Monoprice.com High Resolution, Wide Format Pressure Sensitive Tablet - $60 Shipped!
Icame across a wicked deal on a large 10" x 6.25" wide-format graphics drawing tablet with 8 customizable hot keys and a top row of customizable hot cells from Monoprice.com (Model: MP1060-HA60).
Including shipping to Calgary it will cost $60 (CAD)! That's not a typo! The tablet itself costs $43.50 (CAD) and the rest was shipping charges. I didn't know if I was going to get dinged with duties and such but the good news is that I didn't get any penalties or duties. It came professionally packed and shipped to my door in two weeks.
It works on Windows 7 32 bit/64 bit, Vista and XP 32 bit/64 bit and Mac OS X. I personally tried it on a friend's Macbook and the buttons can be customized just fine with the new drivers that I discovered on the original manufacturer's web site.
I had never heard of Monoprice.com before this purchase so I was nervous to shell out cash to some unknown entity. They accepted Paypal so I felt better in the fact that the purchase would be covered through Paypal's policies.
I read all the reviews on their web site others have posted on the product (out of 41 reviews it has a 93.41% positive rating), so I felt pretty confident this was the real deal and it was!
Anyhow, there are pictures, specs, reviews and more on Monoprice's web site to help you make your decision. They also have a variety of other tablets to choose from in all kinds of sizes (mostly smaller ones).
Also, here are some YouTube videos of the MP1060-HA60 in action:
Using Art Rage 2
Using Sketchbook Pro
It works fine with 2D programs like Photoshop CS5, Illustrator CS5, Coreldraw X5, Art Rage Studio Pro 3 and Sketchbook Pro 2011 too which is why I bought it. It is really awesome to use hand writing to input into the computer. I like it for browsing the web too. It's a totally different experience that makes sense in certain applications.
I am very impressed with the thinness of the drawing tablet (10 mm), it's construction is very nice. The pen itself definitely seems a little cheaply made but it works just fine. It's weight is about the same as a fine metal pen so it's not too light nor not too heavy - perfect for me personally. It does require a single AAA battery inside the pen but they provide one for you in the box as well as three extra pen tips, a pen holder, DVD and quick start guide.
I am still getting used to everything of course because I just got it and things can be "tuned" to one's preferences but it works awesome in Windows 7. I can not believe the quality for the price...seriously, this beats the heck out of any WAC*M tablet at 1/6th the price for something this size.
It is a large unit though - entire size is 15.4" or the same size as my laptop closed. So it will fit in a laptop bag just fine. The USB cord is on the left hand side of the unit, but that makes sense when plugged in. It is only about 4 feet long though so if your desktop is on the ground you will need a USB extension cord to connect. Get one of those for a $1 from a Loonie Plus Store fyi.
Anyhow I am very pleased and I think you will be too if you take the plunge. So my verdict is 8.5/10 on construction. I'd give it a perfect 10 if the pen felt a little more sturdy. But on how well it works, definitely a 10/10!
So, for 60 bucks shipped, you will not find a better deal anywhere unless someone gives it to you for free or you steal it from someone who has one...
Anyhow, I hope this helps some of you. Send me an email if you buy one yourself.
~Drew