Mightier than the mouse: Historic, certainly; ideal means to facilitate communications between people and computers, less certain. Such is the likely verdict on the future role of the keyboard and mouse. Wacom has carved a market for itself by producing graphics tablets that provide the creative ability the traditional pairing lacks. The downside is the hefty price tags Wacom slaps on its innovative products. Local gadget-maker Green House is offering a bit of Wacom's magic, at hopefully a considerably lower price, with its GH-PTB17-E. The new device is a 17-inch LCD screen paired with a wireless pen. Digital documents and photos can be viewed on the screen and then embellished with the pen. Green House offers the example of loading a map into the device, cropping it, scribbling a message on top and then e-mailing the result to a friend. Another typical use would be making handwritten notes on a Microsoft Word document. In effect it allows a user to indulge in the kind of creativity that touchscreens and other tablet devices serve up.

The GH-PTB17-E sports a resolution of 1,280×1,024 with the pen being capable of an impressive 512 different levels of pressure. It also has an 800:1 contrast ratio, 300cd/m2 of brightness and a 5 ms response time. A pair of 1W stereo speakers are built into the unit, along with a 3.5 mm jack for audio and USB. The tablet measures 395×375×55 mm and has the downside of weighing 6 kg, considerably more than even a hefty laptop. It works with both PCs and Macs.

Whether there is a market for the Green House tablet depends on two questions: The first is whether the idea of a simplified tablet product, essentially working like a large touchscreen, is appealing; the second is what price tag Green House puts on their device and when exactly it plans to bring it to market. A comparable Wacom concoction costs ¥40,000 or more. Green House would need to undercut its rival by a fair margin, but even a price tag of ¥20,000 or more would make it attractive. www.green-house.co.jp