Last month I decided I wanted a new gadget for my business - a Wacom Bamboo Fun tablet - and I asked my readers if I should get one. All of the recommendations were positive, which meant I just had to have one. I ended up getting one for Christmas and it is SO COOL.

I got the Medium Bamboo Fun Black Tablet that came with a pen, mouse and the graphics software. Within 5 minutes of opening the box I was using it.

Installation was so easy. I removed the tablet from the box and plugged it into a free USB port and I was in business! The mouse immediately worked and I quickly figured out that I could use the pen to navigate my screen like a mouse. When the pen tip is close to the tablet surface but not touching, you can use it like a mouse. Tap on the tablet for a single mouse click and tap twice for a double click. It did come with two CDs - one with the Bamboo software/drivers to give you access to all the advanced features and settings and one with software such as Adobe Photoshop Effects and a few others.

Getting started was pretty simple, too. I opened a photo and was easily able to do red eye touch up, select areas I wanted to work with and such. Writing and drawing on the tablet are both very easy and feel just like writing on paper. You do have to practice to get the exact feel - something that I am sure will take some time for me.

The Bamboo Fun plays well with everyone! I have had no problem using it with Fireworks, Photoshop, Photoshop Elements (came with the Bamboo Fun), using it on the PC and then taking it over to my Mac to work in Illustrator and Photoshop there.

I certainly have a lot to learn about the Bamboo Fun and how to really maximize its use. A lot of that will just take practice and just flat out using it. I may have to spend some time at iSketch.net for practice (thanks for the tip Randa). If you know of any other tools or sites that are good for developing my Bamboo skills - let me know!!!