Why? Because a certain company called Vistablet has developed their own version to compete with the traditionally established Wacom.
I bought the 7.7 inch Vistablet Penpad on December because of the low cost (40$) and the 10% discount coupon they offered on Amazon.
At first I wasn't sure. Was it worth the risk to buy something 'cheap' for the sake of it?
In this case, risking something is the KEY to gain something that will get you above.
The Vistablet Penpad offers 1024 levels of pressure sensitivity, which is the standard for drawing or completing your manga illustrations. Given that manga is mostly black and white, it shouldn't be a problem at all.
The design of the tablet is very simple. It's not on the sophisticated side, nor it doesn't look or feel cheap at all. Indeed it's perfect for beginning students or artists that don't want to spend much in something too fancy.
The tablet is connected to the computer through a USB cable, and it comes with a CD that along with the tablet drivers', it offers alternative software such as ArtWeaver, that I gotta say it surprised me because of its versatility.
It was very easy to install and configure. You have the option of adjusting the pressure, the clic speed and sensitivity, if it works in cm or inches, the buttons, and it lets you test them. Nothing out-of-this-world here, but it assures you that it does its job.
I've been using it with Manga Studio 4 and Adobe Illustrator CS4 recently and I haven't had any issue at all. Both programs (as well as Photoshop) recognize it perfectly, even though with Manga Studio you need to increase the tilt and pressure a bit in the brush, pen, and pencil tool options, so it reads your movements better.
My recommendation would be to never bend it if you carry it in your bag, backpack or purse, make sure you always carry it in a hard case, since it's mostly like a mouse pad, and that could damage it.