Showcase of Stylii: iwriter point2 Stylus

The other day I was wandering around Target and stumbled on a small display of PDA cases and stylii. In the middle of the display I noticed something that looked suspiciously like a Pentopia Chameleon. On further inspection it was really an iwriter point2 stylus. With the price tag of $2.99 I took several home with me. As I remarked in a previous review, cheap geek gifts cannot be passed up.

This metallic stylus is actually thinner and slightly longer than a standard Palm III stylus. The packaging claims it docks into the m100, Palm III series, and Palm VII series devices. Although it is true that it fits into the silos of my HandEra and my Palm III, the stylus sticks about 0.25" over the top. If you use a case that closes over the top of the device this could be problematic.

The stylus itself is actually a stylus/pen combo. Such a thin stylus could never fit multiple implements side-by-side. Rather, the stylus is on one side and the pen the other. A small cap with clip covers whichever end isn't in use. A series of ring grips on each side hold the cap snugly in place.

The stylus is very light and very comfortable to hold. It sits comfortably on the skin between my thumb and first finger when I hold it near the bottom (the most comfortable setup for me). The clip can scratch my skin slightly if I'm not careful to ensure it faces away from my hand, but that's easy enough to do.

Unfortunately the graffiti recognition with this stylus isn't great, and the faster I write the worse it gets. You might think that normal, but it really isn't for me unless I reach that point where I am writing too fast for the Palm to keep up. If I write very slowly and carefully I get acceptable recognition. As I approach a more normal speed I find myself having to slow down if I don't want gibberish on my screen.

The other end of the stylus is a medium point ballpoint pen. It's not the greatest pen in the world but it will write. I find it a bit scratchy and the ink flow a little irregular, but it will suffice if you are looking for an emergency pen that fits your stylus silo.

I can't recommend this stylus for heavy writers because of the graffiti recognition problems, but if you don't graffiti much and really want a stylus/pen combo that fits in your silo, it's hard to beat this for $3.

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