Close but no cigar

Here's a drawing demo by caricaturist ANGIE JORDAN on Apple's new iPad using a POGO STYLUS and Autodesk's SKETCHBOOK PRO MOBILE.



As you can see, you can generate fairly articulate and decent sketches using the Pogo and SBP Mobile but as I predicted, it falls short of being a platform to do any kind of professional grade work. Coincidentally , you don't have to own and iPad to try this out as both the stylus and SBP Mobile work on an iPhone.

No Wacom digitizer pad & pen input. No Mac OS 10. No go. Case closed. However the iPad is still a great piece of technology to do everything else.

(Thanks to colleague Chris Battle for alerting me on this video)

UPDATE:

The POGO stylus is fairly inexpensive but in todays slow economy, every penny counts. Apparently our brothers and sisters from South Korea have come up with the ultimate in input devices. SAUSAGE LINKS. Yes you heard me. Weiners. Hotdogs. Whatever you wanna call them, if you ever get tired of using your fingers, just use some bratwurst instead! Now try creating your next masterpiece using a Farmer John Dodger dog and Sketchbook Pro Mobile....



(Thanks again to the ever vigilant Chris Battle!)

...but can you draw on it?

So it's the iPad.

And it's exactly what I thought it was going to be. Basically this is what you'd get if an iPhone had a one night stand with a Kindle. At $500 it's affordable than what I thought so I may be getting one for the heck of it.

So now comes the interesting spectator sport that is; watching third party companies develop stuff for this new device. Personally I want to see what they come up with as far as drawing is concerned. A drawback could be the screen. Pressure sensitivity and stylus compatibility are two major challenges which could be offset by the quality of the simulation. If it's the same as the iPhone screen wise then they have an uphill climb.

As bulky and even low-tech as the Modbook is, (compared to the iPad of course) I know it was designed with a pen input and I can depend on it for art. As eagerly anticipated as the iPad was, it's not as big as my anticipation for the Moodbook Pro which will be the ultimate in portable workstations.

***ADDENDUM***

If you already own an iPhone, one great feature on the iPad is that you'll be able to run all your iPhone apps. This means drawing apps like iPaint or Sketchbook Mobile will enable you to use the screen to draw with either your digits or an input device such as the Pogo. That's great if you're Picasso or Van Gogh but when it comes to precise input control for drawing, it simply won't cut it.

It's pretty clear: The iPad is a mass consumer product much like any of Apple's products. As much as Apple computers dominate the graphic arts world, it is a very small percentage of Apple's market. That is the reason why companies like Axiotron are necessary in satisfying that small but niche market.

My Moodbook's a Toddler!

...well almost. My Modbook is two years old. It's showing a lot of wear and tear but the darn thing is an iron horse. It just keeps chugging along.

Reliability? Check. Durability? Check. Floats in water? I hope I never find out. Happy birthday dude.

Moodbooks are so easy....

...even a kid can use them. My daughter sketching a masterpiece via Autodesk Sketchbook Pro 2009 over the holiday break.

iTablet? iSlate? idunno...

So what's up with this impending release from Apple? Speculations run from it being a netbook with iPhone capabilities to a whole new breed of portable with it's own OS?

Honestly I think it will be a Kindle / Sony Reader killer with Wi-Fi, GPS and talk capability. What I'm most interested is how they will handle a keyboard and navigation. From what I've read the screen size is anywhere from a 6 inch to a 10 inch. Way too small to draw on if you decide to use it for sketching and/or graphics work. (at least for me)

And then again, can you even draw on it? Will it be Wacom based and compatible with their pens? Personally I don't see a need for such a device. But that was what we said about a little box called the iPod. Of course we all know how that turned out.

I-heart-Sketch

This program looks promising. Who wouldn't want to do some 3D doodling? I'll see about getting it and report back here....

Axiotron Studio Pen

I've been waiting for this product since I got my Modbook in 2008. Now my wait is over.

The stock stylus that comes with the Modbook certainly does the job. But anyone who's drawn using any of the Wacom Cintiq styluses knows how much more ergonomic and comfortable they are. Unfortunately the aforementioned styluses don't work on the Modbook due to a system incompatibility.

Thankfully the good people of Axiotron have followed through on their promise of offering more precise and better performing tools to support the Modbook.

Today I got my STUDIO PEN in the mail and tonight I got the chance to finally try it out. From the get go it is marvelous tool. If fits perfectly on your hand and feels exactly like the Wacom Cintiq stylus. The kit comes with extra pen nibs ( including those sought after graphite nibs), extra clicker and rubber grip. So one can really feel good about putting the pen through some constant, real world use.

Compared to the stock stylus, the Studio Pen is more sensitive and gives really subtle feedback. The graphite nib responds smoothly to the digitizer and sleek, ergonomic grip feels natural and intuitive. The only drawback is that the pen won't fit the cleverly designed pen garage on the bottom of the Modbook. But this is a small price to pay. The upgrade in quality is worth the price and I tend to carry accessories in my gig bag anyway.

So if you are an owner of a Modbook, it would behoove you to give the Studio Pen a try.