What would you do?

Let me go over this for the last time.

I bought a gateway Tablet PC because I have never felt comfortable using the wacom tablets (Intuos) because of the eye-hand coordination issue.

My Gateway then uses a technology called finepoint for their digitizer instead of Wacom technology, and for the 1.5 years I’ve owned it I have had issues with it using TBS.

The specific problem was the inability to draw in TBS using this table …in the drawing mode. There have always been this excruciating lag that made it just impossible to draw in the drawing mode of TBS. A lag between pen and ink that’s more than annoying. However if I switched to the Camera Mode and try to draw it works great … but everyone knows TBS wasn’t design for drawing in the camera mode!!

Ok so I went out and bought Wacom’s CINTIQ 12WX. And for 2 days last weekend I fought to get it to work (connected to my Gateway Tablet PC) with TBS. After hours of un-installing and re-installing TBS, and un-installing and re-installing the Wacom driver …I eventually tried something different and found what actually caused me to write this post.

I just thought that maybe the applications/drivers that my Gateway system runs to run their (fine-point technology) tablet feature was maybe conflicting with the CINTIQ’s drivers. So I did a CTL-ALT-DEL and entered that task manager, and under the process tab I went and find all the programs I thought were responsible for Gateways system tablet features. They begin with “tab” and I subsequently started to stop then from running.

I did this and walla …. My CINTIQ was working fine!!! I did this last week-end …and today I wondered what would happen if I tried to use my Gateway Tablet to draw under those circumstances. Guess what? It ran TBS flawlessly!! All this time all I had to do was go into my task manager and disable this one program from running when I start my computer!!

In fact when I ran Flash with my Gateway, while I could draw well with the brush tool …. I was not so lucky with the pencil tool. When I tried using the pencil tool it sticks and drags …now this too works with this “tab” program disabled!!

I don’t know what this program does …in fact it reminds me of another renegade program in windows that starts up and hogs resources called keyboardsurrogates. For years I tried to get this to stop starting up …. And I know its not a virus by doing some research online. I’ve always seen these tab-programs …but did’nt think to mess with them till now.

While I like my CINTIQ …I don’t like the thick wires and a bit disappointed it doesn’t lend itself to being more portable …like my Tablet PC. So here I am …2 weeks after buying this thing …thinking of returning it!! I will be slapped with a 15% restocking fee …. But I can’t see myself using it if my gateway works the way it has since I discovered this!! With my Tablet PC …there is no wires …and I can take this with me starbucks if I get board at home.

What would you do?

The decision to return it is a tough one. Ultimately, it sounds like it boils down to whether it provides any additional use that the tablet PC does not. With that troublesome background application causing it to not work properly, it may even be detrimental to you.

Perhaps eBay can offer you more for it than returning it would?

Coming down to the wire …I’m sold on the Cintiq being a very worthy equipment. …but I beieve in the issues many have with the machine when I look at various forums.

The entry level Cintiq 12WX (the one I bought) has too many wires!! In addition it has a seperate external box to control the picture with the Video input cable, the USB cable, a power cord, and the input cable from the tablet itself.
I called Wacom today who told me that to reduce the size and cost on the entry level cintiq they had to build this box externally …in the older more expensive siblings …everything is built in the tablet itself…reducing this cable nightmare!

However, despite this inconveinience …when you hook this up and start using it …the results is great!! But I can’t see myself ever using it unless my tablet bombs somehow! And if it did …because I now feel the tablets can do the work …I would want to buy another Tablet-PC.

I am sure my Gateway didn’t work because it was Sunday when I made this discovery! Everyday this week I use it for an hour and completely sure if I stop this one program from running when I start the machine …all is well with how TBS behaves!! And this renegade program affects both my Gateway and the Cintiq, in the same way. Thats is …if it runs I get a distictive lag when I try to draw in TBS drawing mode…both with my Gateway and the Cintiq connected to my Gateway!! Ofcourse this program is not a factor hooking up my Cintiq to my desktop!


The one thing I’m grappling with is this. If I keep the Cintiq and get more serious with this craft … and start developing work that requires a lot of processing muscle …I can get a stand alone PC with a souped up Nividia Card/processor/Ram…to use with Cintiq on the side! And even thats a stretch because more and more laptops/tablets are rivaling what you could do with only desktops!!

Send it back …keep it … my decsion has to be within days before my grace-period expires!! What should I do?

Ask yourself the following question? Is the possibility very likely that you will change your mind about sending it back after you have sent it back? Are you willing to eat the restocking charge with a smile if you decide you should have kept it? The worst case is that you change your mind in six month and re-buy the cintiq, the best case is you are only out the restocking charge. Swallow hard and make a decision, nobody can make it for you. Life is just a series of learning experiences. In any case you sound like you would be happier with another tablet PC eventually. -JK

…'nuff said …I’m packing!!