Remember when we carried electronic organizers called PDAs? Remember how they all used a stylus, which is how you would enter information on their resistive touch screens? Remember how fingers weren’t used to tap out anything, because leaving finger grease on a screen was gross? Remember how using a screen protector was an absolute necessity, because if you used a cheaper stylus you could leave deep gouges in your device’s screen?
My how things have changed.
In 2007 we saw a shift occur with the introduction of the iPhone; it soon became de rigueur for every device to have a capacitive screen with large bright icons that begged to be touched, and touch we did.
And our styli fell to the wayside along with many of the devices that had resistive screens.
At some point in the last year or two, it seems like the stylus began to see a bit of a revival. People began using them because they wanted to, not because they had to. And along the way there was a new explosion of styli made just for capacitive screens. Correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems like (for the most part) capacitive styli have fallen into two camps: big wide capacitive cloth-covered tips and brush tips.
The cloth-covered tips seem to be great way to simulate the tip of a finger for those who are wearing gloves or those who simply don’t want finger grease on their device’s screens. Did you know that those people still exist?
The brush tips seem to be favored by those who have discovered the many tablet painting apps available, but they can also be used for taping and writing in a similar fashion to the cloth-covered tips.
And since people are all about convergence anymore, it only makes sense that they would look for the same in their stylus; which brings us to Proporta’s Quillit Stylus Pen, a long multi pen which includes a capacitive tip stylus, a resistive tip stylus, and a ballpoint pen.
Full Metal Jacket allusions aside …
The stylus is composed of metal, and it comes in gun metal gray. It measures approximately 5.6″ long and 0.4″ wide; it is comfortable in hand, and it has a nice heft, due to the metal body. The Quillet has a stiff pocket clip in the middle section, two black rings at it’s two twisting joints (which nicely break up all that gray), and ribs where your finger will rest on the bottom end.
Twist the bottom end to the right, and you’ll expose the ballpoint pen.
Twist the bottom section to the left, and you’ll expose the resistive screen stylus.
Twist the top end to the right, and you will expose the capacitive brush stylus. This stylus is much more stuff than the other brush stylus I have, so it is actually a good compromise between the two types of capacitive styli I’ve tried. Stiff enough to substitute as a finger, yet a pleasure to draw with.
The only branding on the stylus is the proporta name embossed on the pocket clip.
If you already carry a pen, and at times you wish you could “write” on your tablet or phone, then this may be a great stylus for you. I don’t have any devices that still use a resistive screen, so the pointy stylus may not get too much use. The cool thing is that if I were to come across an Android tablet that did use it, I’d be ready.
The Proporta Quillet Stylus Pen is available directly from Proporta or from other venders. Right now Proporta has a really cool promotion going on; if you buy a Quillet Stylus, they will donate one to a student in Sri Lankan student through the Proporta Education Foundation. Great idea! =)
MSRP: $33.99
What I Like: Choices of three writing instruments in a solid metal pen; short, stiff capacitive brush is great for drawing and writing; automatic donation of a stylus to a Sri Lankan student when you buy the Quillet
What Needs Improvement: I’m not sure when I’ll use the resistive stylus, so it would be nice to have an option of sticking something else there
Related posts:
No related posts.
