This 8-by-6-inch table doesn't take Mac compatibility seriously.

The CyberTablet 8600 doesn't look out of place next to most Macs. But beyond that visual parity, the only reason you'd want the 8600 over a similarly sized Wacom Graphire4 is that the 8600 costs half as much. Otherwise, you'll make some significant sacrifices.

Despite trumpeting Mac compatibility on both its Web site and its box, the CyberTablet 8600 clearly doesn't have Macs in mind. The documentation refers only to Windows; the software bundle is all Windows-only. You must download a Mac OS X driver from Adesso's Web site. During installation, the driver messed with our OS X security settings, and it took two reboots to fix matters. After installation, we couldn't find the tablet's controls anywhere in System Preferences, and even Spotlight failed to turn up the app - that's because it had been installed in the Applications folder as the creatively spelled CyperTablet. Even the updated driver (version 1.55 at press time) is a bit buggy. An Adesso rep told us that the company is working on a new driver and updating the documentation. Neither were available at press time.

The 8600 has 16 programmable function keys across the top of its active area - and you'll want to program them, since the defaults don't work. The 8600's 8-by-6-inch active-area tablet has 512 levels of pressure sensitivity. Neither the CyberTablet pen nor the two-button, scroll-wheel mouse are particularly ergonomically pleasing, but the pen performed as intended in both Adobe Photoshop CS2 and Illustrator CS2, providing the drawing and retouching precision you can only get from a tablet.

The bottom line. If you're short on funds but long on patience, the CyberTablet will give you pen-point accuracy.

COMPANY: Adesso
CONTACT: 909-839-2929, www.adesso.com
PRICE: $129.99
REQUIREMENTS: USB, Mac OS X
Affordable compared to other tablets.
Bundled software isn't Mac-compatible. Buggy driver. Lackluster mouse.