.KEYWORD stylus
.FLYINGHEAD PRODUCT SHOOT-OUT
.TITLE Stylin’ with the right stylus
.OTHER
.SUMMARY It’s interesting to see where add-on suppliers put their effort. Who would have thought that the "stylus market" would be such a battlefield? For that matter, who would have thought that there’d be a stylus market? But it’s a hot and heavy battle in that small segment of Palm device add-ons. The winners are clear: Palm device users. In this helpful article Claire Pieterek lays this season’s styli (including the powerfully named "Throttle" and the unusual Fingertip Stylus) out on the table and compares them. If you want to be cool, you’ll need the latest in stylish, stylus accessories and you’ll need to read this article.
.AUTHOR Claire Pieterek
Even though I’ve carried a PalmPilot for the past couple of years, I still find myself seduced by Levenger’s (at http://www.levenger.com) slick catalogs full of beautiful pens and fine papers [So do we! –The editors]. Now, PDA stylus makers and traditional pen manufacturers are beginning to provide those of us who have gone electronic with many good alternatives to the stock styli that came with our PalmPilots. Using the right stylus, you can PalmPilot with pleasure.
The original plastic styli provided with the Pilot and PalmPilot organizers simply aren’t good enough for more than brief use. With the too-small, too-light plastic stylus, I found myself getting writer’s cramp in classes and meetings. PDA Panache soon came to my rescue with the Black Chrome PalmPilot Deluxe Stylus, colloquially known as the "Black Nail". Although it’s been slightly redesigned (and also comes in a Palm III-compatible model which doesn’t really resemble a nail), the Black Nail has long been considered the reference standard for PalmPilot replacement styli.
A more recent entrant, the PGHQ Stylus, made for PilotGear by the E&B Company, has since supplanted the Black Nail as my favorite silo-compatible stylus. The PGHQ Stylus is just a little longer and heavier than the Black Nail, and it comes in a number of different color combinations.
Although 3Com wised up and included a fairly good metal/plastic stylus with the Palm III, there are a number of new and intriguing products for PalmPilot people looking for better writing options.
.H1 The Throttle
A very cleverly designed and packaged product, the Throttle (as shown in Figure A) is made of smooth matte gray plastic, similar in color to the PalmPilot, with a bright red button. A gray Throttle with a green button the same color as the PalmPilot’s power button might be a nice alternative.
.FIG A Power up with your very own Throttle from ttools, LLC.
The Throttle provides an excellent solution for anyone who wants a good stylus and also needs a pen, without having to carry a zillion things in pocket or purse. One click of the Throttle’s red button, and it’s a ballpoint pen that takes a standard metal refill. The click action is good and the ballpoint included with the Throttle is good quality, not skippy or blobby. Click the red button again, and it’s back in stylus mode.
Although the button sticks up a little, the Throttle is about the same height as a PalmPilot, and it rests comfortably in the hollow between your thumb and forefinger as you use it. The design is truly inspired–the Throttle’s clip fits perfectly in both the PalmPilot and Palm III silos. In the PalmPilot silo, the Throttle’s body hangs to the right side; in the Palm III silo, it hangs behind. This could present problems with different cases, although it does not interfere with the Palm III flip lid.
Obviously, the Throttle doesn’t fit in a case like the Pilot Angel, although it almost works with a PalmPilot or Palm III in a JetPac. If you’re using the JetPac, I recommend carrying the Throttle separately. You run the risk of losing the Throttle if you press the PalmPilot firmly into place, because the edge of the JetPac case will push it up out of the silo. Since I don’t have quite as good a selection of cases as Fredlet, I could not perform more comprehensive tests.
If you’re not careful, you could break the Throttle’s clip off in the silo. I hope ttools has torture tested this and selected a durable plastic to prevent this possibility. I would like to see a slightly heavier metal version of the Throttle that could accept a capless rollerball refill–that would be high on my list of PalmPilot must-have accessories.
.H1 Style at your fingertip
The Fingertip Stylus, as shown in Figure B, is a beautifully-crafted, solid sterling silver ornament with a purely practical PalmPilot purpose. If you’ve ever read Frank Herbert’s Dune series of science fiction novels, you too may be reminded of the "gom jabbar".
.FIG B Style is at your fingertip with the Concept Kitchen Fingertip Stylus.
The Fingertip Stylus is worn on your index finger, and takes a little getting used to. Obviously, you’re not going to want to rub your eye when using this product! I found that recalibrating my digitizer while wearing the Fingertip Stylus helped improve my Graffiti recognition. Even so, I had to slow down a little and exaggerate my Graffiti strokes for best results. You really can wear the Fingertip Stylus and do other things, such as typing, although you may want to slide it around your finger so that the stylus tip rests on top of your fingernail.
The thing that took me the longest to adjust to was how to hold my hand when using the Fingertip Stylus. With a conventional stylus, I curl my other four fingers under and rest my little finger on the bottom right corner of my PalmPilot next to the Memo Pad button. At first, I found I had a hard time seeing through my hand when writing, and finally settled on resting my ring finger on the edge of my PalmPilot between the Calculator and Find silkscreen buttons.
All in all, the Fingertip Stylus is the most practical piece of jewelry I own.
[We really like the Fingertip Stylus as well. We only wish Concept Kitchen had provided a case or carrying soution so we didn’t lose or crush it while going mobile. –DG]
.H1 Four things in one
No matter how much I use my PalmPilot, I still find that I need to carry a regular pen. Rotring’s Quattro-Pen Data provides a black ballpoint, mechanical pencil, highlighter, and stylus in a sleek, black matte metal pen. Hold the pen with the appropriate icon facing up to select the point you’d like to use, then press the button. Retract the point by pressing the button on the Quattro-Pen’s clip. The Quattro-Pen Data lists for $60, but can be bought online for $48, the same price I paid at my favorite local fine pen dealer.
As far as styli go, the point is rather nice. The bright yellow tip is highly visible, and it glides smoothly across the screen. Don’t buy the Quattro-Pen Data for the highlighter, though. It’s not what most people normally think of as a highlighter. It’s a fluorescent orange ballpoint, and it tends to skip and blob. When that runs out, I’ll replace it with a red Lamy M21 refill.
The only drawback to this product, other than the price, is that Rotring has no plans to sell the stylus separately. This means that you can’t go to your local big-box office store, buy a less-expensive Rotring Quattro model and replace one of the pen points with the stylus. If you break the stylus, you’ll have to send the pen in for warranty service.
.H1 Cross keeps me from getting cross
Of all the styli I own, the Cross is the one I turn to for really heavy-duty notetaking. I bought my titanium Townsend model, shown in Figure C, in a moment of weakness when Egghead closed its retail stores and sold in-stock PalmPilot accessories for ridiculously low prices.
.FIG C Go to town with this Cross titanium Townsend stylus.
It’s almost eerie how much using the Digital Writer on a PalmPilot’s screen feels like pen on paper. The rubbery polymer tip has a nice, cushioned action that makes it ideal for long writing sessions. Undoubtedly, one of the best features is its price. If you already have a Cross pen, you can upgrade it to a Digital Writer for $5. Call 1-800-AT-CROSS to order the Digital Writer refill.
Styli will always be a matter of personal preference, based on individual needs, aesthetics, and PalmPilot usage patterns. Even so, I find it hard to pick just one! No matter which stylus you choose, always practice safe screening and prevent scratches by using some kind of screen protector.
.BEGIN_SIDEBAR
.H1 Product availability and resources
The Black Chrome PalmPilot Deluxe Stylus is available from PDA Panache at http://www.pdapanache.com.
The PGHQ Stylus, by E&B Company (at http://www.ebcases.com), is available from made for PilotGear at http://www.pilotgear.com.
The Throttle combination pen and stylus is available from ttools, LLC at http://www.ttools.net.
Concept Kitchen Fingertip Stylus is available at http://www.conceptkitchen.com.
Rotring Quattro-Pen Data is available at http://www.rotring.com.
The Cross Digital Writer is available at http://www.cross.com.
Thanks to ttools, LLC and Concept Kitchen for providing review styli.
.END_SIDEBAR
.BIO Claire Pieterek is a LAN/WAN designer at Whittman-Hart, Inc. in Denver. She has been a PalmPilot fanatic since buying a Pilot 5000 in May 1996. Claire can be reached via email at pilotgirl@pipeline.com, or on the PalmPower PowerBoards.
.DISCUSS http://www.component-net.com/webx?13@@.ee6c1f3
