Intuos4 Performance Tweaks?

[Bobby H]

I've been using a Wacom Intuos 4 medium sized graphics tablet with my new notebook computer for the past few weeks. Overall, I've been pretty happy with it, but some glitches and what not have popped up from time to time -thankfully not in graphics applications but rather in other things like web browsers. The Wacom pen or mouse will hang while certain web pages are loading and won't resume until the pages have completely loaded. I'm using Google Chrome to surf the web. I don't think Flash-based content is causing the freezes. I suspect certain ads with JavaScript-based animations or possibly some HTML5 style functions. Has any other Intuos 4 owners noticed this kind of thing?

FYI, I'm using the latest driver (6.1.7-3) under Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit edition. This driver was released just a few weeks ago.

 

[Fred Weiss]

I use the same tablet but on a Windows XP Pro OS and Firefox 7.01 as my browser. I've not had any of the problems you mention. The one thing that occurs to me is that I have my tablet set for the pen to be switchable between mouse and pen mode and I only use pen mode when I'm in one of the Adobe CS 5.5 applications, Flexi, Omega or CorelDRAW. I also do not use the Intuos supplied mouse. Rather I have my standard MS Optical Mouse hooked up for when I want it. You might want to switch it over to see if the issues you're having are present with the pen in mouse mode instead of pen mode.

 

[Bobby H]

I have a standard MS optical mouse handy, but only so many available USB ports on this notebook (a Dell XPS 15 L502). I have the Intuos 4 attached via the USB 2/eSATA port "PowerShare". Two USB 3.0 ports are on the left corner of the laptop. I do alright using the notebook's track pad and keys when needed. It just seems kind of strange that certain web pages will cause the pen to hang while the page loads.

One of my coworkers says he's seen the same problem on an older computer he has at home outfitted with an inexpensive Wacom Bamboo tablet. I don't know what OS he has loaded on it (beginning to wonder if this minor glitch is a Win7 issue and involving a recent security patch or anti virus update).

I thought the Intuos 4 automatically switched between pen and mouse mode depending on what input device is being used. As far as mice go, I'm much more used to standard optical mice rather than the more position specific Intuos mouse. But I really like using the pen for all sorts of tasks. It's super accurate. And this tablet size is perfect for my notebook. I have an old 12" X 12" Wacom tablet (with 9-pin serial connection) attached to an old desktop machine. That's a bit too big for tight, wrist oriented work and way too big to haul around. The medium Intuos 4 is thin, small and light enough to fit in some notebook cases.

 

[Fred Weiss]

I have a standard MS optical mouse handy, but only so many available USB ports on this notebook (a Dell XPS 15 L502). I have the Intuos 4 attached via the USB 2/eSATA port "PowerShare". Two USB 3.0 ports are on the left corner of the laptop. I do alright using the notebook's track pad and keys when needed. It just seems kind of strange that certain web pages will cause the pen to hang while the page loads.

One of my coworkers says he's seen the same problem on an older computer he has at home outfitted with an inexpensive Wacom Bamboo tablet. I don't know what OS he has loaded on it (beginning to wonder if this minor glitch is a Win7 issue and involving a recent security patch or anti virus update).

I thought the Intuos 4 automatically switched between pen and mouse mode depending on what input device is being used. As far as mice go, I'm much more used to standard optical mice rather than the more position specific Intuos mouse. But I really like using the pen for all sorts of tasks. It's super accurate. And this tablet size is perfect for my notebook. I have an old 12" X 12" Wacom tablet (with 9-pin serial connection) attached to an old desktop machine. That's a bit too big for tight, wrist oriented work and way too big to haul around. The medium Intuos 4 is thin, small and light enough to fit in some notebook cases.

What I'm talking about is using mouse mode when you are using the pen on the tablet. Mouse mode is the standard speed and acceleration approach to moving a cursor on your screen. Pen mode is mapped to the screen requiring the pen to be moved to exactly where you want the screen cursor to be. What I'm saying is that you can set the pen to act in either fashion. For normal operation, I prefer mouse mode and for graphics work I prefer pen mode. But I am using the pen in both cases. I have the switching set up in the radial menu for easy switching back and forth.

As far as the Intuos mouse as a hardware device ... I hate it. What I hate about it is the extra force required to move it as opposed to the MS Optical mouse. So at a certain point I put it in the drawer and quit using it. But a good amount of the time I just use the pen as my mouse in mouse mode instead of reaching for the MS mouse.

Hope I'm making myself clear. The terminology can be confusing. The attached screen shots show the setup for the mode switch in the radial menu section of the driver and how it appears when the express key for it is pressed.

 

[Bobby H]

Ah, I see. Yeah, I'll have to experiment with that!

Edit: woah, I just mapped my Intuos 4 radial menu like your settings. Using the pen in mouse mode is a trip. Wicked fast across the screen. Nice to be able to toggle it though. The LED lit shortcut buttons on the Intuos 4 are nice.