Are stylus pens worth it?

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ericofpendom

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Joined
Jun 6, 2012
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371
Location
Bolton, England
Hi Folks,

I have seen the stylus equipped pens recently and was just wondering if they are really that useful. It seems that if you have a touchscreen device then you will probably be using your fingers rather than going to the trouble of getting a pen out of your pocket. Could someone please point out the benefits (if any) of having a pen with a stylus.

Sorry if I have missed the point of them.:befuddled:

Thanks in advance.

Eric...
 
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AceMrFixIt

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Oct 1, 2008
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625
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Jacksonville, FL
I have large hands and can type 2 words at once on my iphone. It is very handy for me, less errors when texting. I use the pen daily for documentation at work. It was worth the time and money for me.
 

Gary Beasley

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Joined
Sep 18, 2009
Messages
1,326
Location
Marietta, Ga. USA
Many screens are smaller than what would be easy or comfortable using fingers on the smaller icons displayed on them. An occasional tap for many programs may suffice but you get into an app where theres a lot of small things to work with and it becomes worth the extra effort to dig out a stylus.
 

monophoto

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Mar 13, 2010
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Location
Saratoga Springs, NY
I use an iPod Touch (essentially, an iPhone without the telephone function) to access the internet and e-mail while travaeling. But the 'keyboard' on the iPod is tiny, and my fingers are fat. So for me, having a stylus really does make a difference. I keep my iPod in a leather case, with the stylus clipped on the side, and the combination slips into my pocket where it is convenient wherever I go.
 

OOPS

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Feb 6, 2010
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674
Location
Spokane, WA
I have found that getting older people "up to speed" on tablets can be daunting. They aren't used to touching the key with the precision necessary to cause the tablet to read it as a push instead of a swipe. Rocking your finger even slightly causes an unwanted result. These problems are eliminated with a stylus. As for me, I have large fingers, so a stylus is a must while attempting to type out something on an iPhone or iPod, for instance.
 

Chasper

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Joined
Mar 22, 2007
Messages
1,987
Location
Indiana
We have sold over 300 of them this month. If sales are a part of the reason you make pens, then my experience is that they are worth the effort.
 

Lenny

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Joined
Jan 6, 2009
Messages
3,475
Location
Searsport, Maine
I had them for sale but had never used them myself .... Until I got an iPad.

Now I can SELL them! They work so much better and more precise than your finger!
 

Proud2Turn

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Joined
Jan 17, 2012
Messages
83
Location
Suwanee, GA
I made one for myself and find it very handy. However I have my phone in an OtterBox case, which has a protective screen, and the stylus doesn't so well on it. Out of the case it does great on the phone. Would recommend giving one a try.
 

StephenM

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Joined
Apr 16, 2011
Messages
535
Location
Webster Groves, MO
There was a discussion about teaching cursive on fark.com and one guy made a great point: as pads become more prevalent, people will be using them for taking notes and it's a lot faster to write and have the pad "translate" it back to a word processing format than to try and type it all out.

So yes, the stylus will become more used and cursive will probably end up being taught again making the pen/stylus combo the go-to instrument of the future.
 

Kretzky

Member
Joined
Jul 6, 2012
Messages
313
Location
BC Canada
Hi Folks,

I have seen the stylus equipped pens recently and was just wondering if they are really that useful. It seems that if you have a touchscreen device then you will probably be using your fingers rather than going to the trouble of getting a pen out of your pocket. Could someone please point out the benefits (if any) of having a pen with a stylus.

Sorry if I have missed the point of them.:befuddled:

Thanks in advance.

Eric...

An additional point not mentioned... my wife accepts CC payments & people find it much easier to "sign" the screen on a pad etc with a stylus/ pen than with their fingers. Plus as has been said people with stubby fat fingers (like me) find them really useful. I loved the little stylus on my old Palm Pilot (remember those?)
 

nava1uni

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Joined
Mar 30, 2008
Messages
4,936
Location
San Francisco, CA, USA.
Hi Folks,

I have seen the stylus equipped pens recently and was just wondering if they are really that useful. It seems that if you have a touchscreen device then you will probably be using your fingers rather than going to the trouble of getting a pen out of your pocket. Could someone please point out the benefits (if any) of having a pen with a stylus.

Sorry if I have missed the point of them.:befuddled:

Thanks in advance.

Eric...

An additional point not mentioned... my wife accepts CC payments & people find it much easier to "sign" the screen on a pad etc with a stylus/ pen than with their fingers. Plus as has been said people with stubby fat fingers (like me) find them really useful. I loved the little stylus on my old Palm Pilot (remember those?)

I also love the Palm stylus. The new stylus do make using an Ipad, especially with a Square, much easier.
 

Sawdust46

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Joined
Jan 7, 2011
Messages
281
Location
Melissa, Texas
I have sold them about as fast as I can make them just not a lot of margin. I use the Square for credit card sales and I have found the customers like signing with a stylus much better than with their finger! I've sold the stylus to other vendors because of it.
 

jzerger

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Joined
Feb 7, 2012
Messages
196
Location
Salisbury, NC
I've sold all of the 10 or so I've made. The one thing that is a concern is that when the stylus is used for swiping, drawing, etc. the softer tips crack and break off (they are easy to replace but for those who are a bit aggressive with the stylus....). I've found that college age and younger look at me like "why in the world would you need that"...kind of like a letter opener...they've been texting before they could write.
 

navycop

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Joined
Nov 4, 2010
Messages
2,334
Location
Virginia Beach, VA 23454
This might be just the ticket for my boss at work. He checks his email on his iphone using his finger, then he has to pick up a pen to write the message down...
 
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