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iPad Stylus - One that is pointy?

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Doju

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Jun 16, 2008
1,510
1
The Pogo Stylus and other cheap iPhone styli are great for drawing and such, but for serious taking of notes, they just won't do. It would be like doing your history notes with a piece of chalk.

pogo-stylus-head-on.jpg


Is there any styli that work on capacitive screens that are more pencil/pen like in that they're pointy at the end, and therefore more precise? Someone said you can wrap tinfoil around the end of a pencil and it'll work, so I imagine it's possible, just where…

On another note, with Wacom tablets the pressure sensitivity is in the pen, not the tablet, no? Couldn't we have a third party accessory and app that has a pressure sensitive pen that transmits over Bluetooth to the app (hell, or connector if necessary)? This would be like getting an amazing drawing tablet too.
 
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cjthebest

macrumors member
Sep 16, 2007
69
0
This one is kind of pointy, if you hold it on its side. But I don't think that it would be best for notes. I'm sure that we will see a pointy, pen-like stylus and notes app for the iPad in no time!
 
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Doju

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Jun 16, 2008
1,510
1
So, it's possible? It's not a limitation of capacitive technology? I just don't understand why all resistive screen styli are pointy and more precise while we capacitive people get these thick inaccurate ones?
 
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TraceyS/FL

macrumors 601
Jan 11, 2007
4,173
313
North Central Florida
I was using my Pogo with the WritePad software this afternoon and it worked great. I think the thing is that you are going to have to adjust to having a writing area with the words then being shrunk down and saved (either as an image ala fast finga, or text like with writepad). Which might not be ideal, but i can't see writing on lines on the pad either.

But some sort of find point would be cool too - i just don't understand the tech behind it to know if it is doable.
 
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Doju

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Jun 16, 2008
1,510
1
It's an awkward looking one, but at least it proves it's possible.

Does anyone know of one shaped just like a pencil, basically? It's possible?
 
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jabba52

macrumors newbie
Jun 25, 2008
2
0
Doju said:
It's an awkward looking one, but at least it proves it's possible.

Does anyone know of one shaped just like a pencil, basically? It's possible?
Click to expand...

I have the pogo stylus for Sketchbook Mobile on the ipod touch. It works, but it's hard to get used to. And of course, there's no pressure sensitivity.

If apple or another hardware developer comes out with a stylus for the ipad, it would have to connect with the bluetooth adapter and have degrees of pressure within the pen. That's what I'm hoping for. Until then, there's always the Axiotron Modbook http://www.axiotron.com/index.php?id=modbook, and the Wacom Cintiq http://www.wacom.com/cintiq/cintiq-12wx.php
 
A

Aboo

macrumors 65816
Jul 7, 2008
1,014
106
I wonder if the capacitive touch styluses of the tablet pcs like the Dell Latitude XT or the HP TX2 would work on the iphone/iPad?
 
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Bytor65

macrumors 6502a
Feb 10, 2010
845
169
Canada
cjthebest said:
This one is kind of pointy, if you hold it on its side. But I don't think that it would be best for notes. I'm sure that we will see a pointy, pen-like stylus and notes app for the iPad in no time!
Click to expand...

I saw a review of this one. You can't really use it on the point, you have to use it on the flat. Capacitance touch seems to need some area of contact.

I also think the HP Tx2 has dual digitizers, so it's stulus won't work on an iPad.

Basically, you are not going to get pinpoint precision on a iPad.
 
kdarling

kdarling

macrumors P6
Jun 9, 2007
17,373
5,924
First university coding class = 47 years ago
macduke said:
Does anyone else think this sounds like an Onion article? Especially this part:
Click to expand...

Ha! That's great. I wonder if a Slim Jim will work as well? Gotta try it.

As for a pointy stylus, the main problem that I see is that the iPhone's screen processor is specifically designed to ignore random noise. And a single point would probably look like noise to it, assuming it could even draw off enough current to be noticed.

You see, when you put your finger near the iPhone screen, it doesn't just register a single point. It "sees" the current being drawn off in a set of values roughly equivalent to the shape of the end of your finger(s).

A touch might look like this, with 0 = no touch, and higher values = more current = flesh closer to the screen (like an inverted mountain top):

Code: 
000000000000000000000
000000000000100000000    .............x
000000000002320000000    ............xxx
001000000013542000000    ...x.......xxxxx
000000000003432000000    ............xxxx
000030000001111000000    .......x....xxxx
000000000000000000000

The iPhone touch processor figures out the more or less rectangular edges of a touch (x's), and then calculates the center using the values. (This is why iPhone touches curve near the screen edges... the rectangle is wrong.)

In any case, a single high value might not be seen as anything but noise (like the 1 and 3 off to the left) unless it stays around for an unusually long time (seconds?), if even then. So pointy might not work well on the iPhone.

(PS. In real life, the values are 0-255.)
 
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Bytor65

macrumors 6502a
Feb 10, 2010
845
169
Canada
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benjamin747

macrumors member
Apr 16, 2009
30
0
Bytor65 said:
Still fat when you see it from the other direction:
http://www.devicewire.co.uk/official-htc-hd2-capacitive-stylus

Essentially there is a big disc on the end and you make contact with the whole thing. Other photos show the disc edge on so it looks sharp.

There really is no getting around it, you need chunky area to make contact.
Click to expand...

Well the thing is, even on the iPad, you can't use a plastic etc. type stylus. The amazing touch screen is meant for fingers. You could try taking apart the pogo to get a small slice, but it is built into the OS to ignore accidental input...
 
agkm800

agkm800

macrumors 6502a
Jun 18, 2009
672
4
kdarling said:
Code: 
000000000000000000000
000000000000100000000    .............x
000000000002320000000    ............xxx
001000000013542000000    ...x.......xxxxx
000000000003432000000    ............xxxx
000030000001111000000    .......x....xxxx
000000000000000000000

In any case, a single high value might not be seen as anything but noise (like the 1 and 3 off to the left) unless it stays around for an unusually long time (seconds?), if even then. So pointy might not work well on the iPhone.
Click to expand...

So, one that would have a AAA battery in the pen still wouldn't work if the tip is pointy. :(
 
P

praetorian909

macrumors 6502
Aug 4, 2004
279
91
I'm also looking for a pointy stylus. So far I only seen the Pogo which is not pointy, and the Ozaki iFinger that looked similar to the one posted by cjthebest:
http://www.ozaki.us/en/2009/ifinger/

It looks like Ozaki made a newer version, reviewed by iLounge, but the tip looks more like the Pogo now:
http://www.ozaki.us/en/2009/
(click on 3)

I think your idea for pressure sensitivity via Bluetooth is a great idea--maybe a way to implement it is the pen itself could detect how hard you squeeze it? I thought about it and it happens naturally when using a real pen/pencil.
 
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