Photo answers review
Photo answers rating 
At first glance, the Intuos 4 Wireless looks virtually identical in appearance and design to the Intuos 4 Medium that Digital Photo reviewed last year in the July 2009 issue. Only when you start to take a closer look and turn the Bluetooth-enabled tablet on its side do you start to notice the differences…
The tablet’s working active area is smaller along the longest edge compared to the Intuos 4 Medium and placing it on a desk alongside its predecessor revealed a slight height difference. The Wireless Intuos is only 5mm thicker and although this might not sound like much, it is noticeable when the tablet is butted up in front of a slimline keyboard when your hands are rested on it. One of the reasons for this increased thickness is the addition of a Lithium-ion battery pack, which powers the device when you want to use it wirelessly with a Bluetooth-enabled computer or with an external USB Bluetooth adapter. The battery pack is neatly hidden away on the underside of the tablet, but is easily accessible should you need to remove it or replace it at any time. You’ll need to use the USB 2.0 cable that comes with the tablet to charge the battery when the small green LED switches to orange. The USB port is located centrally on the right side of the tablet, in-between the on/off switch and Bluetooth button.
There are eight customisable express keys on top of the tablet, arranged in two groups of four just like the larger tablets in the Intuos range. Only the smallest sized Intuos tablet has a reduced number of express keys (6) and the main benefit of choosing a Medium size tablet over the Small is that you get illuminated displays, telling you what keys or options you’ve assigned to the express keys. The multi-functional speed ring positioned in-between the express keys is great for zooming in and out of your images quickly and changing brush size rapidly when working with the Brush tool and Eraser in Elements or Photoshop.
To test the Wireless tablet, we started by installing the driver disk, then hooked it up with the USB cable to charge the battery. In a couple of hours the battery was fully charged, so we tucked the cable away and opened the Bluetooth preferences on an iMac. We used the Bluetooth button on the side of the tablet to make it discoverable and the small blue LED beside the power LED flashed, indicating it was communicating to the computer. Searching for a mouse Bluetooth device resulted in our computer instantly recognising the tablet and within three minutes we were up and running wirelessly. With no cables, we picked up the tablet and moved to the other side of the room to test the range. It capably worked from 12ft away. We switched the tablet off to prevent the battery running out and when it was switched back, it automatically reconnected with our computer and was ready to use within 10 seconds. Constant use will require daily USB charging, but with infrequent use, you’ll only need to charge the tablet between 3-5 days.
The Intuos 4 comes with a variety of extra nibs for different feels across the tablet surface, all neatly hidden away in the pen stand. The tablet design makes it compatible with either left or right-handed users and with its 2,048 levels of pressure sensitivity it responds to the slightest of touches and movements.
If it’s a professional Wireless tablet you’re looking for, this Bluetooth-enabled Intuos is the one to go. The price difference between the non-wireless and wireless version is £30 and we’d happily pay the extra for the benefit of being able to work away from the computer on a regular basis. If you’re not worried about working wirelessly but want all the features of the Intuos 4, make sure you take a look at the Intuos 4 Medium, costing £319.
Technical Specification:
Dimensions (W x D x H): 363mm x 253mm x 15mm
Weight: 0.9kg (with battery)
Interface: USB, Bluetooth
Technology: Electromagnetic resonance method
Resolution (per point): 0.005 mm (5,080 lines per inch)
Tilt sensitivity: ± 60°
Charging: USB 2.0
Maximum reading height with pen: 10mm
No. of ExpressKeys: 8
Touch Ring controller: 1
Photoanswers Rating: 5