The game set me off on a course to find the perfect, if not the best tablet stylus out there, and I’ve settled with this one from the Wacom Realism project. Sure, it’s not real (yet!) but it’s impressive and packs on features that make it stand out from the rest.

The coolest feature of the Realism stylus is that it comes with a color sensor that can instantly scan colors from real-world objects and then output it on your display the next time you make a stroke. This is similar to Jinsu Park’s Color Picker pen concept, but seems much more useful built into a stylus.

The Wacom Realism project stylus was designed by Majel Korytar, and at this point remains only a concept.

[via Yanko Design]

One of the big downsides to sketching on drawing tablets is that they don’t really feel like drawing on paper, and devices like the iPad don’t work with variable pressure. And drawing on paper, then scanning your image requires too many steps, and can only be used for raster images. The cool thing about the Wacom Inkling is that it lets you draw directly on paper with a ball point pen, and can store every detail of your sketch as either raster or vector art – letting you manipulate your lines digitally, while retaining your varied strokes on paper. And since it’s portable, you can draw anywhere you go.

The Inkling comes with three main components, a receiver box that clips onto the top of any notepad, and a special pen, which communicates with the receiver, and a docking station for charging the receiver and pen and transferring images to your computer. You can then sketch til the cows come home in your notepad. At the end of the day, simply plug in and sync up with Wacom’s Inkling Sketch Manager to import your drawings into Photoshop or Illustrator or other applications.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The system uses a combination of ultrasonic and infrared technologies to work its magic, and it truly does look magical. While I haven’t had a chance to play with this thing yet, I’m really looking forward to checking out the Inkling when it hits stores sometime this September for $199 (USD).

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

[via Gizmodo]

The authentic music from the game really puts me in the mood to dust of my game disc and play through again. Only this time in God mode. Or maybe not. I prefer functional thumbs to bloody stumps.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

And after you watch the video, grab the wallpaper for your desktop here.

[via gamefreaks]

The new Wacom nextbeat is a music controller which lets both professional and casual digital dee-jays finesse their tunes in about any way imaginable – even from the middle of the dance floor. That’s because the nextbeat features a unique docking wireless control pod which lets you roam and control sounds loaded onto the nextbeat base station.

The nextbeat contains everything you need to rock the party now. Packed inside the box is a pair of digital audio players, a mixer, sampler and effect units. Just plug it into your sound system, and you’re ready to go.

In keeping with Wacom tradition, the nextbeat incorporates a variety of touch-based sensors on its control pod, but they were smart enough to also include a number of knobs and buttons for places where tactile feedback is a must.

Wacom plans on releasing the nextbeat DJ system in Europe and Japan in Summer 2009. No word on price or a North American release date, but you can check back for more information over at the nextbeat preview site. It’ll also be on display at the Winter Music Conference from 24-28 March 2009 in Miami Beach, Florida, USA, and Musikmesse from 1-4 April 2009 in Frankfurt, Germany – if you happen to be there.

[via MacWorld UK via flyflyf]

The Wacom Bamboo will retail for under $150 when it’s released later this Spring, and features a wide variety of features for both creative and functional uses. The small (appx. 4″ x 6″) drawing surface fits nicely on any desktop, and comes with a nicely designed stand for its wireless stylus.

The tablet is sensitive to 512 levels of pressure, making it ideal for illustration and painting applications. It also features four “express” hot keys and a nifty zoom/scroll ring, similar to an iPod’s scroll wheel which can all be used to improve navigation through your programs. It also provides handwriting recognition capabilities and gesture-based input for use in some applications. The tablet features USB connectivity and works with both PCs and Macs.

[via Akihabaranews]

The ModBook features a WACOM pressure-sensitive digitizer, allowing artists to draw directly on its 13.3-inch (1280×800) LCD screen. It also works with Apple’s Inkwell handwriting and gesture recognition software, providing immediate integration with all applications. The computer also features built-in GPS tracking, and iSight camera and an internal CD/DVD or DVD burner. Axiotron has also encased the computer in a magnesium alloy case for durability.

The ModBook will be available from Other World Computing with prices starting at $2279 for a complete system, including an Intel Core Duo MacBook, the ModBook conversion kit and a 1 year warranty on the complete system.

[ADDED: Video of the ModBook in action, via CrunchGear...]