Page 111 - NyghtVision Magazine Volume 4 #2

Left: This is the side of the Companion. All the "ports" are in one place. There
are two USB 3 ports, a mini-display port, a micro SD card port, power recepta-
cle., and ear phone jack. The on/off switch is on the bottom. Volume control
is on the left as is the display mode switch. The Companion also comes with a
stand that is simple but effective.

Don't want the ports on the right? Just turn the Companion over. I even used
it in a vertical position when I had it flat on a table top.

Since I was given this article to write, I something to do with this, the performance we
have been struggling with finding the words to experience can't just be the result of that. The
describe the design experience. I have to say Companion is just amazingly efficient.
that Wacom gets design. Even the box the Com-
panion arrived in was elegant, thoughtfully de- A few other notes:
signed, intuitive, graceful. The Companion is 1 The Companion has had a significant impact
beautiful. Elegant. Well crafted. Designed with on Falcon's work. I can vouch for that first hand.
forethought and attention to detail. While it is He has always been given to literally drawing
larger and heavier than other "tablets" (I actual- when he talks with us - on a white board, paper
ly hate to call this a tablet), it is no less function- or whatever happens to be around at a given
al or practical. time. Now he uses the companion with an app
called Note Anywhere. It is ideally suited for the
I packed the Companion into its sleeve
(more about the sleeve later), added a keyboard Companion and for collaborative brain storm-
and mouse I took from my desktop (see the lead ing.
photo) and headed to a local library. Before the The Companion is so versatile that Falcon has
day ended, I had used the Companion in two started porting all our courseware over to it. No
coffee shops, a library, a book store and a park. more white boards, markers, or paper. In bright
Each and every time the functionality of the light there is some loss of clarity but again, that
Companion exceeded expectations. I concluded is to be expected.
that the design team at Wacom really gets what
a tablet is and how a tablet should function. I ad- 2 If you are going to use the Companion for
mit I have not taken tablets seriously until now, business presentations, best to get some exter-
I mean, what can you really do with a tablet? nal speakers. While the sound using headphones
Check email? Watch a video on YouTube? But a is outstanding, the sound through the speakers
real business tool? No. The Companion is a is a bit tiny. That is to be expected after all given
real business tool. the form factor. I don't regard this as a problem
or a design deficiency.
Having said that, it would be a mistake to think
of the Companion as just a photo or video editing 3 The sleeve or jacket for carrying the Compan-
tool even though in that category it is incredibly ion reflects Wacom's thoughtful commitment to
fast and efficient. Loading Photoshop, Capture functional design. The sleeve has a pocket for
One, DxO Labs Optics Pro Elite, or inDesign the charger or other accessories and one specif-
all happen in record time. Processing times for ically for the stylus case. The interior is a plush
RAW images were as good as or better than the blue material designed to protect the Compan-
times we experience on desktop PCs with more ion from accidental scratches and dings. There
RAM and fast disk. While I am sure SSD has are also two straps to keep it from sliding about
and the main compartment has a zipper - a well

Spring 2014 | 111