The Genius G-Pen F610 Tablet is an attractive product with a large work area. The tablet itself is very thin and lightweight, and it is very affordable compared to other tablets of its size.
The tablet works with Windows 2000, XP, and Vista as well as with Macintosh OS X 10.2.8 and higher. It has 29 programmable hot keys that you can configure for different software applications. Unlike some other tablets, there are no buttons on the left side to get in the way of left-handed users.
One of my immediate concerns upon opening the box was that the USB cable can not be detached from the tablet, so if the cable is damaged, the entire unit will have to be replaced.
I had trouble initially when installing the drivers and configuring the tablet. I found the instructions rather vague, and the electronic help file was not very complete. The tablet did not come with a user manual and I was also unable to find any additional information on the manufacturer's website. I did eventually get it sorted out, but I would not describe it as a user-friendly process.
The wireless pen requires one AAA battery and has an estimated battery life of up to one year. A pen holder and battery are both included, as were two replacement nibs for the pen (which was a pleasant surprise). The pen itself is thick and feels rather bulky for my hand. It has two buttons that can be programmed as left and right mouse buttons, but they seemed awkwardly placed and often got in my way while I was working (thought this would probably not be a problem for anyone with larger hands). The pen also has no "eraser" tip. Whenever I picked the pen up to start working, it seemed to take a few seconds of moving the pen over the work surface (or actually scribbling on the tablet) for the tablet to register that the pen was in use.
I found the tablet itself somewhat slow to respond. In order to get an accurate line from it, I had to move the pen more slowly than was comfortable. It also seemed to skip or jump at random, and if you lift the pen off the work area for a moment, it doesn't line back up when you start drawing again.
It is entirely possible that this is simply a matter of adjusting a setting, but it was not readily apparent. I found the control panel for the tablet difficult to work with and with no user manual or additional information on the website (which I found very slow to respond) I was unable to find answers.
Some research revealed that other Windows XP users have had trouble with this product, though it seems to work well with Windows Vista and different Macintosh operating systems. The fact that the product is Vista compatible seems to be a big selling point, and the tablet may very well function better with Vista.
This product seems to be targeted toward a the casual user. It does give the user some freedom to add a personal touch (like adding their signature or their own little doodles) to their correspondence, but I do not believe that this product is meant for professionals or serious artists.
G-Pen F610
Interface support: USB
System support: Windows Vista/XP/2000
Macintosh with OS X 10.2.8+
Resolution: 2,000 lpi
Active area: 10" x 6.25"
Report rate: 125 rps
Pen pressure: 1,024 levels
Reading high: Max 10 mm
Macro keys: 29
System Requirements:
IBM PC/ Pentium 233 compatible or higher
Windows Vista/XP/2000
Macintosh with OS X 10.2.8or later
Available USB port
CD/DVD-ROM drive for software installation
