Here is an alternative method of controlling your computer’s mouse cursor. A pen-tablet combination provides a third dimension to mouse cursor movement – downward pressure. Many graphics programs, such as Paint Shop Pro, understand the signals generated by a pen-tablet.

Click the thumbnail for screenshot. (39K)

Click the thumbnail for screenshot. (109K)

The product being reviewed here is AIPTEK’s special version of their HyperPen 6000, re-colored in bright blue, yellow, and green and packaged with two graphics programs, MetaCreation’s Art Dabbler (now owned by Corel but not available individually) and Star Writer. Both programs are designed for four to eight year-olds. Art Dabbler, however, has enough features and functions that everyone could use it and create very imaginative images.

The Start Writer tablet has a 6" by 4.5" surface, not large enough for serious CAD drawing but quite adequate for the young ones and the casual artistic efforts by the grownups. It does take a little time getting use to how the pen works, but if you’re an artist and know how pressure affects the drawing instrument (brush, pencil, crayon, etc), then you should be able to pick up on it right away.

Other pen-tablets cost much more than the Start Writer. For example, AIPTEK’s HyperPen 6000 is roughly twice the cost (because of the sophisticated software bundled with it and because it connects via USB). Another major manufacturer of pen-tablets is WACOM whose tablets are definitely not cheap. So, the Start Writer, although targeted at kids, would make a great starter tablet, worthwhile for users of all ages, to determine if using a tablet would be beneficial to your needs.

Installation was interesting. You must make either COM1 or COM2 available for this model of the pen-tablet (other models connect via USB). Typically, COM1 is used for a serial-type mouse if you have one, and COM2 is then usually given to internal modems. If that’s your situation, you must have someone reset your modem’s resources to use COM3. Also, if your mouse uses a special driver, as mine does because it has a middle scroll wheel, you should remove that driver prior to installing the tablet driver, then re-install the mouse driver afterwards. In my case, I didn’t need to remove the mouse driver - the tablet driver worked fine and after re-installing the mouse driver, both mouse and tablet control the mouse cursor.

Yet, on another system that had only the pen-tablet to control the mouse cursor, it strangely ceased to work after a few hours of playing with it. I had installed it on a system used by a student and we were using the pen to draw "autoshapes" in Word 2000 – scribbles, lines, boxes, etc. All of a sudden the cursor stopped moving but the tablet’s status indicator said it was working fine. A call to Tech Support was quick and without cost but the suggestions offered didn’t resolve the problem.

Some additional comments:

• The serial port version of the tablet requires 5-volt power that must be tapped from the keyboard connector. All necessary hardware is included.
• The pen is tethered to the tablet. Often, the wire gets in the way when dropping or picking up the pen.
• The pen must be lifted about a half-inch above the surface of the tablet in order for the mouse cursor to stop responding to pen movement. If you are used to barely lifting the mouse to reposition it, the pen will cause quite a bit of awkwardness. It would be like walking normally (mouse), then walking while stepping over low bushes. There is a "pen offset" value in the Control Panel but there is no documentation that explicitly says what this value controls.

AIPTEK Start Writer pen-tablet
$29.95 (street price)
www.aiptek.com