Firing a warning shot toward the line of inexpensive Google Chromebooks, Microsoft announced this week at WPC 2014 that the company is working with HP to release a Windows 8 laptop at a $199 price point as well as a 7-inch Windows tablet at a $99 price point. In order to accomplish this new low price point, the software company recently removed the licensing cost to installing Windows 8 on hardware under a specific price point.

In addition to the $199 HP laptop, Acer and Toshiba will be producing a similar low-cost laptop at a $249 price point. While HP is keeping quiet on specifications details, Toshiba’s laptop will feature a 11.6-inch display with a 2.16GHz Intel Celeron processor, while Acer will be having a 15.6-inch display screen. These specs are somewhat similar to the Chromebooks manufactured by Acer and Toshiba.

Interestingly, the top 20 selling laptops on Amazon currently include Chromebooks and Apple MacBooks almost exclusively. It’s clear that Microsoft wants to regain a foothold on the low-end laptop market, a segment that’s alluded them despite efforts to discredit Chromebooks using arguably unsuccessful marketing campaigns (See Scroogled).

Since the majority of these laptops will be released in time for the holiday shopping season, we can predict what type of deals will appear for these new models. Joe Warner, the assistant managing editor for Ben’s Bargains, said “During Black Friday month, the most likely discounts for these models will appear on the Microsoft Store and HP’s own online store. Microsoft usually offers up a five percent coupon code that could be applied to the new models. However, it’s also possible that Microsoft will offer a larger discount when bundled with a subscription to Office.”

Warner continued “Regarding HP, the company often releases a $15 off $100 code on their Slate line of tablets. It’s possible that we will see a similar code around Black Friday, potentially discounting the $99, 7-inch Windows tablet by 10 to 15 percent.”

If you are interested in being notified when we post a deal on one of the new Windows 8 laptops or tablets, be sure to set up a Deal Alert on Ben’s. When a deal hits the price point you are willing to pay, we will immediately fire an email to you so you can take advantage of the deal while it lasts.

Goodbye Chromebooks? $199 Windows 8 laptops are coming soon

I’ve been using Wacom pen tablets since the first generation Bamboo consumer series tablet (the Bamboo MTE-450). Later I moved on to the 2nd generation Bamboo Pen and Touch tablet (CTH460), which I reviewed back in late 2009. It introduced touch capabilities, although limited, to the traditional Wacom pen input.

The CTH-460 was solid enough that I skipped the third iteration released in 2011 — the Bamboo Capture Pen and Touch (CTH470). The 3rd generation tablet introduced an optional wireless kit which is still regrettably optional in the latest 2013 version that I’m reviewing here. Now known as the Intuos Pen and Touch tablet, it’s available in two sizes: small (CTH480) for $99 and medium (CTH680) for $199.

Good-bye Bamboo, Hello Intuos

Compared to Wacom’s professional Intuos line, the Bamboo tablets were aimed at mainstream consumers with affordable price tags frequently under $100. For this latest generation, Wacom has merged the naming of the two lines, with the pro versions now designated Intuos Pro (formerly Intuos5).

Aside from the new name, there are variety of mostly subtle but positive changes to Wacom’s entry level pen and touch tablet. In other words, the Intuos Pen and Touch is an evolutionary product, not a revolutionary one, but there’s enough here to appeal to the old users as well as new users.

Like other Wacom products, the unboxing experience is evocative of Apple. Inside the sleek slide-out box with gatefold cover, you’ll find the tablet, pen stylus, micro USB cable with right angle connector and installation disc. You also get an extra stylus band and pen holder in the color black (vs. the default blue).

In the tradition of previous Bamboo pack-ins, there are license keys to some valuable downloadable software: this time, Adobe Photoshop Elements 11 (previous version), Autodesk Sketchbook Express, ArtRage 3 Studio and Nik Color Efex Pro 3 WE6 are included. Plus, there are promotional offers like a coupon code for a free Shutterfly 8 x 8 Photo Book, so all in all the extras feel worthwhile.

What’s also stayed the same: a resolution of 2540 lines per inch (lpi), 1024 levels of pressure sensitivity and an active area measuring 6.0″ x 3.7″ for the small version (8.5″ x 5.3″ for the medium).

Form Factor

The entry level tablets have moved away from a flat form factor and adopted the wedge shape of the pro line. It’s a very subtle incline as opposed to the steeper slope of, say, the Apple wireless trackpad. The bottom lip of the tablet tapers off to a mere 0.2″ thickness, making it very comfortable to rest your wrist on the edge. It’s about 0.4″ on the top end.

The most obvious change has come in the tablet’s size. The width has shrunken down, making it an easier fit on a crowded desk or keyboard tray. It measures 8.3″ x 7.0″, whereas the 2011 model was a longer 10.9″ x 6.9″ and the 2009 model was 9.78″ x 6.9″. Wacom also dropped the left/right orientation by moving the physical buttons back to the top of the tablet where they were located in the first generation Bamboo tablet. The four physical buttons seem easier to press and still feature a small raised dot which helps you find the button without looking.

Pen and Touch Features

The texture of the touchpad is slightly coarse vs. the smoothness you would find on the Apple wireless trackpad or Macbook Pro trackpad. It’s very responsive and not uncomfortably rough as you move your hand over it. The surface is closer in texture to the coarseness of paper. Since you can also use the touchpad with a pen stylus, this is actually a very good choice.

For me, the biggest improvement over the second generation tablet came in the responsiveness of the touchpad. It now allows for true multi-touch gestures compared to the two-finger limitations of the older model. Its ease of use is equal to the Apple trackpad and, although the gestures differ slightly from standard Apple gestures, they are easy to learn. I found myself using the touch gestures a lot more than on my old Bamboo tablet.

The pen stylus is lighter and narrower this time around, closer in dimensions to a regular pen and easier to hold for longer periods of time. The nib (the plastic tip that makes contact with the tablet) feels slightly squishier or softer now when tapping the surface. Overall, however, I found that these minor changes to the pen were a wash.

It’s still very easy to use the pen as a mouse substitute because the active tablet surface very accurately mapped my dual monitor setup and I was able to move the cursor freely with the pen by hovering it over the surface. Wacom also brought back the “eraser” which was left off the third generation entry level tablet.

Connectivity

Like the 2011 model, the micro USB cable is detachable, which is a good thing because the included 3-ft. cord is way too short. It’s suitable for plugging into a laptop, but making a connection to a separate desktop PC located farther away is inconvenient. It’s a universal cable, so it’s very easily upgraded — but it’s something to keep in mind.

You still have to pay separately for upgrading to wireless connectivity. The wireless kit (pictured right) will run you $40, which is almost half the price of the tablet. It seems like Wacom could sell the whole package together for around $120 and make people a little happier, but the wireless functionality is not essential. However, we’ve long since moved our keyboards and mice to wireless, so it seems to make sense that the pen tablet should be, as well.

Conclusion

The Intuos Pen and Touch is a worthwhile update to Wacom’s fantastic line of consumer pen and touch tablets. If you’re a new user or picky old user like myself, the fourth generation has enough improvements to make it a good purchase, and I highly recommend it for its versatility as an input device, mouse substitute and, of course, tool for artists and illustrators. Plus, it’s a lot easier to sign your name on PDFs!

Check for Intuos Pen and Touch Deals on Ben’s

Wacom Intuos Pen and Touch Small Tablet Review

If you recently purchased a new laptop or ultrabook with the dreaded Windows 8 operating system and are longing for the simplicity of the Windows 7 desktop, don’t fret; there’s hope! While you are waiting for the joys of Windows 8.1 to fix many of the issues plaguing Windows 8 users, there are steps you can take during the interim to bring back the Windows 7 look and functionality.

If you don’t mind skipping your next $5 frappuccino at Starbucks, the simplest, most user friendly way to get that Windows 7 look and feel back is to install Stardock’s Start8 and pay $4.99 to register the software. Why? Five reasons:

• You will get the Start button in the Windows desktop back along with the Windows 7 theme for the start menu. You also have some fun customization options for the design, but the point is that vital functionality has been restored.
• When starting up the computer, you can boot directly to the desktop. You don’t have to look at that Windows 8 tiled interface each time you turn on your computer, especially nice for anyone who didn’t pay an extra $50 to $100 for a touchscreen display.
• The Start button menu brings back the unified search function in the menu. You will be able to look through all your files, folders, applications and settings by using the search function, identical to Windows 7.
• You can disable all the Windows 8 hot corners. This means you don’t have to deal with the annoying menus pop up when your mouse hovers over a specific side or corner of the screen.
• It’s extremely user friendly, ideal for users who don’t understand technical methods for modifying Windows 8.

However, there are other alternatives, as well. For a registration cost of $3, StartIsBack will install a theme that’s identical to the Windows 7 Start menu and overall design. Similar to Start8, you can boot directly to the desktop and disable hot corners. The difference between the software is that Start8 is more user friendly and plays nice with other Stardock products that you may be using on your system.

There are also some freeware options available. Start Menu 8 can provide similar functionality, but the interface is worse than StartIsBack and there’s bundled software included in the download. Pokki is a fun, free option that provides a completely different look and feel to the Windows Start menu, but there’s a much heavier focus on Windows 8 within the interface.

Pokki’s take on the Start Menu

Classic Shell is another free option, but it’s really designed for more technical users. However, it could be a good option for someone who’s used to much older operating systems like Windows XP, assuming someone with technical expertise sets up the software for them.

For further help, be sure to check out this guide at Laptopmag detailing how to install the Windows 7 Areo theme, bypassing the lock page in Windows 8 and how to run Windows 8 applications in the desktop mode.

How to Turn Windows 8 Back Into Windows 7, Visually Anyway