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The standard mouse was not built for drawing, photo editing, writing signatures, or other tasks that require precise cursor placement--thus evolved the graphics tablet. Tablets generally come in two varieties: small and inexpensive, and large and pricey. But KB Gear's Pablo Internet Edition tablet offers an intermediate option. The $99 Pablo has a drawing area nearly twice the size of comparably priced devices, and it carries a Web graphics software bundle that's more than worth the price. The tablet also offers the flexibility of a dual USB/serial interface.

But alas, the Pablo suffers from some serious limitations, especially when compared with other tablets such as the wireless, $99 Wacom Graphire, which includes a mouse and offers utilities for customizing the pen and adjusting the touch and movement controls. The Pablo, on the other hand, offers few advanced controls and little in the way of customization, other than a crude control for touch.

Graphics Tablet Oversimplified

The Pablo works with Windows 95/98 PCs and G3 or G4 Macs; according to KB Gear, the tablet also peacefully coexists with your mouse (we didn't run into any trouble when using it with our test system). If you use the USB interface, the tablet draws power directly from your PC's USB port (if you use an external USB hub, it will have to be a powered model with an A/C converter). If you use the serial interface, you'll need to connect the included pass-through cable to your keyboard port as well.

The Pablo's 10-by-11-inch tablet has a 8-by-6-inch drawing area, giving you lots of room to play (the Graphire's drawing area is just 4 by 5 inches). Rubber nubs on the bottom prevent slipping, and a ridge on the top lets you hold the tablet in one hand while you draw with the other. A built-in, clear plastic overlay lifts easily for tracing originals. The Pablo's pressure-sensitive stylus can be plugged into the tablet's left or right side, and it hangs from a 23-inch cord (there's no pen rest). The stylus, while not ergonomically shaped, is thick enough to be wielded comfortably.

The Pablo's software bundle for PCs and Macs--Adobe Photoshop LE, Adobe PageMill 3, and Totally Hip Software's WebPainter 3 (a Web animation and graphics app)--shines. But the Pablo's lack of customization options will frustrate users seeking to get the most of those apps. The tablet provides simple controls for button assignments and linear sensitivity, but offers only relative positioning (push the pen along to move the cursor); there are no options for absolute (touch a point and the cursor instantly moves there) and ballistic (the faster you push the pen, the farther the cursor moves) positioning. The Pablo's 1000-lines-per-inch resolution cannot be changed. Also, there is no electronic eraser, and you can't replace a worn pen tip--instead, you have to buy an entirely new pen for $25. (The Graphire pen, on the other hand, has an eraser, and Wacom offers 50-cent replacement tips.)

The Pablo's large size and simplicity make it easy to use, and it will serve fine if you're looking for a tablet to use for signatures and basic doodles. But Wacom's Graphire is much more functional, and at about the same price, it makes for a much better value. (Note: KB Gear is currently offering a $20 rebate coupon that you can mail in once you've bought the product.)