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Cintiq Companion
- Thread starter mgipe
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There are two devices. The Cintiq Companion is a full Windows 8 PC. The Cintiq Companion Hybrid is an Android tablet that also has a video input so you can use it with your existing computer.
Which one is a more appropriate choice depends a lot on whether or not you want to use it with a Mac and whether or not you like Android or Windows 8. For even less money, you could just get the regular Cintiq.
It will be interesting to see if any reviews or round-ups ever come out comparing these Cintiq devices to the Microsoft Surface Pro and the Sony Vaio Duo 13. The Duo 13 looks like it has more configuration flexibility and computing horsepower than either of the Cintiqs, but Wacom applied for (and got) an exception to Microsoft's typical rules for building Windows 8 devices and was able to move the Windows button out of the way (to the left.)
I suspect like all of the cintiqs before, most people who don't know what they are or why you'd want one will balk, say it's expensive, and move along to something else. For the people for whom a device like this makes sense, it could be a great alternative to a laptop as a mobile computer.
Which one is a more appropriate choice depends a lot on whether or not you want to use it with a Mac and whether or not you like Android or Windows 8. For even less money, you could just get the regular Cintiq.
It will be interesting to see if any reviews or round-ups ever come out comparing these Cintiq devices to the Microsoft Surface Pro and the Sony Vaio Duo 13. The Duo 13 looks like it has more configuration flexibility and computing horsepower than either of the Cintiqs, but Wacom applied for (and got) an exception to Microsoft's typical rules for building Windows 8 devices and was able to move the Windows button out of the way (to the left.)
I suspect like all of the cintiqs before, most people who don't know what they are or why you'd want one will balk, say it's expensive, and move along to something else. For the people for whom a device like this makes sense, it could be a great alternative to a laptop as a mobile computer.
This is so so so soooooooooooo true. In the case of the Cintiq Companion / Hybrid if specs like RAM and Processor are what you care about these will fall short when compared the best Surface 2 and Galaxy Nexus tablets. But if you care about making art, which is the market Wacom is after with these, then there is no better option. These tablets have 2048 levels of sensitivity with their pen and the pen supports a variety of interchangeable nibs for varied types of strokes. The best Android and Windows tablets NOT made by Wacom support only 1024 levels of pressure sensitivity. Basically they work half as well and I can tell you first hand from drawing on an iPad you can definitely feel the difference.
Bottom line, if all you want is a tablet for media consumption the Wacom Cintiq Companion / Hybrid is a stupid purchase. There are better tablets for less money. However, if you are an artist, it's the best on the market. Assuming of course you want to use it to actually make art.
Full disclosure, I ordered one when they were released and I have been using it all week with Painter X3/Photoshop/Zbrush and I couldn't be happier. The only downside I have discovered so far is that Pixologic / ZBrush is not multi-platform and I was required to buy another license to use it on Windows (at least it was 50% off).
As or performance, everything seems to run fine. Painter actually runs better because the Mac version is only 32bit because Corel sucks. I have actually been more impressed with Win 8 than I thought I would be, except for the app store which is a barren wasteland compared to ios. No Facebook app yet??? wtf...
Thanks for the input. I'm currently using an older Asus tablet PC for on-line educational sessions. It works, but suffers from slow speed and inaccurate stylus tracking. I would sure like to replace it with something that had i7 speed, Wacom pen performance, and precise alignment between the screen and digitizer. Possibilities include the Surface Pro 2, the Cintiq Companion, and the Sony, which looks pretty nice. Unfortunately, this is something that you can't judge by specs alone, so any advice from those with hands-on experience is appreciated.
...sure would like to see an iPad with Wacom digitizer!
...sure would like to see an iPad with Wacom digitizer!
I don't like the Companion product line. I think one of the big value points for Wacom products is their longevity and that they hold their value better even than Apple products. The Companions are already released with last years tech, and I see them degrading as the years go by. Not worth it for the cost.
I ended up just buying a Cintiq 13HD to use with my iMac, and then I am planning to buy a Surface Pro 2 for a portable tablet. I may have a change of heart after Apple's announcement today, but I'm sick of waiting for Apple to support a real stylus, and most of the 3rd party capacitive solutions fall far short of the bar IMO. Cost wise, this solution is the same as buying the Windows 8 companion, and I get the benefits of the Cintiq 13HD, and portability/form factor of the Pro 2. Plus the Pro 2 can play games any do anything else a full computer can.
Apple really needs to add stylus support to the iPad. Jobs is gone, they should feel safe doing this now.
I ended up just buying a Cintiq 13HD to use with my iMac, and then I am planning to buy a Surface Pro 2 for a portable tablet. I may have a change of heart after Apple's announcement today, but I'm sick of waiting for Apple to support a real stylus, and most of the 3rd party capacitive solutions fall far short of the bar IMO. Cost wise, this solution is the same as buying the Windows 8 companion, and I get the benefits of the Cintiq 13HD, and portability/form factor of the Pro 2. Plus the Pro 2 can play games any do anything else a full computer can.
Apple really needs to add stylus support to the iPad. Jobs is gone, they should feel safe doing this now.
Agree with you 100%. If apple had a proper stylus I could probably eliminate paper entirely. I am interested in hearing how the Surface Pro works for you.
I'll let you know. Still thinking about whether the stylus is good enough and what configuration is smart.
After seeing the iPad Air, I kind of want that instead, but of course no stylus. The iPad advantage is its size, weight, and build quality. Beyond that, they have a lot of outstanding apps that are designed for a tablet style device. While the Pro obviously has access to professional grade software, it is a challenge to use Photoshop or Painter on a 10" screen. I know Manga Studio now has a touch interface that is supposed to be quite good, however.
My concern with the Pro 2 is also stylus accuracy, which can be spotty in my experience. After settling in with the 13HD, I am amazed by the natural feel and hyper-accuracy of the Cintiq line. It's truly outstanding.
I also read that Adobe is teaming up with Adonit to release a fine point stylus with pressure support. There is no solid info about this yet, but it looks like it might be a good solution to this problem.
So right now I'm really torn between the Pro 2 and the Air.
Got my hands on a Wacom Companion today. Was only able to play for a few minutes. Built like a tank, but twice as heavy as a tank. Digitizer performance is great, as you would expect from Wacom. Performance as a PC was also brisk. (This was the i7 processor.)
One feature that I wish was included is the ability to use it as a second display/digitizer like the Cintiq or the Companion hybrid.
One feature that I wish was included is the ability to use it as a second display/digitizer like the Cintiq or the Companion hybrid.