I needed a stylus simply for testing purposes, as I am working on an iPad app that you can use to write and draw. Since I do not have the need for a stylus apart from testing, I decided to buy a super cheap one on eBay a few weeks back. I’ll make that sort of mistake no more. The stylus was useless. Even tapping was a problem as it required me to press fairly hard against the surface. While I did not expect a quality product for a couple of dollars, I certainly did not expect a useless one. Soon, the stylus found itself in the trash bin.
My next plan was to invest an hour or so into making a DIY stylus. I found some videos online and even found a way to make use of an old aluminum marker. The DIY stylus was actually much better than the eBay one, but I still could not do proper testing. The tapping worked OK, even the writing was fairly easy, but I lacked the precision I needed.
Plan C it was. I decided not to waste more time and order a proper stylus. The decision was an easy one as Capacitive iPad Styra had great reviews and looked really nice. My second choice was Pogo but from what I saw and read online, I liked the Boxwave one much more.
My winter white Capacitive iPad Styra Stylus came in yesterday morning, nicely secured inside a bubbly package. It looks elegant and classy, unlike some of the other products I saw online, which look like a kid’s toy. The stylus is also a ball pen, which may come in handy sooner or later. It is nice and compact, about as tall as the iPhone. It’s heavier than I though it would be, but I am really starting to enjoy the weight of it, it feels and fits nicely into my hand. The tip slides on the surface perfectly and seems to be made from a durable material, as in fact the whole product does.
Capacitive iPad Styra worked on my iPad and my faithful first generation iPhone without any problems whatsoever. Don’t let the rather big, rounded tip fool you–it allows you to be precise in both writing and drawing. I tested it on about a dozen of popular writing/drawing apps and it performed admirably. The same cannot be said for most of the apps though–their technology does not allow for genuinely smooth writing or drawing. There’s either a very slight but annoying delay or the edges of the lines you create are rough. These apps are pretty much useless to me, despite some nice features they may have.
Up until now, aside from work, I’ve been using the iPad mostly for reading. Now, I can use it for quick notes. Jotting things down is almost as easy as doing it on paper. If you’ve tried writing with your finger on the iPad, you know it’s not that easy. With a solid stylus, it is both easy and really fun. Sketching is another thing I will surely be doing in the future. Decluttering my desk and getting rid of as much paper as possible is something I’ve been wanting to do for a while. With a proper stylus, I can do sketches and email or upload them in no time. I can see this becoming a part of my work routine.
In conclusion, I can definitely recommend Capacitive iPad Styra to anyone in need of a quality stylus.