Using a netbook as a cheap artist tablet

Using a netbook as a cheap artist tablet – Video

The current crop of touchscreen tablets may not have active digitizers for precise pen input, but that doesn’t mean you can’t use them to product art. YouTube user sunguckim says he has a $2000 Wacom Cintiq drawing tablet and a $500 Asus Eee PC T101MT tablet-style netbook. While he admits the Cintiq provides a better experience for sketching, he says the Eee PC T101MT is “70% quality of Cintiq.”

He says there’s a bit of delay and it’s not very precise. But it’s cheaper and… well, it’s cheaper.

So while the Asus Eee PC T101MT may not get a lot of respect from netbook and tablet reviewers, it looks like it could serve niche markets such as artists on a budget.

You can check out a sketching demo video after the break. The Asus Eee PC T101MT is available from Buy.com for $483 plus free shipping.

via Eee PC.it

ASUS Eee PC T101MT

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Posted on Thursday, July 29th, 2010, 11:28 am by Brad Linder

Pfontaine2

I did something similar…I purchased a second hand EeePc 701 computer, running Windows XP from ebay for about $160. I also purchased a touchscreen upgrade kit from ebay for about $60. In addition, I added a 16 gig SD storage card for another $30, a larger battery for about $50 and 2 gigs of RAM for about $40. I now have a lovely, portable art and animation station for slightly over $350. The added battery really pays off since I can use the computer for about 6 hours at a stretch.

The touch screen doesn't support pressure but it still works very nicely and makes for a great traveling computer. It occasionally has problems tracking the included stylus and I found installing the touchscreen to be a bit scary. Ultimately the project required about 20 minutes to complete and works flawlessly!
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aftermath

There are two features needed to pull this off. First, the screen has to be resistive. Second, it has to support palm rejection. The lack of pressure sensitive can be a pretty big problem depending on the kind of art or drawing that you do. One other thing to note is that the active digitizers on Tablet PCs don't have the degree of pressure sensitivity as the more expensive pure-drawing peripherals like the Cintiq. However, tests through the years have shown this doesn't make that big of a difference. Thus, if you're an artist and don't need a tiny solution, buy an inexpensive tablet PC.
Dick Motorman

this is something I have always wondered about. I'd really, really love to see a company make a cheap artist tablet. Something you can take out and draw nice stuff on and then maybe surf the web for a bit. I'd buy something like that in a heart beat.
guest

The T101Mt has both pressure sensitivity and palm rejection.

Using a netbook as a cheap artist tablet – Video

ASUS Eee PC T101MT

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