<s>
The	O
KoalaPad	B-Application
is	O
a	O
graphics	B-Device
tablet	I-Device
,	O
released	O
in	O
1983	O
by	O
U.S.	O
company	O
Koala	O
Technologies	O
Corporation	O
,	O
for	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
,	O
TRS-80	B-Device
Color	I-Device
Computer	I-Device
(	O
as	O
the	O
TRS-80	O
Touch	O
Pad	O
)	O
,	O
Atari	B-Device
8-bit	I-Device
family	I-Device
,	O
and	O
Commodore	O
64	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
for	O
the	O
IBM	B-Device
PC	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Originally	O
designed	O
by	O
Dr.	O
David	O
Thornburg	O
as	O
a	O
low-cost	O
computer	O
drawing	O
tool	O
for	O
schools	O
,	O
the	O
Koala	B-Application
Pad	I-Application
and	O
the	O
bundled	O
drawing	B-Application
program	I-Application
,	O
KoalaPainter	B-Application
,	O
was	O
popular	O
with	O
home	O
users	O
as	O
well	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
KoalaPainter	B-Application
was	O
called	O
KoalaPaint	B-Application
in	O
some	O
versions	O
for	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
,	O
and	O
PC	B-Application
Design	I-Application
for	O
the	O
IBM	B-Device
PC	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
program	O
called	O
Graphics	O
Exhibitor	O
was	O
included	O
for	O
creating	O
slideshow	O
presentations	O
from	O
KoalaPainter	B-Application
drawings	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
pad	O
hooked	O
into	O
the	O
computer	O
using	O
the	O
analog	O
signals	O
of	O
the	O
joystick	B-Device
ports	O
(	O
the	O
so-called	O
paddle	B-Device
inputs	O
)	O
,	O
which	O
meant	O
that	O
it	O
had	O
a	O
low	O
resolution	O
and	O
tended	O
to	O
jostle	O
the	O
cursor	B-Application
if	O
moved	O
during	O
use	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
an	O
alternative	O
to	O
the	O
drawing	O
stylus	O
,	O
the	O
pad	O
could	O
as	O
easily	O
be	O
operated	O
by	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
fingers	O
for	O
tasks	O
that	O
demanded	O
less	O
precision	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
selecting	O
between	O
menu	O
items	O
(	O
thus	O
using	O
the	O
pad	O
as	O
a	O
kind	O
of	O
"	O
indirect	O
touch	B-Device
screen	I-Device
"	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
similar	O
tablet	O
from	O
Atari	O
,	O
the	O
Atari	O
CX77	O
Touch	O
Tablet	O
,	O
addressed	O
this	O
with	O
a	O
built-in	O
button	O
on	O
the	O
stylus	O
,	O
which	O
some	O
enterprising	O
users	O
adapted	O
for	O
use	O
with	O
their	O
KoalaPad	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
pad	O
shipped	O
with	O
a	O
simple	O
bitmap	B-Application
graphics	I-Application
editor	I-Application
developed	O
by	O
Audio	O
Light	O
,	O
Inc	O
called	O
KoalaPainter	B-Application
,	O
PC	B-Application
Design	I-Application
or	O
Micro	O
Illustrator	O
depending	O
on	O
the	O
target	O
machine	O
(	O
see	O
release	O
history	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
bundled	O
with	O
the	O
pad	O
,	O
KoalaPainter	B-Application
could	O
also	O
be	O
operated	O
using	O
an	O
ordinary	O
digital	O
joystick	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
unique	O
feature	O
of	O
the	O
program	O
,	O
for	O
its	O
time	O
,	O
was	O
that	O
it	O
held	O
two	O
pictures	O
in	O
the	O
computer	O
's	O
memory	B-Architecture
,	O
allowing	O
the	O
user	O
to	O
flip	O
from	O
one	O
to	O
the	O
other	O
—	O
a	O
function	O
commonly	O
used	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
study	O
the	O
differences	O
between	O
an	O
original	O
and	O
a	O
modified	O
picture	O
,	O
and	O
to	O
copy	B-General_Concept
and	I-General_Concept
paste	I-General_Concept
between	O
two	O
different	O
pictures	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
third-party	O
bitmap	B-Application
editors	I-Application
could	O
also	O
be	O
used	O
with	O
the	O
KoalaPad	B-Application
,	O
such	O
as	O
Broderbund	O
's	O
Dazzle	B-Application
Draw	I-Application
for	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
called	O
KoalaPainter	B-Application
"	O
a	O
very	O
powerful	O
and	O
effective	O
color	O
drawing	O
package	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
concluded	O
that	O
it	O
and	O
the	O
KoalaPad	B-Application
were	O
"	O
excellent	O
in	O
ease	O
of	O
use	O
,	O
a	O
fine	O
choice	O
for	O
a	O
beginner	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
young	O
children	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
BYTEs	B-Application
reviewer	O
stated	O
in	O
December	O
1984	O
that	O
he	O
made	O
far	O
fewer	O
errors	O
when	O
using	O
an	O
Apple	B-Device
Mouse	I-Device
with	O
MousePaint	B-Device
than	O
with	O
a	O
KoalaPad	B-Application
and	O
its	O
software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
found	O
that	O
MousePaint	B-Device
was	O
easier	O
to	O
use	O
and	O
more	O
efficient	O
,	O
predicting	O
that	O
the	O
mouse	O
would	O
receive	O
more	O
software	O
support	O
than	O
the	O
pad	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Commodore	O
64	O
version	O
of	O
KoalaPainter	B-Application
used	O
a	O
fairly	O
simple	O
file	O
format	O
corresponding	O
directly	O
to	O
the	O
way	O
bitmapped	O
graphics	O
are	O
handled	O
on	O
the	O
computer	O
:	O
A	O
two-byte	O
load	O
address	O
,	O
followed	O
immediately	O
by	O
8,000	O
bytes	B-Application
of	O
raw	O
bitmap	O
data	O
,	O
1,000	O
bytes	B-Application
of	O
raw	O
"	O
Video	O
Matrix	O
"	O
data	O
,	O
1,000	O
bytes	B-Application
of	O
raw	O
"	O
Color	O
RAM	B-Architecture
"	O
data	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
one-byte	O
Background	O
Color	O
field	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Koala	O
Technologies	O
offered	O
more	O
software	O
beyond	O
the	O
bundled	O
KoalaPainter	B-Application
and	O
Graphics	O
Exhibitor	O
for	O
use	O
with	O
the	O
pad	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Among	O
these	O
applications	O
,	O
marketed	O
under	O
the	O
moniker	O
KoalaWare	O
(	O
like	O
KoalaPainter	B-Application
itself	O
)	O
,	O
was	O
educational	B-Application
software	I-Application
for	O
use	O
with	O
customized	O
keypads	O
and	O
overlays	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
spelling	O
tools	O
,	O
music	O
programs	O
,	O
and	O
mathematics	O
instruction	O
software	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
software	O
for	O
"	O
translating	O
"	O
graphical	O
designs	O
into	O
LOGO	B-Device
programs	O
.	O
</s>
