I draw on a Wacom Bamboo tablet every day, and while digital art is quick and efficient, sometimes I miss the feeling of drawing on paper. I’ve tried out a lot of “smart writing pads” that digitize text written on paper, but the iSKN Slate was among the first I tried in 2016 that was geared toward artists. The follow-up Slate I briefly tested at CES this year is a big improvement.
The original Slate was unique in that it let the user fit magnetic rings on their own pens and pencils, which would work with the magnets in the tablet to convert strokes onto a companion app in real time. You could then place any kind of paper on top of the tablet, clip it in place, and start drawing. Back then, I was left disappointed by the tablet’s...