New Gadget 2011

After being available on the iPad for over a year, SketchBook Pro finally makes its way to Android Honeycomb tablets. Photo courtesy of Autodesk

Autodesk, most well known as creator of the popular 3-D design software AutoCAD, on Tuesday will announce the debut of its SketchBook Pro drawing application for Android tablets, the company has told Wired.com.

SketchBook Pro, essentially a digital canvas and brush set, allows you to use both your fingers and aftermarket styluses to create illustrations and designs. Included are over 60 different brush tools, the ability to create up to six different layers for one file, as well as the ability to export files to Photoshop.

The app was previously available on iPhone, iPad and Android phone devices, as well as in an expanded desktop version. This is the first version of the app that will run on Android's tablet-optimized software, a.k.a. Honeycomb.

�In this world, size matters,� said Chris Cheung, senior product manager of SketchBook products, in an interview. �There's this kind of different engagement � while phones are convenient and fit in your pocket, they aren't the same experience as using the app while holding something the size of an actual sketchbook.�

The app's tablet release is a timely one. Tablet manufacturers are trying hard to differentiate their hardware from others on the market, occasionally offering a stylus pen to complement a device. HTC's Flyer tablet, which debuted earlier this year, was the first major Android tablet launch to include a stylus. And if This Is My Next blogger Joanna Stern's sources are to be believed, we may soon see a tablet from Lenovo that includes a stylus as well. If so, Autodesk could potentially ride a wave of stylus-bundled Android devices to further popularity.

Though the software isn't exactly a sleeper. Autodesk says SketchBook Pro has already been downloaded over 5 million times across all available platforms.

The company has more than just armchair artists in its sights. Cheung says the software caters to both amateur illustrators as well as established professionals in the design industry. Take Helmut Jahn, a 76-year-old architect and self-avowed technophobe, for instance. Jahn says after discovering the app on the iPad, he uses it for �90 percent of the drawings he makes while on the road,� according to a recent Chicago Business profile.

�It doesn't remove the need for professionals and high end tools,� Cheung stresses. �But it basically almost level-sets the access to the technology. Effectively, we have these treasures that bring creativity to the masses.�

Of course, the artistic tablet software field isn't solely populated by Autodesk. Famed Creative Suite makers Adobe recently debuted three apps for the iPad, all of which work in conjunction with Photoshop on the PC. Using the Eazel, Lab and Lava apps, you can finger paint, select Photoshop tools and mix colors, transferring results from iPad to PC instantaneously.

The biggest sea change rests in the app's utility, rather than the new platform on which it will appear. Since the iPad's debut, consumer tablet devices have typically been seen as content consumption devices, readymade for movie viewing and game playing. With applications like SketchBook Pro and Adobe's new tools showing up on tablets, there's more of an emphasis on content production occurring on novel forms, outside of the traditional desktop environment.

The app will be available through the Android Market for $5 to users running Android version 3.0 and up on their tablets. If you want to try before you buy, there's also a free (though less feature-rich) version available for Android phones.
source: Gadget Lab