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The AlpineInker

The AlpineInker

Ken Hinckley's blog exploring the savage frontiers of pen, touch, and mobile devices

The official blog of the InkSeine project at Microsoft Research

Twelve Days of InkSeine, Day #8: Collaborate on my Big Honkin' Wacom Cintiq Tablet

I don't have a single screen in my office that I can't write on.

This includes my main desktop display, which is a 21" Wacom Cintiq display tablet. Here's a picture of me using it in the drafting board format. I don't use it this way very often, though, because I normally pick up my Tablet PC when I want to do some heads-down sketching.

What I like about this gigantic tablet is that I can always have InkSeine running on my desktop computer. I use it almost like a desk blotter - I can drag stuff onto it or jot down little notes whenever fancy strikes.

The Cintiq is large enough to use as a shared display for one-on-one meetings. In the example I've captured below, I collected together some initial information, and then my colleague Ravin joined me and we talked about some research stuff. I jotted down some of our discussion points as we chatted.

Even though I have two pens for this big tablet, I've found that in meetings of this sort, one person at a time always drives the pen. I jotted down all the notes shown above. On some subsequent pages of this note, there are some diagrams and ideas that Ravin sketched out. 

What's the worst thing about having a big honkin' display tablet as my desktop computer? Well, the pen for it is not compatible with Tablet PC's. This means at least ten times a day I attempt to use my Cintiq pen on my Tablet PC, or my Tablet PC pen on the Cintiq. In either case, no joy is to be had.

 

Previous Post: Day #7: Give an Informal Presentation

Next Post: Day #9: Messy Desk - with Search!

 

Comments

 

The AlpineInker said:

It would be criminal of me to do this 12-day series without out also confessing that, like many Tablet

February 6, 2008 1:18 AM
 

The AlpineInker said:

I just stumbled across the IOGEAR Mobile Digital Scribe GPEN200N announced today, which strikes me as

March 4, 2008 2:46 AM