Intuos: Weak Support Mars Ambitious Graphics Tablet.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)

On paper, Wacom's Intuos reads like a computer artist's dream. One tablet supports multiple pointing devices, from mice to pens to simulated airbrushes. All the pointing devices are wireless, making for less clutter and greater mobility. And the mice and pens are ergonomic and inventive, with enough dials and buttons to render the keyboard obsolete.

But in practice, the Intuos is perilously close to the bleeding edge. Several graphics applications, including Adobe Photoshop and MetaCreations Painter, react to Wacom's pressure-sensitive input. But there's little or no support for the Intuos's more radical features, most notably axial rotation (the ability to sense the mouse's pointing direction) and the use of two pointing devices at the same time. In addition, the Intuos pens and tablets are incompatible with…