The world's first pressure sensitive BLUETOOTH stylus for iPad

[zarusoba]

Well, Ten One Design has announced Blue Tiger, a pressure sensitive stylus for iOS that uses Bluetooth 4.0.

Meanwhile, jaja is in production and scheduled to ship in April or May.

And iPen has finally been approved by Apple and is shipping to backers now.

Personally I'm a little tired of waiting and I'm tempted by the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, which uses Wacom tech for its sharp sylus, albeit with only 256 levels of pressure sensitivity.

 

[KylePowers]

The main problem with all of them is that you have to use the app they make. One of them said they're releasing an SDK, but who knows if and when any of the app makers would take the time to incorporate it.

The Blue Tiger still has a fat tip. Useless.

The Jaja is a little big, but certainly a better approach. The structural integrity of tip is questionable though.

The iPen looks awesome, but it requires an adapter and you have to use your iPad upside-down.

So all in all, the iPad just isn't ready for note taking, in my opinion.

***FWIW, I spent 4 months testing different styli with different apps on my iPad 2- annotating PDFs, taking notes, doing problem sets. It was doable, but forceful. Eventually I just went back to pencil and paper, binders and notebooks.

 

[zarusoba]

Both Blue Tiger and jaja have SDKs. Jaja is already supported by Procreate and the Adobe touch-enabled apps. FYI the jaja tip is being redesigned.

But I share your frustration. I can't be bothered with the "dumb" styli anymore.

Fat tips are a pain and that can only be solved by an adapter like the iPen uses, or built-in hardware like the Galaxy Tab 10.1.

BTW what do you mean by having to use your iPad upside-down for iPen?
edit: Oh I see, in the video it's turned upside-down.

The main problem with all of them is that you have to use the app they make. One of them said they're releasing an SDK, but who knows if and when any of the app makers would take the time to incorporate it.

The Blue Tiger still has a fat tip. Useless.

The Jaja is a little big, but certainly a better approach. The structural integrity of tip is questionable though.

The iPen looks awesome, but it requires an adapter and you have to use your iPad upside-down.

So all in all, the iPad just isn't ready for note taking, in my opinion.

***FWIW, I spent 4 months testing different styli with different apps on my iPad 2- annotating PDFs, taking notes, doing problem sets. It was doable, but forceful. Eventually I just went back to pencil and paper, binders and notebooks.

 

[Rafterman]

I also don't care for that fine plastic-ky tip of the iPen. Its easier to write with, but that is an invitation to scratch the screen.

 

[zarusoba]

iPen has been approved by Apple, and carries the Made For iPad logo, so I doubt that it would scratch the screen.

I also don't care for that fine plastic-ky tip of the iPen. Its easier to write with, but that is an invitation to scratch the screen.

 

[ender78]

What is so special about the Galaxy Pen ? What hardware is required to power it?

 

[fingernagel]

You are missing the adonit solution:
http://adonit.net/news/adonit-astonishes-with-new-pressure-sensitive-ios-stylus/

I think it should be out soon. And with the ipad 3 it will be awesome. There is a SDK and ProCreate and Sketchbook Pro are working with Adonit. The only downside are probably the 200 levels of pressure.

 

[PsychOK]

Just my 2 cents, but Apple needs to stop being so stubborn and release their own stylus. With the number of art focused apps out for the iPad it seems like no brainer to me. People don't want to draw with their fingers.

 

[iCarabma]

Just my 2 cents, but Apple needs to stop being so stubborn and release their own stylus. With the number of art focused apps out for the iPad it seems like no brainer to me. People don't want to draw with their fingers.

My Stylus Rant:

1. People will all bring up what Steve said:

"If you see a stylus they blew it."

And many people use that to say Apple will never support one. The thing is though, I don't think he meant that at all. I think what he was saying was, "If you see a tablet that requires a stylus to work they blew it". Not that there are no reason that some people might want an option for a stylus in some apps.

The iPad doesn't come with a keyboard because it works fine without one, but that doesn't mean that some people don't need keyboards. As the iPad becomes more and more of a PC replacement it will take on more and more of the special tools some people need. Steve wasn't anti-stylus. He was against all tablets needing styluses to check email or do any damn thing.

2. I don't expect apple to make a stylus, but I think and hope they will build in the Api's into iOS (maybe as soon as 6.0) to support them in a native way.

end rant.

back to waiting friday.