I've been playing around lately with pen and tablet entry devices. These are flat stand-alone pads that plug into your USB and replace your mouse and keyboard much the same way the iPad works or the way you might use a pen-like stylus with a traditional personal digital assistant.

Recently I shared my views on Wacom's Bamboo line of tablets for consumers. Today I get to discuss the way-cool Intuos 4 tablets, also from Wacom.

Simple pen entry with the Intuos works well. It's fun. And the large form factor of the Intuos makes it easier than with a smaller tablet. The pen is comfortable in your hand; and the response that I've been getting to the handwriting recognition is superb. (I'm handwriting today's column.)

Like other pens from Wacom, the Intuos' pen has a two-position switch on the side, called a DuoSwitch, that you can use for right-clicks or program for various tasks. What differentiates the Intuos 4, though, is the sensors (electromagnetic resonance) that transcend keyboard and mouse capabilities. You'll be particularly compelled if you're an artist, because the sensitivity of the Intuos makes it feel a lot like a traditional pen -- or pencil or marker or brush -- that you change by swapping the tips of the pen.

An iPod-like touch-ring helps you control the view of various drawing and art applications with which you might use the Intuos. Use it to scroll and zoom by swiping your finger in a circle around the edge; or change it so it can control your brush size, the rotation of your art canvas, or if you're working in layers, move from layer to layer.

Most Intuos models include programmable "ExpressKeys" to reach key functions (including shift, control and alt keys), with or without the pen. You also can have one of the ExpressKeys put your tablet in precision mode, where you can pick out pixels with ultrahigh accuracy.

Apparently Wacom wants to make sure that you get artistic value out of the Intuos; so the company allows you to download software that takes full advantage of the device. Download two of three applications -- Adobe Photoshop Elements, Corel Painter Sketch Pad or Autodesk SketchBook Express, as well as plug-ins for these. Once you start using these packages with your Intuos, you'll see the most amazing feature -- the ability to change the way you lay your ink on your digital canvas based on how hard you push the pen and on what angle at which you hold it.

I found my inner artist when I experimented with SketchBook Express and the Intuos 4 -- as I experimented, I got more excited about the way the Intuos allowed me to control what my image looked like. When teamed with the truly simple SketchBook, the Intuos changes the computing experience altogether, especially for visually creative tasks.

In case you get tired of the pen or have applications that are better suited to using a mouse, the Intuos comes with a mouse that uses the same electromagnetic technology as you slide it across the Intuos pad, which then acts like a mouse pad.

The Intuos comes in four sizes with the active area on the smallest being 6.2 by 3.9 inches, up to the XL with active area of 19.2 by 12 inches. There's also a wireless version, which allows you to connect via Bluetooth in addition to the standard USB connection used for the other models. They all can be used in either right-handed or left-handed orientation.

I've seen Intuos on sale online at prices ranging from $198 to $940.

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