Intuos 4 Wireless Review – Parts In-Depth Look
Manufacturer: Wacom
Product: Intuos 4 Wireless
Date: Wednesday, April 7th, 2010
Written By: LLRRoD
Rechargeable Battery
A 3.7V lithium ion battery which is rechargeable via the USB cord, is included. Please note that the device will work with or without the battery as long as the USB is plugged in. Of course, you lose the Bluetooth capabilities when you plug in the USB, as the device goes into charge mode.
The battery pack does add a small but noticeable weight increase to the tablet. To test the power, I brought it into work with me and used it heavily through an eight hour day. When not in use, the tablet goes into hibernation/standby mode which saves power. A simple tap of any of the side switches or buttons will wake the tablet back up.
Pen Holder
The Intuos 4 Pen holder serves two purposes: to hold the pen when not in use (obviously) and a compartment for extra nibs. There are 10 nibs included (five standard nibs, one flex nib, one stroke nib, and three hard felt nibs) made with a variety of material that changes the feel of the tip.
Pen Clip
This is an attachment that fits on the left side of the tablet. It lets the user slip the pen in there when they are traveling. It would be nice to one day see a slot to fit the pen and protect the nib or even a carrying case specifically for the pen. However, this solution is better than nothing and at least it’s attached to the tablet so you have less chances of losing it.
USB Cable
Included in the package is a detachable USB Cable. It allows you to recharge while the battery is inserted, or remove the battery and use the tablet without wireless capabilities altogether. When the cable is plugged in the tablet pretty much acts like a normal Intuos 4 tablet. The bluetooth light turns off and is no longer detected by the dongle.
Driver CD / Manual / Interchangeable Colored Rings.
The final accessory is a small box containing the driver CD, manual, and these colored rings which at first I had no idea what they were for. Then, after looking at it for a few minutes, I realized that it actually replaces the standard black ring that’s on the tablet pen. It doesn’t seem to have a practical use for it, moreso just for aesthetics.
One surprise to me was not including a bluetooth adapter/dongle and the response from Wacom is that most laptop users were already bluetooth enabled or have BT dongles. Although I did have one on hand, I still think Wacom should’ve at least added an adapter or offer a tested compatible dongle as an optional device.
The absence of the Intuos 4 mouse was also noticed, however, less of a concern as, personally, I never took it out of the box from my older generations of Intuos tablets.