Wacom

 () is a Japanese company headquartered in Kazo, Saitama, Japan, that specializes in graphics tablets and related products.
Headquarters locations.
The American headquarters are located in the Pearl District of Portland, Oregon, 
Functionality.
Wacom tablet functionality was used in the screen of the Compaq Concerto computer in 1992, making it an early tablet computer. In 1991, Wacom chips were used in the Samsung Penmaster tablet computer which was also sold as the GridPad SL by Grid Systems. The Penmaster had an early precursor to Samsung's S Pen, known today for its inclusion in the Galaxy Note line of phones, which also use Wacom's technology to power the S Pen, since its conception with the Galaxy Note line of phones in 2011.
Product lines.
Intuos.
2018 models feature 1024 levels of pressure sensitivity and a resolution of 2540 lines per inch (1000 lines/cm). Each of the models have a 5.8 × 3.6 in (14.7 × 9.2 cm) active surface area, a weight of 290 ±50g, and 4 control buttons.
In the Americas and Europe, four models are available in 2018: Intuos Draw, Intuos Art, Intuos Photo, and Intuos Comic.
Accessories.
Wacom's Wireless Accessory Kit is a USB dongle and adapter which allows all Intuos tablet Models connect to a computer wirelessly. This kit is compatible with certain models. It did not work with the 2011 Bamboo Splash, Bamboo Connect or Bamboo Pen models.
Drivers.
The Linux Wacom Project produced drivers for Linux/X11. According to Peter Hutterer in his XDC2016 talk, Wacom has 3 Linux kernel developers (Ping Cheng, Jason Gerecke and Aaron Skomra) working full-time on Linux support.
Intuos Pro.
Intuos Pro is marketed to professional graphic artists and featured the highest specifications of any non-screen Wacom device. 
Cintiq Companion.
Each Cintiq Companion model features 2048 pressure levels with multi-touch control, 1,920-by-1,080 resolution, an express key located on the left of the tablet that could be customized, palm rejection, a silky matte finish, a stand that allows the user to tilt the unit to three different degrees and weighed about 3.9 pounds.
Other lines.
Wacom offers additional products which it marketed in various parts of the world. The Graphire Wireless is a version of Wacom's discontinued Graphire line (largely replaced by the Bamboo) which communicates with the computer via Bluetooth rather than a USB cable. The Graphire digital pen is interchangeable with the original Bamboo model's digital pen but not later Bamboos. In Europe, Wacom offered the Colorelli, a tablet and software package marketed as a creative outlet for children; "JustWrite Office" a basic tablet for capturing written input in office applications; the PL Series, similar in function to the Cintiq but with more modest specifications suited for office use; and the "Signature Tablet", a monochrome display/tablet for capturing signatures. At CES Asia 2018 Shanghai, Wacom unveiled its first retractable ballpoint pen for EMR technology; in this pen the coil surrounds the cartridge enabling refill manufacturers to provide Wacom compatible refills in the future.
Using its touch-interface expertise, Wacom also produced a DJ Controller called the Nextbeat X-1000 from April 2010.
Durability.
Several Wacom models, including the Intuos4 and Bamboo, were criticized for the drawing surface's roughness, which caused the small pressure-sensitive 'nib' to wear down, and become slanted or scratchy in the same way as pencil lead, albeit more slowly. This could also cause the surface to become smoother where it is used more, resulting in uneven slick and non-slick areas. As the nibs were only short lengths of plastic, it was possible for a user wanting a more durable nib to improvise a replacement from a short length of nylon 'wire' (approx 0.065 inches or 1.7mm diameter) like that found in grass trimmer or 'weed-eater' refills, suitably straightened by hand and smoothed (rounded off) at one end with abrasive paper. Additionally, a thin sheet of glass or acetate can be placed over the drawing surface to avert surface or nib damage in the same way as screen protectors are used on phones, although in the case of glass this may induce a—usually modest—parallax error when tracing.
The Intuos4 surface sheet was revised in October 2010 to reduce nib wear. Wacom Europe sells a bundle that includes the revised surface sheet and replacement nibs at a reduced price for installation in existing Intuos4 tablets.
Drivers.
ThinkyHead Software published the free TabletMagic driver package. TabletMagic is a driver for discontinued serial-port Wacom tablets for use on modern Apple Macintosh computers under the Mac OS X operating system. A USB-to-serial port adapter is required. (OS X open source drivers for many such adapters are available from Source Forge.) 
Technology.
Wacom tablets use patented electromagnetic resonance technology called "Electro Magnetic Resonance" ("EMR"). 