Wacom Bamboo Connect CTL470

Wacom Bamboo Connect CTL470

The Wacom Bamboo Connect is a decent basic drawing tablet that shows how far prices have fallen over the past few years. At just $79.99, it gives you everything you need for simple collaboration or sketch work. But that's it. Thanks to the lack of an eraser or second programmable button on the pen, it's tough to recommend as an actual drawing tool, and its relative lack of features make it a poor deal overall. Design, Product Line, and SetupThe Bamboo Connect measures 6.9 by 10.9 by 0.4 inches (HWD). Wacom streamlined the design, but only partially; while it's slimmer, and there are fewer cut lines and buttons than on the older Bamboo Pen & Touch CTH460 (4 stars), there's now extra space on one side for no appreciable reason. The entire tablet is still made of black plastic, with a glossy plastic bar over the "wasted" space, a blue LED light indicating a live connection, a hard textured surface around the tablet's edges, and a fluorescent green nylon pen holder. The pleasantly tacky drawing surface measures 5.8 by 3.6 inches, which is the same as before. This time around, you can detach the USB cord, which helps if you need to move the tablet on your desk for some reason, although there's no wireless option on this lowest-cost version.