CES 2015: New 14- and 15-inch Lenovo Thinkpad Yogas announced

EDITOR'S NOTE: This item was buried in the previous release with the AnyPen lead, so I decided to run it as a separate news item. It's possible that the ActivePen mentioned will be Wacom's new Active Electrostatic technology or N-Trig, Synaptics or something else altogether. If the supplier is announced, I'll update this post. Otherwise we may need to wait until next month when the new Thinkpad Yoga models are expected to be available.

PRESS RELEASE

ThinkPad YOGA – Readying Professionals with Power of Two New Innovations

Lenovo created the new ThinkPad YOGA 12-in, 14-in and new 15-in convertibles to meet the needs of businesses and pro-sumers, striking the right balance between productivity and a great PC for personal use. Built for small office, home office and students, the ThinkPad YOGA gives users mobile flexibility featuring the new ActivePen technology in select models along with elegant design and business-optimized features including an optional Intel RealSense 3D camera on the ThinkPad YOGA 15.

Select ThinkPad YOGA models feature an optional ActivePen for convenient, accurate and precise handwriting. Ideal for productivity tasks like taking notes, sending emails or creating presentations, ActivePen closely mimicks a user’s actual handwriting on paper. The YOGA 12 continues to offer a digitizer/pen option that provides an internal garage for the pen. ThinkPad is creating an innovative hardware and software pen experience, regardless of pen technology.

With four modes and all day battery life, users can digitally write or enjoy any of the ThinkPad YOGA’s modes: type or write in Laptop mode, take class notes in Tablet mode, present to colleagues in Stand mode or just relax by watching a movie in Tent mode. And the convertible’s Lift n’ Lock keyboard makes switching between Laptop and Tablet modes trouble-free without keys getting stuck.

Thin and light at just 19mm thin and less than 1.5kg on the 12-in model, these stylish convertibles come in black with an attractive backlit keyboard as well as FHD touch screen display.

The business-ready ThinkPad YOGA also features another new technology to help small businesses: a built-in Intel® RealSense™ 3D camera. Lenovo’s first 3D camera in a laptop, it comes optional on the 15-in model. Today 3D cameras are being used by businesses for more personal video conferencing and scanning small objects for 3D printing applications.

The ThinkPad YOGA also comes ready for business with powerful up to 5th Generation Intel® Core™ i7 processors, Windows 8.1 with optional vPro for managed environments (12-in only), large storage up to 1 TB and Dolby Home Theatre v4.

The ThinkPad YOGA models expand the overall computing experience with Lenovo’s SHAREit app to share files easily between devices. Small business users may opt to add support via Lenovo Services for their ThinkPad YOGA convertible, choosing among a variety of services: Accidental Damage Protection, Warranty Upgrade, Priority Technical Support and more.

The ThinkPad YOGA 12-in and 15-in models will be available beginning in February starting at $999 and $1,199 via business partners and www.lenovo.com.

The ThinkPad YOGA 14-in model will be available beginning in May starting at $1,199 via Best Buy and www.lenovo.com.

CES 2015: Lenovo Announces First Devices with 'AnyPen' Technology

PRESS RELEASE

Lenovo YOGA Family Takes Flexibility and Interactivity Even Further with New Technologies

LAS VEGAS – January 5, 2015 – Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) today announced at the 2015 International Consumer Electronics Show its new lineup of YOGA convertibles and tablets with new technologies that take flexibility and interactivity to a new level. The family includes the thin and light YOGA 3 in 11-in and 14-in models (in a 13-in chassis) built especially for today’s on-the-go and digitally-hungry consumers; the ThinkPad YOGA, optimized for businesses in a 12-in model, and a 14-in and 15-in model for pro-sumers with optional Intel® RealSense™ 3D camera; and the 8-in YOGA Tablet 2 with Windows, featuring Lenovo AnyPen Technology, that turns nearly any pen into a tablet writing tool.
 
No More Fingers, Lenovo AnyPen Technology Turns Pens and Pencils into Tablet Writing Tools
The 8-in YOGA Tablet 2 with Windows featuring AnyPen Technology extends the YOGA family tradition: the hardware not only adapts to users with its four modes, but it also provides a new, innovative writing solution that gives users a better way to interact with their device and distinguishes it from other tablets today.
 
With Lenovo AnyPen Technology, any pen or pencil1 becomes a handwriting tool – no stylus needed. Consumers can pick their preferred tool and use it directly on the tablet’s touch screen for easy navigation instead of relying on their finger. Lenovo AnyPen Technology makes handwriting on a tablet now as intuitive as writing on a piece of paper. Users will find this technology especially handy because smaller screen devices require more precise navigation than a finger. At the same time, Lenovo AnyPen Technology eliminates having to replace lost designated touch screen only styluses and the expense of purchasing one separately.  
 
As part of the YOGA Tablet 2 family announced in Fall 2014, the YOGA Tablet 2 8-in with Windows drew acclaim for its enhancements over the original YOGA Tablet. Not only does it have four unique modes unlike any other tablet on the market – Hold, Tilt, Stand and Hang – giving users more ways to do more, but it also features an unparalleled entertainment experience. Equipped with two front facing speakers, Wolfson Master Hi-Fi noise reduction and Dolby audio, this compact tablet goes large on entertainment. With Windows 8.1, its 8-in FHD display and Intel® Atom™ processor, users can strike a great balance between work and play. And mobile consumers will appreciate its extremely long battery life of up to 15 hours.
 
YOGA 3 – Flexible Fit for Today’s Consumer
The new YOGA 3 gives consumers even more flexibility with choices of an 11-in model or a new 14-in model with a backlit screen. Both convertibles showcase an envelope-thin design, measuring 18.3mm thin or less. In fact, the larger 14-in model gives users even more screen real estate yet remains extremely thin and light built in a 13-in chassis. And at just 15.8mm thin and 1.1kg, the 11-in model remains the lightest convertible in the YOGA family. Both feature the classic YOGA two-hinge design allowing 360° flexibility to give consumers amazing function and value with four special modes – Laptop, Stand, Tent and Tablet. Lenovo refined the hinge to now open and close more smoothly and also allow the screen to lay flat at 180°.
 
More than just beautiful technology, the new YOGA convertibles are performers with powerful up to 5th Generation Intel® Core™ i7 processors on the 14-in model, Windows 8.1, FHD screens and fast 802.11 A/C WiFi. Strong performance deserves brilliantly loud and clear sound, so Lenovo equipped the YOGA 3 with stereo speakers and Waves audio. And for a more adaptive, intuitive experience, Lenovo includes Harmony intelligent software. Harmony helps users discover and customize applications and includes automatic brightness adjustment when reading a book, enables motion control or optimizes audio settings in specific modes and recommends new apps. 
 
Users can pick from fun color choices including the head-turning Clementine Orange, Platinum Silver, new Chalk White or Ebony Black.
 
ThinkPad YOGA – Readying Professionals with Power of Two New Innovations
Lenovo created the new ThinkPad YOGA 12-in, 14-in and new 15-in convertibles to meet the needs of businesses and pro-sumers, striking the right balance between productivity and a great PC for personal use.  Built for small office, home office and students, the ThinkPad YOGA gives users mobile flexibility featuring the new ActivePen technology in select models along with elegant design and business-optimized features including an optional Intel RealSense 3D camera on the ThinkPad YOGA 15.
 
Select ThinkPad YOGA models feature an optional ActivePen for convenient, accurate and precise handwriting. Ideal for productivity tasks like taking notes, sending emails or creating presentations, ActivePen closely mimicks a user’s actual handwriting on paper. The YOGA 12 continues to offer a digitizer/pen option that provides an internal garage for the pen. ThinkPad is creating an innovative hardware and software pen experience, regardless of pen technology.
 
With four modes and all day battery life, users can digitally write or enjoy any of the ThinkPad YOGA’s modes: type or write in Laptop mode, take class notes in Tablet mode, present to colleagues in Stand mode or just relax by watching a movie in Tent mode. And the convertible’s Lift n’ Lock keyboard makes switching between Laptop and Tablet modes trouble-free without keys getting stuck.
 
Thin and light at just 19mm thin and less than 1.5kg on the 12-in model, these stylish convertibles come in black with an attractive backlit keyboard as well as FHD touch screen display.
 
The business-ready ThinkPad YOGA also features another new technology to help small businesses: a built-in Intel® RealSense™ 3D camera. Lenovo’s first 3D camera in a laptop, it comes optional on the 15-in model. Today 3D cameras are being used by businesses for more personal video conferencing and scanning small objects for 3D printing applications.
 
The ThinkPad YOGA also comes ready for business with powerful up to 5th Generation Intel® Core™ i7 processors, Windows 8.1 with optional vPro for managed environments (12-in only), large storage up to 1 TB and Dolby Home Theatre v4.
 
The ThinkPad YOGA models expand the overall computing experience with Lenovo’s SHAREit app to share files easily between devices. Small business users may opt to add support via Lenovo Services for their ThinkPad YOGA convertible, choosing among a variety of services: Accidental Damage Protection, Warranty Upgrade, Priority Technical Support and more. 
 
Quotes
“As users’ lifestyles evolve and change, so does our YOGA line of convertibles and tablets,” said Dilip Bhatia, vice president worldwide marketing and design, PC Group, Lenovo. “Our latest products fuse new handwriting technologies and 3D camera technologies with the flexibility, performance and a more adaptive computing experience the YOGA family is known for. All this adds up to making the PC more and more responsive to you.”
 
“Intel and Lenovo have a long history of working closely together to deliver compelling devices that address the needs of both consumers and business customers,” said Kirk Skaugen, Senior Vice President, Intel and General Manager, Client Computing Group. “Customers using the YOGA family will enjoy amazing new experiences, powered by Intel Atom, Core M and 5th Generation Intel Core processors and new Intel RealSense 3D Cameras.”
 
Pricing and Availability3
The 8-in YOGA Tablet 2 with Windows, featuring Lenovo AnyPen Technology will be available beginning in January with models starting at $299 via www.BestBuy.com and www.lenovo.com.
The YOGA 3 11-in and 14-in will be available in March with models starting at $799 and $979, respectively, via Best Buy and www.lenovo.com.
The ThinkPad YOGA 12-in and 15-in models will be available beginning in February starting at $999 and $1,199 via business partners and www.lenovo.com.
The ThinkPad YOGA 14-in model will be available beginning in May starting at $1,199 via Best Buy and www.lenovo.com.

1Any conductive object with a rounded metal or graphite point greater than 1mm in diameter can be used to write on screen.
2Color choices vary by model.  
3Prices do not include tax or shipping and are subject to change without notice and is tied to specific terms and conditions. Reseller prices may vary. Price does not include all advertised features. All offers subject to availability. Products may only be available in selected markets. Lenovo reserves the right to alter product offerings and specifications at any time without notice.
 
About Lenovo
Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) is a $39 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.

N-Trig now selling replacement pens

N-Trig, the Israeli company behind the digitizer tech in the Surface Pro 3 and many other top Windows tablets and convertibles, has updated its website and now offers a link to a line of replacement pens available via Amazon.

Currently discounted to $40 from their $50 list price, the DuoSensePen2 models are not compatible with all N-Trig digitizers. The new pens can only be used with the following devices: Microsoft® Surface Pro 3, Sony VAIO® Duo 11/13, VAIO Tap 11, VAIO® FIT Family, Acer® Aspire ® R7 572, ASUS Taichi 21/31 and Fujitsu Stylistic Q702.

The pens come in an assortment of five colors.

I recently had a chance to compare the DuoSensePen2 (above, green) with other N-Trig pens from (top to bottom) Sony, Microsoft and Acer. The new model is a full inch shorter than the Surface Pro 3 pen, although it surprisingly doesn't feel much lighter.

A clip cap would be a welcomed addition and help to better balance the pen in the hand.  

The DuoSensePen2's nib is about the same consistency as the SP3 pen, slightly softer than the Sony's. Unfortunately, the pen does not ship with any spares.

Of the four N-Trig pens I've tried, I most like the feedback from the Acer Active Pen from my Aspire R7-572 convertible. Be aware that Acer's latest models use Synaptics digitizers and are not compatible. 

With the Surface Pro 3 pen selling for $50, these new N-Trig pens are a nice option if you'd like to save a few bucks on a replacement or spare. Hopefully for the next generation, N-Trig will lengthen the pen to a standard size and perhaps design a flared barrel that's closer to a traditional paintbrush.

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CBS News goes behind the scenes of Surface Pro 3 pen

Although this piece is dedicated to note-taking instead of art, it's always nice to see the lowly pen getting some respect in the media. Enjoy!

Deep inside Microsoft's brand new device laboratory outside Seattle, hundreds of designers are spending millions of dollars to perfect something we've all been using since grade school -- the pen. Meanwhile, startups like MailLift are building an entire company on the power of handwriting.

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Video: HP Envy x2 15 Synaptics Stylus Performance

We all know that getting reliable pen information from hardware manufacturers is next to impossible, so it's up to users to help fill in the gaps.

I've read less-than-stellar things about Synaptics digitizers so I've steered clear of them until now, but every new device offers the opportunity of improvement as we've seen with the current generation of N-Trig technology.

TabletPCReview forum member SchecterRocker (JakeNBacon on YouTube) has done the community a solid by posting an extensive video demonstrating the performance of the HP Envy x2 15's pen.

Based on what I'm seeing, the performance is still not up to par with either Wacom or N-Trig devices. It's possible that tweaking the pressure curve in Clip Studio Paint would make a difference, but the quantizing errors (the straight edges along curved strokes) are unacceptable to me. What do you think?

Sketchable 2.0 now available in Windows Store

Silicon Benders' Sketchable is the most ambitious art app currently available in the Windows Store. Taking many design cues from the iPad, the app demonstrates that Modern UI programs can be just as powerful and flexible as their desktop counterparts.

For only $11.99 all-in, it's worth purchasing just to reward the indie developers for their continued dedication to the platform.

Below is the press release announcing the latest update. 

PRESS RELEASE

Gainesville, Florida—(December 3, 2014) – Silicon Benders has released Sketchable 2.0 to the Windows Store.

When a creative is on the go, they never know when they will cross paths with inspiration. Sketchable was created for the sole purpose of capturing these moments. Sketchable was designed to take full advantage of modern hardware, making it the fastest and most responsive sketching application possible. This is beautifully complimented by the UI’s mantra, artistic expression without limitation.

Meaning, even in a mobile app where simplicity is expected, Sketchable gives an artist the levels of control they crave.

 While Sketchable provides a first rate experience, its feature set has broader implications. Sketchable fits into a creative’s workflow better than any mobile art application before it. It is the first and only mobile application that provides layers and PSD export that can dovetail right into a Desktop application running on the same device. This makes Sketchable the ideal application for developing artwork, because it can easily and quickly be transferred into professional desktop software for final edits.

 Notable Feature Highlights

• Resolutions up to 4k on 64 bit devices
• Pick up right where you left off with no consequences.
• Upon launch, Sketchable opens the last image you were editing, with all the undo history retained.  This lets the user keep their focus on the idea they want to express rather than menus or file systems.
• Layers
• Documents can support up to 8 layers with industry standard controls, and commands.
• Transform Tool
  • In addition to all the typical transform options, and combinations, Sketchable provides an X-ray Glasses mode to render obscuring layers semi-transparent.
• Virtually lag free touch interaction due to GPU acceleration throughout the application.
• Optional, precise text input.
•  PSD Export
• Nine distinct painting tools with presets, and for those who want more control, an elaborate preset editor.
• Color Picker control HUB
• Artistic color scrubbing (add pure hue, white or black by a simple press and drag)
• Resizable Icons for other commonly used features, such as the brush preview scrubber, dropper tool, transform, and the layers palette.
• Performance
• GPU accelerated painting and sketching engine.
• Resolution Independent UI
• Unlike most desktop applications, the UI scales to adapt to both low and high density displays.
• Resizable UI, Sketchable provides two custom scale factors, one for touch, and another for mouse/trackpad use.
• Scales from 7 inch tablets to 4k monitors, even Perceptive Pixels.
• Auto Hiding UI – To give you an unobstructed view of your work, as you paint near UI elements, they will automatically hide, then return after the stroke is finished.
• Economy of Movement – more expressiveness with less motion.
• For devices with an active stylus, Sketchable provides a way to assign independent tools to both touch, and stylus eraser. (For example, a user can set their single touch input to the dropper tool or smudge tool, and their stylus eraser to any paint tool they find themselves switching between. Two finger gestures still zoom and pan the canvas.)
• PolyEraser – press and hold with the stylus eraser button to enable a lassoed area to be erased.

Sketchable allows the user to assign most tools to stylus' eraser input. Steps 1. Long press with the Stylus' eraser on target tool. 3. Choose between "Tool Only", " Tool Preset", and "Tool Preset with Color".

•  

Sketchable allows the user to assign most tools to touch input. Steps 1. Check "Assign Tool to Touch" 2. Long press with finger on target tool. 3. Choose between "Tool Only", " Tool Preset", and "Tool Preset with Color".

 Pricing

Sketchable is free to download and offers several in-app purchases. Single tools can be purchased for $1.99 while the color picker costs $2.99. Layers can only be accessed if the entire app has be purchased. The most economical approach to this is purchasing the bundle. The full bundle costs $11.99 USD and includes all functionality, including layers. Users who have already purchased a bundle will receive the blending tool and layers free of charge.  

The Foundry acquires innovator Made with Mischief; releases version 2.0 with multi-touch gestures

Mischief 2.0 price reduced to $25; feature-limited free version also released

'Lightning' by Mischief artist Szynka2496

'Archer' by drawingFORCE author and instructor Michael Mattesi

High-end graphics software developer The Foundry yesterday surprised industry observers with the announcement of the acquisition of the tiny hobbyist software startup Made With Mischief. The latter's Mischief paint and sketch software was introduced last year.

Along with the acquisition, the companies announced the immediate release of Version 2.0 of the software with new UI, additional brushes and --most significantly for Surface Pro and Windows tablet users-- multitouch gesture support with palm rejection. The retail price of Mischief 2.0 was also cut dramatically to $25 and a free feature-limited version is available to download. The software runs on Windows and OS X and is also available through the Mac App Store.

I tested the paid version on the Surface Pro 2 and 3. In previous incarnations, Mischief required a Wintab driver for pen pressure. But on the SP3, I actually had to remove the N-Trig Wintab driver in order for the paid software to work properly. With the driver installed, many of my pen strokes exhibited an odd glitch: a small spike that would appear randomly, usually at the beginning of a stroke. Uninstalling the driver took care of the issue.

This screenshot taken from the Surface Pro 2 displays the stroke glitches I've encountered.

I'd ordinarily chalk the problem up to N-Trig, but my Surface Pro 2 has the same issue (see above). I haven't tried removing the Wacom pen driver because it's more critical to the calibration and pen settings on the SP2.

Several Twitter followers have corroborated the issue, while others have claimed they're not seeing the problem. It could of course be a conflict with other software or one of the many utilities I have installed to test over time. Made with Mischief is looking into the problem.

Performance is also somewhat erratic on the SP3. Multitouch gestures sometimes stop working or are difficult to trigger. It's also easy to lose sight of your work if you zoom in or out too far. If this happens to you, select Edit/View All Strokes to frame up your work.

Besides these early performance issues, Mischief 2.0 is simply a lot of fun to use. I can't wait until the developers introduce flipbook capability so that you can animate the pans, tilts and zooms. There is a sample file available for separate download called Sleepy Story that is absolutely breathtaking.

Although Mischief has a very limited core feature set at the moment, it features a revolutionary technology that enables an almost infinite canvas. "Our infinite zoom is 50 trillion:1!" crowed the @GetMischief Twitter feed."It's like sitting on the moon and zooming down to the wing of a bug (on Earth)!"

The Foundry's blog announcement went into further detail on the technology powering Mischief's zooming capability:

Mischief is powered by a revolutionary patented shape representation, known as Adaptively Sampled Distance Fields (ADFs), co-invented by (company founder Sarah) Frisken. ADFs have several advantages for creative applications: they provide high-quality stroke rendering; they are amenable to hardware-based rendering so drawing is extremely responsive; they are very compact, resulting in small file sizes; they can be scaled without introducing pixelation artifacts; and they can accurately represent much richer and more complex shapes than traditional vector-based stroke representations. For Frisken, the acquisition of Made With Mischief by The Foundry enables her to retain her core vision of providing high-quality software tools for a wide range of artists and to preserve an accessible price point, while bringing future versions of the platform to an even broader audience.

“The Foundry has a proven record of taking exciting, innovative concepts and commercializing them for a broader market,” said Sarah Frisken. “By becoming a part of The Foundry, we now have the ability to grow our team, to be more responsive to our users, and to further our vision... With our talent and technology, we will create new and exciting products that in turn create new possibilities and experiences for our customers.”  

The entire announcement video is available to view here.

Although Mischief is an exciting application, its user base is tiny: about 4,000, according to one source I read yesterday. The Foundry specializes in high end applications like Nuke, which begins at £2,534 per seat. Its Mari paint software is a mere £1,221 plus an annual license. Why would they want to sell a $25 program to hobbyists?

FXGuide yesterday published a deep look at the ADF technology that The Foundry is acquiring alongside Made with Mischief and it's definitely worth a look. "The software that is the backbone of Mischief right now is absolutely able to do 3D," Frisken told the site. "All that is exposed right now is 2D but the underlying engine could do 3D. We have imagined sketching in 3D or sketching on a 2D canvas at any orientation or rotation to the camera.”

The article also features a demonstration video of a test ADF sculpting application written by Tomas Pettersson, of Sculptris for The Foundry's Luxology Modo team. If you're into 3d sculpting, it's definitely worth a look.

To purchase Mischief 2.0 or download the free version, go to MadewithMischief.com Registered owners of version 1.x can upgrade to 2.0 for free.

Penny Arcade's Gabe: 'Finally got the Surface Pro 3 I was excited for'

Penny Arcade artist Gabe (aka Mike Krahulik) has had an up and down relationship with the Surface Pro line. 

He was one of the first artists to publicly embrace the early models for art creation: http://surfaceproartist.com/blog/2013/3/3/penny-arcade-artist-gives-surface-pro-a-thumbs-up?rq=penny%20arcade but he also balked at many of the limitations introduced by Microsoft's switch from Wacom to N-Trig tech in the Surface Pro 3: http://surfaceproartist.com/blog/2014/7/7/penny-arcades-gabe-bails-on-the-surface-pro-3?rq=penny%20arcade

Yesterday, Gabe updated his blog yet again and the results are more positive.

"Microsoft has been working on various ways of fixing some of (my) issues and since I wrote that post they have managed to fix a lot of them..This weekend I feel like I finally got the real Surface 3 I was excited for.."

Krahulik writes that the combination of firmware fixes, Surface Hub app and Manga Studio finally allow him to create useable art such as the image above. The new post is definitely worth a read, especially if you're worried about the Surface Pro 3's suitability.

UPDATED: Surface Pro 3 pen control app now available for download

Is Surface Hub more than a pretty face?

The long-awaited Surface Pro 3 pen pressure control panel app just went live in the Windows Store under the vague name Surface Hub.

I've only had a couple of minutes so far, but here are my first impressions. UPDATE: After 24 hours with the Hub, I've added a bit more information below.

The app is very pretty, clearly the product of the Microsoft marketing team. 

When I first loaded the app, it couldn't find my pen although the pen was clearly working. The instructions in red are somewhat difficult to understand, so after a couple of failed attempts, I just restarted the Surface Pro 3 and the pen was recognized.

Besides editing pen pressure, the app allows you to determine which version of OneNote (desktop or Modern) opens when the pen top button is pressed.

Moving the pen pressure slider all the way to the right yields a uniform line. This will be helpful to users who complain that applications require too much pressure to register their strokes.

I'm very disappointed by the lowest pressure sensitivity setting. The resulting curve is not nearly shallow enough. It would be great to have a multiple stroke pressure curve as seen in Manga Studio or Clip Studio Paint. Initial activation force (tip sensitivity) is also not addressed.

A final screen allows users to give some feedback. Please stop by and let us know what message you're delivering to the Microsoft Surface team.

UPDATE 10/12/14: The Pen Pressure Sensitivity slider offers seven settings: -1, 0, +1, +2, +3, +4 and +5. Selecting -1 as I illustrated above makes the pen somewhat unresponsive in many applications that already have spotty pen response, such as Google Chrome. Increasing sensitivity was very helpful in getting blacker blacks in Sketchbook Pro. Although it's not ideal, you may need to change the Hub pressure setting depending on the art application you're using. I've settled on +1 for the moment and I've changed my Manga Studio/Clip Studio Paint pressure curve (see below). 

Clip Studio Paint EX 1.3.8 pressure curve and resulting line variations with Frenden's Inker Brush. The Surface Hub setting is +1

Several of you have commented or tweeted that you're having difficulty getting the app to recognize your pen. Make sure you have the System Hardware Update - 10/6/14 installed. This is the firmware that enables the app to work. After installing the app, you may need to restart your Surface Pro 3. Anyone still having issues should leave a comment here and we will try to get Microsoft's attention.

ORIGINAL CONCLUSION

Overall, Surface Hub is a decent first effort, but I believe it needs a few more iterations before it will address all the concerns of the Surface Pro 3's creative community.