Wacom tablets have long been popular among graphic designers and digital artists, all but replacing the mouse as their drawing tool of choice. Now Wacom is trying to bring more users to the fold with the new Bamboo tablet, which incorporates features that regular desktop users can benefit from. The tablet is a bit small for most graphic designers' tastes, but still it's about the size of an average mousepad. It connects via USB, and comes with a caddy for your digital pen.

The Bamboo has over 500 levels of sensitivity, and a "touch ring" at the top that allows users to change he sensitivity levels, zoom in and out of items and graphics, scrolling up and down webpages and documents, and manage other settings. Additionally, the Bamboo comes with handwriting recognition software that integrates with Office 2007, Windows Vista, and Mac OS X. The Bamboo is slated for release near the end of May, and will cost around $140.

[ via Wired Gadget Lab ]