Wacom claims that their RRFC (Reversing Ramped Field Capacitive) display is the only surface capacitive touch technology in the world that works with "excellent accuracy, stability and sensitivity even when working on battery power." The features seem similar to N-Trig's DuoSense technology, except Wacom's product apparently also have their tablet's precision and sensitiveness specs, something that the DuoSense doesn't offer. They also say that their design is immune to noise, as well as having "highly durable and transparent glass sensors" which actually is tougher than glass.

We will have to wait to May 20, when it will be presented at the International Society for Information Display Exhibition, to see how it looks like.

Press Release:

Wacom Introduces Major Innovations In Capacitive Touchscreen Technology
New human interface solution to debut at the Society for Information Display exhibition

Tokyo, Japan and Vancouver, WA, USA April 22, 2008 Wacom announced today a major innovation in capacitive touchscreen technology, called Reversing Ramped Field Capacitive (RRFC ) touch, that will be publicly unveiled at the International Society for Information Display Exhibition, booth #1129, May 20 to 22, 2008 in Los Angeles, California. Wacom's patent-pending technology employs newly designed low-power circuitry and revolutionary reversing ramped electro-static fields to deliver pinpoint precision and drift-free performance to touchscreen users. The technology can be integrated into dual-input applications with Wacom's market-leading EMR pen-input technology for Tablet PC OEMs or work by itself on other platforms that require only a finger touch interface. With this newly developed technology, Wacom can provide true flexibility to OEM partners seeking best-in-class interface solutions.
"Wacom's latest capacitive touch innovation is truly another technology breakthrough for Wacom," said Masahiko Yamada, President and CEO of Wacom Company Ltd. "It demonstrates our calling and commitment to bringing human interface products to market that make computing more natural, easy and fun."

Intuitive Integration
Wacom's RRFC touch technology overcomes many limitations that are inherent in surface capacitive touchscreens available today. For starters, Wacom employs new static field engineering for increased stability and drift-free performance. With advanced ASIC design and high resolution signal processing, RRFC touch is effectively immune to noise. It is also the only surface capacitive touch technology that can demonstrate excellent accuracy, stability and sensitivity even when working on battery power. As an additional benefit, both Wacom's RRFC touch and EMR pen input technologies can work together off of a single ASIC and MCU pair, significantly reducing overall bill of materials and manufacturing costs. Furthermore, Wacom incorporates highly durable and transparent glass sensors with multiple coating and bonding options as well as intuitive driver software, creating a compelling portfolio of human interface solutions for OEM partners seeking cost-effective, state-of-the-art technology for system integration.

"Our new proprietary RRFC touch technology is exciting on a couple of fronts," said Shawn Gray, Wacom's Director of Touchscreen Operations. "New controller processing methods and system design provide extremely accurate pointing at much lower power consumption levels and without increased cost. These factors and others, such as ease of integration and stability, position Wacom RRFC touch as a natural alternative to resistive, surface acoustic wave and infrared touch technologies. Any OEM should seriously look at Wacom's solution when deciding to move beyond resistive touch solutions on portable devices or when seeking to find new and exciting capacitive touch performance in AC-powered applications."

Benefit of Wacom s RRFC Dual Touchscreens
Compared to touchscreens with resistive capacitive, an older touchscreen technology, Wacom's RRFC touch offers superior optical performance, while having increased sensitivity and durability. Wacom touchscreens have greater transmissivity of up to 95 percent, compared to transmissivity of only 80 to 85 percent in resistive capacitive touch screens. Wacom RRFC touch technology requires less pressure, that is, only a very light stroke to activate a signal, compared to the force required in a resistive touch screen. The hard surface in Wacom's RRFC touchscreen is also tougher than glass, which helps eliminate wear and scratching.

History of Innovation in Human Interface Technology
For the last 25 years Wacom has brought people and technology closer together through its natural and highly intuitive line of pen tablets and interactive pen displays. The company's electro-magnetic resonance (EMR ) technology, bolstered by its patented battery-free and cordless digital pen, dubbed Penabled , has played a significant role in the development and success of the mobile computing industry, culminating with the introduction of the first Tablet PC in 2001. As OEM and consumer demand for new and more natural input options increased, Wacom took the lead by offering electronic solutions for its pen together with 3rd party resistive touch input to manufacturers of Tablet PCs. To date, Wacom's pen and resistive touch systems can be found on some of the world s leading convertible notebook computers including, Lenovo, HP, Toshiba and Gateway. Wacom's introduction of its own RRFC touch technology continues the strong tradition of developing human interface solutions solely aimed at creating and delivering affordable, ergonomically sound, efficient and enjoyable computing experiences to both consumer and professional users.

Engineering, Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management Expertise
A global company with a wealth of experience producing large volumes of components for PC OEMs, as well as its own branded products, Wacom's engineering, manufacturing and supply chain management teams will work closely with OEMs looking to integrate Wacom's technology into their computing devices. Wacom's modern, high-capacity manufacturing facilities provide OEM system integrators with low-cost, high-quality products. Its extensive design and testing services allow integrators to find the right solution so that they may compete for larger, more profitable business.

(UPDATE: Since there were so many questions in the comments, I've updated the post with new information)

Pressure-sensitive displays are common now in the Windows Tablet PC world, but not all tablet displays (or as Wacom calls them, interactive pen displays) are created equal. The 1,280 x 800 Wacom Cintiq 12WX has 1,024 pressure levels on both the pen tip and the eraser, with a +/- 60 tilt sensitivity. The difference is clear from the very first time you fire up Painter or Photoshop. The pen smoothly reacts to your actions like it would in the real world. The only thing you will miss is the drag of the actual pencil or pastel on paper.

I connected the Wacom Cintiq 12WX to my 24" iMac via DVI (using a mini-DVI-to-DVI adapter, only necessary when dealing with an iMac or some laptops). I connected it to the Mac via USB as well, to record the pen's data. The video and the USB, along with the power, go into a small box that you can easily put on the floor, as the cable that goes from the box to the tablet is quite long and allows for plenty of freedom of movement.

The process is pretty much plug-and-play. Once you are connected, the Mac or PC with Vista will automatically recognize the extra monitor, which behaves like any other display connected to your machine: your desktop will extend by 1,280 x 800 pixels and that will be that. You can also mirror your main monitor, but I like having the extended display. After you install the Wacom drivers (and I recommend you download the latest ones from the site), the tablet component will be live and ready to use to its full capacity.

The trackpads, thin strips of touch material similar to those on a laptop or an iPod, allows you to zoom in and out dynamically, just by sliding your finger. Those along with the buttons—which are programmable but come by default as modifier keys like Shift, Control and Command or Windows keys—allow you to draw and retouch constantly without having to use the computer keyboard at all. The top key on each side is, by default, configured to allow you to jump from the Wacom display to the main display. When you click on it, the cursor jumps to the main screen so you can select menu items or whatever you want. This effectively converts the Cintiq 12WX into a regular Wacom and completely avoids the use of the mouse in your system.

You probably recognize some of the illustrations in the video from Giz's pages. That's because I have been using the Cintiq for the past two weeks yet even so, I can only come up with two negative things to say about it. First, it has a very rare video glitch that I can't reproduce in other systems and, in fact, I can hardly reproduce it in my own. My guess is that it's a strange video driver issue, either with Mac OS X or the Wacom. The second "negative" thing is that it takes a bit of time to get used to those buttons and side trackpads but once you get in the habit, they can be real time savers.

Other than these two points, I can only say positive things about the tablet. The quality is great, the ease of use can't be beat and it just feels great in your hands. What's more: it speeds up your work because this is the way that you are supposed to work. After using it, trying to control Photoshop with the mouse—or regular graphic tablet—will feel like trying to paint holding a brick dunked in acrylic paint. In your mouth. Blindfolded.

For some people, the price for natural hands-on drawing and photo/video retouch would look excessive, however. If you are an amateur, the $999 price tag is hard to justify. However, if you have the money and you enjoy working on your images and digital paintings, I can tell you that it's worth every cent, if only for the joy.

If you are a professional artist that needs to retouch stills or video or draw from scratch, the Wacom Cintiq 12WX's price is peanuts. It saves so much time and could make the job so much more precise and better that it will pay off in a few hours of work. In other words, if you do this for a living and don't get one of these, you will be wasting your money. Even with that little glitch, which looked like a driver issue in my iMac, I can tell you that you won't be able to go back to a regular graphic tablet or, God forbid, a mouse. The two-year guarantee just sweetens the deal even more.

There's only one thing I miss in this thing. Like my wife would say: more inches. Or pixels. Or however she's measuring the size of my tablet these days.

UPDATE

Response time
The response of the tablet is great. There's is no delay between the pen moving and the actual pixels appearing on the screen. In the video some people perceive a delay but this is because of two reasons: first, the actual LCD screen is separated from the drawing surface a couple of millimeters. While you draw, you don't see this separation because you calibrate the tablet to match your point of view, so the tip touches the pen. However, when you film it from another angle, you see the separation of the pen and the pixels, giving you the illusion the trace follows the pen while this is not true. Another reason, while watching the video again myself, could be that I sometimes do the gesture a few times without actually drawing. This is something that happens to me—and most illustrators—naturally with both real media and the Cintiq. While filmed, sometimes you get the illusion that I am drawing and the line doesn't appear until later, on the second or third pass.

Software compatibility
The Wacom Cintiq 12WX is compatible with any software, including Photoshop (that's the whole point of it, not Excel.) It works transparently and, like I said in the review, it's completely plug-n-play.

If you have more questions, please use the comments.

[Wacom]