This morning Wacom announced their new Cintiq 24HD, their largest combination monitor/tablet yet. As the name implies, it boasts a 24-inch screen with HD definition, providing a killer 1920x1200 display. And the screen's wide bezel provides a good resting place for your non-drawing hand, keeping it within easy reach of the customizable ExpressKeys and Touch Rings that veteran Cintiq users will recognize.
The part of the 24HD we're most excited about is a new physical design feature which incorporates solid industrial design thinking to solve an ergonomic issue: How can we get this massive tablet into multiple working positions that we favor? The answer comes in the form of a well-thought-out base and adjustable supporting arms that move and lock the tablet into a variety of positions. Designers, architects and animators will love the drafting-table position enabled by the base, independent of your plain ol' flat desk.
Don Varga, Wacom's Director of Professional Products, swung by Core77's office to give us a demo. (After the demo we've spliced in the 24HD's promo video, and frequent Core77 readers may note something of interest there.)
Pretty cool, no? And what you can't see in the video is the solid, weighty feel the base has to it, which means once you set it up, it remains solidly in place, independent of whatever pressure you exert upon the tablet. Whatever ID team worked on the base took their time to really think it out. Alas, Wacom policy prevents them from mentioning the firm by name, but if the anonymous designers are reading this, job well done!
(Speaking of designers, did you recognize those renderings in the demo?)
The Cintiq 24HD is expected to begin shipping next month and will retail for $2,499.
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