

According to a Wacom rep, the update "should support most everything out there that has a Wacom pen in it."

The Surface Pro 3 and 4 and the Surface Book are not Wacom-equipped. This driver is designed to work on devices with Wacom EMR digitizers like the Surface Pro 1 and 2 or Wacom ActiveES pens like the Toshiba Encore 2 Write and Lenovo Thinkpad Yoga 14.

"This driver is not required in order to use the Inking capability of a tablet computer," states the Wacom Read Me. "Its purpose is to support advanced features such as pressure-sensitivity in graphics applications such as Adobe Photoshop and Corel Painter. The driver also enables you to adjust the pen tip pressure sensitivity and to program the side switch of the pen for a wide range of alternative settings and functions."

Programs that support Microsoft's INK API don't require the Feel driver for pressure sensitivity, but you will want to install the Feel driver anyway in order to calibrate your device and customize pen buttons.

If you're updating from your previous Feel driver installation, Wacom recommends that you uninstall that driver and reboot first.

"Some bug fixes since July include improved pen images for custom control panels for OEM drivers in addition to the generic pen image for the Feel Driver, removing selective suspend enablement on I2C devices where it caused an issue, and improvement of the Radial Menu customizations."

The driver is available here: http://us.wacom.com/en/feeldriver/

META SP3 case + shortcut keys Kickstarter underway

Earlier this week I was alerted to an intriguing new Kickstarter campaign being undertaken by Daniel Becker and Gadgetek.

The META, or  Microcontroller Enhanced Tablet Accessory, is a "patent pending protective case" that adds configurable shortcut keys similar to Wacom's Expresskeys to the Surface Pro 3.

"It was originally designed for the Pro 3, but with only a 0.63mm difference in depth from the Pro 4, I am working fast to establish a way to utilize the current form for both Pro 3 and Pro 4 users," writes Becker.

According to the Kickstarter description, "the current configuration of the META integrates six buttons, operated by a microcontroller, into a case that fits a Microsoft Surface Pro 3. The buttons can be programmed to perform any combination of keyboard shortcut operations in virtually any computer application." META connects to the Surface Pro 3 via USB and comes in a choice of seven colors to match the assortment of the Surface Pro Type Covers, plus an exclusive arctic white.  

There are two main goals the Kickstarter campaign will help fund: mold and initial production fees and the creation of a user friendly app for programming the buttons. "The app has yet to be developed, and that is a big piece of the funding goal. The way programming the shortcuts works now is not user friendly, and definitley not what I want the user experience to be. However, I have been in contact with several software developers who are all more than capable and interested in taking on this app and their projected end dates are well within the fulfillment timeline."

META Product Walkthrough

Gadgetek is a one-man operation and the META is not inexpensive at the proposed $79 price. I asked Becker to detail a little of his design background.

"My history as a product designer begins with a home décor design, manufacture, and wholesale company.  I started working with this company in 2007 and have been there ever since. I began as a graphic designer, worked up to product designer and have since moved on to leadership roles within the product development department.  I still actively design product, but my responsibilities have shifted to leading others and managing processes.  I also travel to China twice a year to visit our manufacturers and develop new products at the factories.  That's what really tipped the bucket for me - going there and working at the manufacturers facility was a completely different experience and more efficient than working remotely.  Even beyond that, going out and sourcing new materials and factories with additional capabilities really opened my eyes to everything that can be done outside of what I was accustomed to.  Being an IT professional as well, my inclination has always been towards technology and so I started looking at where I could use my knowledge of product design and manufacturing from my day job to create a product that I was truly passionate about.  Something that I could develop and carry through under my own direction that people wanted and found useful." 

The inspiration for the META came from Becker's "significant other...an amazingly talented artist, she does it all - traditional mediums and digital (www.pwairbrush.com) - and she wanted a tablet to work on with more control and capabilities beyond the iPad, so as a Christmas gift last year I purchased a Surface Pro 3 for her.  My immediate reaction after installing Corel Painter and Adobe Photoshop was that everything was really small.  The menus, the palette tool icons, the UIs in general were very small.  For me, even using the pen, I didn't have great accuracy selecting things I wanted.  So I started thinking about her old Wacom Intuos Pro and how it had configurable buttons for shortcuts and tools within programs.  From there I busted out an Arduino and started trying to figure out how I could use it to perform a similar function as the Intuos Pro and that's how META was born.  From there I put my product development skills to work.  I sourced a factory using Alibaba.com, taught myself CAD so I could provide them with a 3D design file and funded the prototype development on my own.  After I got it to the point where manufacturing was as simple as paying them to start mass production, I went to Kickstarter with the hope that people would have enough interest in the device to help raise the funds necessary to cover the mold and tooling fees, software development fees, and the initial production run."

At the time of this post, the campaign has a long way to go on reaching its $80,000 goal, but I'm intrigued and will support once Becker is able to come up with a solution for making the META case compatible with the Surface Pro 4.

Surface app enables pen cap button assignment...to some*

The Windows Store app simply known as Surface was updated Wednesday to enable users to customize the Surface Pen's cap button.

Up to now, single clicking the pen button automatically only launched with Modern version of OneNote, a nice feature for anyone who uses that software. For the rest of us, it was at best a novelty. Now any app or desktop application is a simple button click away. In the screenshot below, I set the single click to launch Clip Studio Paint.

Unfortunately, this new functionality is limited to the new Surface Pen and the Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book. Even when using the new Surface Pen on the Surface Pro 3, Button Customization is not listed as an option.

*INSTANT UPDATE: Brennan McCullar on Twitter advised me of the following Reddit thread that describes how to bring the functionality to your older devices. It's a little complicated and subject to being overwritten every time a Windows Update is released (in my experience, the OS will want to revert to official drivers whenever you install something not expressly created for your device). If you decide to give this a try, let me know if you have any luck: https://www.reddit.com/r/Surface/comments/3x8xzd/microsoft_now_offers_full_surface_pen_button/

The app allows you to customize the single-click, double-click and press-and-hold actions (below, left). The latter is configured to launch Cortana by default (below, right) but can also call up Cortana Ink Reminders if you like to jot yourself the occasional digital Post-It.

Surface Book is great but 2D artists should stick with the Surface Pro

A funny thing happened on the way to writing this review...

Actually, it was more like dozens of very annoying things kept cropping up as I was doing my testing of the Surface Book: daily, often hourly system freezes, display driver crashes, blue screens of death, etc. etc.

I returned my first Surface Book after only three days of utter frustration and thought I would have to wait until December for a replacement. However, a shipment of i7/8/256/dGPU models arrived unexpectedly at the local Microsoft Store a couple weeks later and I was back in business. Unfortunately this unit began locking up too, though far less frequently than its predecessor.

Microsoft released a UEFI update November 18 that it believes fixes the lockups once and for all. And since installing it, my Surface Book has been relatively solid. On December 2, Microsoft released a System Hardware Update that addressed persistent display driver crashes. Now the only remaining issue is a power management bug that the company says it won't fix until the new year.

We certainly hope so, because once its launch troubles are behind it, there's very little not to like about the Surface Book. This new flagship is a premium product with a premium pricetag. It's clearly not for the masses, but it is a great aspirational device that should push the state of Windows computing forward. Just like OEMs (and Apple) have begun copying the best design features of the Surface Pro 3, I suspect we'll see more devices with Surface Book DNA showing up in 2016.

Because the Surface Book's release was so well-received and reviewed extensively across the web, I won't focus on the basic details you can find elsewhere. Some of the highlights for me are the best backlit keyboard you'll find on a Surface device, the largest and most responsive trackpad, the brightest, roomiest and sharpest display.

If you're torn deciding between a Surface Book and a Surface Pro 4, the decision is not as difficult as you might imagine. Setting price considerations aside, if you need a discrete GPU for rendering or gaming, the Book is your only Microsoft Surface-branded option. If you will be working in traditional laptop mode more than 50% of the time, get a Book. But for those primarily interested in art and directly interacting with the display, the Surface Pro 4 is the better way to go.

Over the last few years I've reviewed several convertible or 2-in-1 laptops, such as the Acer Aspire R7-572, the Sony Flip 15A and the Lenovo Thinkpad Yoga 12 and 14. In each of those instances, the display remained attached to the keyboard base. Flipping the display into tablet mode ranged from ridiculously easy (Acer) to cumbersome (Yogas).

While detaching the Surface Book screen and going into "clipboard" mode is easy enough, flipping into "creative" mode requires two free hands to flip and guide the large screen into place. More importantly, you can't enter in and out of these configurations on a whim.

Although the detached clipboard mode is nice, you'll probably want to do the bulk of your pen-related work in creative mode because that's the only way you're able to tap into the extended battery life and discrete NVidia GPU located in the keyboard base. But if that GPU is occupied, you have to wait for that task to complete before you can detach the screen. This shouldn't be more than an inconvenience in most instances, but I ran into one scenario that could cause some serious grief.

When the display is detached or flipped into creative mode, the keyboard is inoperable. I had the Book in this configuration when I started a 3DS Max animation. The touch targets are very small in that application and the playback controls were being unresponsive to the pen. The only other way I know to exit animation playback is the Esc key. Unfortunately, the on-screen keyboard doesn't have an Esc key. (If there's an Alt equivalent that I'm unaware of,  the on-screen keyboard doesn't have an Alt key either!) So I was stuck. I couldn't detach the display in order to flip it because the GPU was engaged. Ultimately I was forced to quit the program via Task Manager. Had I not saved my file prior to running into this roadblock, I might have lost a lot of work.

Windows 8.1 had an option to display a second, full-featured keyboard on screen. That selection appears ghosted in Windows 10 and I can't find any options related to this in PC settings. If you have any information on this, please leave a comment.

For future versions of the Surface Book, Microsoft should definitely add the ability to power on the keyboard separately and have it communicate wirelessly. In the meantime, you will want to keep a Bluetooth keyboard close by while you work in creative mode, just in case.

If you should shut down your Surface Book while in the Creative configuration, you'll need to turn it back on and use the on-screen eject button in order to get in back into laptop mode for transporting. If you power down your Clipboard while detached, it will reattach to the keyboard without having to power it back up. Thank heaven for small favors!

Due to its unique hinge, the Surface Book's creative configuration forms a wedge that provides a slight incline (perhaps five degrees) to the display. This is preferable to writing on an entirely flat surface, but the angle isn't large enough to make much of a difference. If you plan to work this way on a desk or tabletop, you'll probably need to prop the Surface Book up with something to find a more comfortable drawing angle.

Clip Studio Paint work-in-progress inks over amazing pencils by the legendary Gil Kane.

The laptop is light enough that I had no difficulty resting it on my lap as I drew. The curved hinge comes in handy in portrait mode, where it can double as a grip for your free hand as you draw (see left).

While detached, the Surface Book display performs exactly like the equivalent i5 or i7 Surface Pro, except for the fact that it is powering a larger display at a whopping 3000 x 2000 pixels. Battery life is limited to only three hours. I haven't run it all the way down yet, but running Clip Studio Paint with a browser open in the background, I was at 50% battery after only an hour in balanced power mode with 25% brightness. The Windows power meter isn't very reliable, reporting wildly different "time remaining" each time I check.

The detached i7 tablet tends to run cooler than my i5 Surface Pro 3 tablets. On those, significant heat collects in the upper right corner of the tablet. Heat appears to be better distributed along the length of the Surface Book display, collecting close to the keyboard ports. I'm not sure how air flows through the vents located all around the perimeter of the tablet, but it concerns me that my clothes may be insulating the warmest area as I hold it in my lap. To be safe, I occasionally rotated the display so that the warm areas were located away from my clothing.

I really miss the kickstand. There are times when you want to place the clipboard on a desk or tabletop and working flat is just not as pleasant as the variable angles offered by the Surface Pro. As I use the Clipboard, I can't help but dream of a Surface Book XL with this display size and none of its compromises.

Speaking of angles, when the display is reattached, I wish the Surface Book would open up perhaps another 5-10 degrees. The maximum opening is just a little too vertical to provide optimal viewing angles.

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As expected, the Surface Book did well vs. other dual core tablets in most benchmarks I ran, although the VAIO Z Canvas bested it in most tests. I think this is because most of the benchmarks are heavily weighted toward CPU results, where the dual core 6600U is outmatched by the quad core 4770HQ.

Also tests from 3DMark report that the Surface Book's NVidia display driver is unapproved, which must account for some of the poorer results, especially compared to the Thinkpad Yoga's 940M GPU.

I'm new to Bapco's TabletMark benchmarks, but the chart to the left is fairly consistent with the results of other benchmarks I ran. See full benchmark results below which I will update if and when the NVidia driver is recognized by 3DMark.

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Pen response in 2D programs like Clip Studio Paint, Photoshop and Sketchable is on par with the Surface Pro and I don't have much new to add to the record in that regard. In a couple of earlier posts, we've reported and confirmed Brad Colbow's finding that there is a bug in the new Surfaces that creates an odd aberration at the end of strokes applied with a lot of pressure (see below). Microsoft is aware of the issue and has confirmed that they are looking into it. Whether or not this problem is a showstopper depends on your drawing style. I draw lightly enough that the bug rarely bothers me. (I didn't notice it at all doing my Surface Pro 4 review.)

A more common issue for my drawing style is a small nipple at the end of heavy strokes. At first I thought this was similar to the bug described above, but actually it's a result of the much softer HB and B nibs that I've been using. Because of the increased screen friction, I have to be more conscious of stopping my pen; otherwise, it continues for a short distance past my intended end point, creating an unintentional "skid mark."

The Surface Book's 3:2, 13.3-inch screen is a nearly perfect drawing area, but as I wrote above, if your main desire is to draw, you're better off sacrificing an inch for the added flexibility of the Surface Pro 4.

Unless typing is your main concern, lower cost models of the Book don't offer any other significant advantages. It's only when you add in a discrete GPU that the Book begins to distinguish itself from the rest of the Surface line.

I installed Blender and the full Autodesk suite on the Surface Book. Thanks to 3DS Max artist Adrian Wise who provided a torture test scene that allowed me to see how well the Surface Book performed.

As you can see in the video above, 3DS Max is a bit of a nightmare to use on a high resolution display. Its UI doesn't scale correctly or uniformly. Fonts in some menus can be resized but others remain nearly microscopic. Most icons do not scale. In order to make the software usable, I changed the Surface Book resolution to 1600 x 1200. Even at this reduced resolution, touch targets are very small and often unresponsive as you can see in the video. 

When I was able to get the software to react to my pen or touch, viewport performance is actually fairly smooth and playback was 24 fps thanks to the dGPU. By contrast, I was only able to get the file to play at 20 fps on the VAIO Z Canvas (although that was running at 2560 x 1704 resolution).

A 1000 x 1000 MentalRay render took 41:06 on the Surface Book vs. 23:31 on the VAIO ZC. Switching over to an iRay GPU accelerated render, the Surface Book completed 500 passes in 6:08!

Maya's UI is better behaved on the Surface Book but I didn't get a chance to try to do much with it. I installed the Redshift GPU renderer in order to check out a benchmark scene, but the Surface Book doesn't have enough video RAM to process the file.

Once the NVidia drivers mature, the situation may change, but for now I have to conclude that if you're looking for a workstation class laptop, you'll be disappointed with the Surface Book.

The Surface Book is a stylish product and it will likely appeal most to executives and enthusiasts with plenty of disposable income. It's a beautiful device and a sure crowd-pleaser. But 2D artists will be better-served by a comparably equipped Surface Pro 4 for several hundred dollars less. Power users will be better-served by the VAIO Z Canvas or another workstation class laptop. And everyone else looking for a powerful yet affordable two-in-one device should look closely at the Lenovo Thinkpad Yoga line.

Adobe Releases Major Creative Cloud Updates

PRESS RELEASE

At MAX 2015 Adobe announced a slew of Creative Cloud news:

• We unveiled loads of new desktop app features, including precise Dehaze in Lightroom CC, which has been available since MAX, expanded support for UltraHD in Premiere Pro, the new Shaper tool in Illustrator, and the ability to create realistic 3D models in the brand new Adobe Fuse CC (Preview) and easily import and work on them in Photoshop CC.
• We talked about Adobe Stock getting more deeply integrated into the Creative Cloud apps – giving you Stock search within apps – and how we are adding video to Adobe Stock.
• We showed advanced support for touch-enabled hardware in our most popular desktop apps, Photoshop CC, Illustrator CC, InDesign CC, Lightroom CC, Premiere Pro CC and After Effects CC.
• We made new free mobile apps available, such as Photoshop Fix and Capture CC, which let you edit images and design on the go, and automatically connect your work back to the desktop apps you use everyday.
• And we showed how all of this is connected with CreativeSync, which lets you start your creative work on any device and seamlessly pick it up on another. From initial idea to finished work, CreativeSync ensures that your files, photos, vector graphics, brushes, colors, settings, metadata, stock images from Adobe Stock and fonts and type from Typekit, instantly appear in your workflow right where you need them.

Download Now

Today, the major updates to our Creative Cloud desktop apps are now available for the millions of Creative Cloud members worldwide. Scroll below for more information on the top new features, and links to the teams’ blogs and product pages, which provide greater details about the individual apps. Additionally, you can watch features in action in the videos on our What’s New page.

When you update Photoshop CC, Ilustrator CC, InDesign CC, Premiere Pro CC and After Effects CC, and launch the apps, you will see a new screen to help you get going with your work – we call it Start. The Start experience puts your work front and center, with support for big previews so you can jump right back into your current projects quickly. The Start workspace loads instantly. You can drag files in from the desktop and use all your favorite keyboard shortcuts in the workspace as well. Plus, there are templates to create new projects faster, and a simplified stream of helpful content. Read more about Start from our Experience Design team.

Top New Updates in Creative Cloud 2015

If you aren’t using Adobe Stock in your work, now is a great time to start. You can now download and purchase video content, adding to its collection of photos and graphics with over 1 million HD video files and 45 million assets. What’s unique about Adobe Stock is that you can search for and browse assets directly from Creative Cloud Libraries, including new support foStockBryanr accessing stock within Dreamweaver CC (and coming to Muse CC and Animate CC in early 2016). Adobe Stock is already integrated into Photoshop CC, InDesign CC, Illustrator CC, Premiere Pro CC and After Effects CC (including Character Animator). Plus Adobe Stock is available for enterprise use, with additional support for license management, reporting tools, and unlimited usage in large print runs. Read all the latest Adobe Stock details here.

 Needless to say, the web is growing (the number of websites grew 44% just last year). Thankfully, web designers can design and develop responsive websites for any browser or device with Dreamweaver CC. And with CreativeSync, integrate design elements and styles from other Creative Cloud apps, or high-quality images and graphics from Adobe Stock — all directly within Dreamweaver. At Adobe MAX 2015 we showed responsive design features in Muse CC as well, and these are coming in the Muse CC update in early 2016.

#DidyouKnow one of the most in-demand skills for designers is 3D design? Today we release Adobe Fuse CC (Preview) a new product with an integrated workflow into Photoshop CC that unlocks the power of 3D design. With Adobe Fuse CC (Preview) artists and designers with no previous 3D experience can quickly assemble characters with unique combinations of body parts, clothing items and endless texturing options. Cool stuff. Read more on the Photoshop blog.

See some of the exciting new features and enhancements in the latest update to Photoshop CC 2015. See improvements to Creative Cloud Libraries, Artboards, Design Space (Preview), Adobe Camera Raw and more along with new capabilities like being able to add 3D characters to your compositions with Adobe Fuse CC (Preview).

Speaking of Photoshop CC, if you do any UI, web or UX design, check out the new Design Space (Preview), which is based on deep customer research and built for designers by designers to make your many tasks faster and with less clicks. Also, now you can better customize Artboards. But perhaps the most requested feature for many years: you can now customize your Photoshop CC toolbar. Add to this a new modern UI that delivers a clean and consistent look and improvements in Creative Cloud Libraries, and you have a must-update Photoshop CC.

Adobe Illustrator's new Shaper Tool allows you to create complex shapes from simple ones.

Designers have even more to look forward to with updates in Illustrator CC & InDesign CC. The new Shaper Tool in Illustrator CC lets you draw with loose, natural gestures that magically transform into perfect geometric shapes. Additionally, there are new Live Shapes: Ellipses, Polygons and Lines, which are interactive and dynamically adjustable, so you can quickly craft vector shapes without having to apply effects or use other tools or panels. The latest release of InDesign CC helps you create and distribute layouts faster than ever, from designing in the intuitive Touch workspace to easily publishing documents online. With Publish Online (Preview) you can take your documents online. With a single click, your print layout is automatically converted to an online document that can be easily shared on Facebook and Twitter, in email, and more.

For those of you who create and edit video and audio, your world just got a whole lot more interesting. The features and functionality we previewed at IBC are now ready for download. Premiere Pro CC ushers in the new era of UltraHD via comprehensive native format support for editing beautiful 4K-to-8k footage, optical flow time remapping and advances color, with improvements to the Lumetri color panel and support for High Dynamic Range (HDR) workflows in Premiere Pro CC. After Effects CC now has the powerful and accessible color tools and color fidelity that Premiere Pro has. Audition CC introduces Remix, a new audio feature that automatically rearranges music to any duration while maintaining the aural integrity and structure of the piece. And Adobe Media Encoder adds Facebook to its Destination Publishing support, building upon existing support for YouTube and vimeo, to allow you to quickly and easily showcase your work to your social community.

Publish animations to multiple platforms - including Flash/AIR, HTML5 Canvas, WebGL or even custom platforms - and reach viewers on virtually any desktop or mobile device. Animate CC will be available in early 2016: www.adobe.com/go/flash-now-animate

Welcome Adobe Animate CC

We are renaming Flash Professional CC to “Adobe Animate CC“.

Why the change? The use of open web standards and HTML5 has become the dominant standard on the web. Over the past few years, the Flash Professional CC product team has embraced this movement by rewriting the tool from the ground up, adding native support for HTML5 Canvas and WebGL as well as output to any format (such as SVG) with an extensible architecture. This flexibility has been a huge hit with Adobe customers. Today, over a third of all content produced in Flash Professional CC is HTML5-based, reaching over 1 billion devices worldwide. In order to more clearly reflect its role as the premier animation tool for the open web and beyond, we updated the name.

In addition, Adobe Animate CC will continue to support Flash (SWF) and AIR formats as first-class citizens, as well as other formats like broadcast-quality video. We will continue improving Animate CC’s HTML5 capabilities over time, while optimizing its core animation and authoring feature set. For more details, watch our Twitch Channel to see sneak peeks of what’s coming in Adobe Animate, and read the latest product team’s blog post.

Adobe Animate will be available in early 2016.