While testing out a drawing app on the iPad recently, I was sadly reminded that oversized fingers are not the best tools for creating fine art details.
There are so many fantastic drawing apps for the iPad that I don’t want to be held back by my clumsy pointers.
Then I remembered the Pogo Stylus from Ten One Design. I reviewed it ages ago, and loved it from day one. Turns out they have updated the original touchscreen stylus for use with the iPad. The Pogo Sketch is designed for trackpads and touchscreens so it works great with the iPad, iPhone or iPod touch and can also be used with the MacBook to emulate a pen tablet.
I could have purchased the Pogo Sketch online, but I was feeling a bit impatient, so one quick trip to the Apple store and I was in business.
Awesome. The Pogo Sketch is just the thing to let loose creatively on the iPad. The stylus glides across the iPad’s touchscreen for simple dragging, selecting and typing — useful for any app, but especially helpful for doodling, drawing, photo editing and other creative pursuits. An extra bonus? No fingerprints on the glass. Neatfreaks will love it, as using a stylus is a reliable way to keep the screen clear and smudge-free without resorting to ugly screen protectors. (Although the company says Pogo Sketch will work just fine with a screen protector for those who want added protection.)
Neatness aside, it’s the precision that makes Pogo Sketch a must-have tool for every doodle-loving iPad owner.
The drawing apps for the iPhone and iPod touch are cool, but the screen was limiting. True, there are geniuses among us, the gifted few who used their iPhone to create masterpieces of creativity. But, for the rest of us, artistic expression has been constrained by a tiny screen.
The iPad could give new life to digital self-expression. However, if you want to take advantage of all the tricks hidden in the iPad creativity apps, you need to get your hands on a Pogo Sketch.
Pogo Sketch will unlock the capabilities of all sorts of programs: drawing or sketching apps, photo editing apps, note takers or to-do apps, even games that need a bit more precision for the controls will benefit.
The Pogo Sketch no longer needs a storage clip to keep from getting lost. The updated stylus has a built-in pen clip perfect for hanging in your pocket protector or attaching to your Apple iPad Case. If you want to use the Pogo Sketch with your iPhone then order the Ten One clip pack to holster your stylus to a variety of cases — just like smart phone’s of yesteryear.
Buy the Pogo Sketch online or visit www.tenonedesign.com to find a store near you.
May 25th, 2010 at 12:02 pm
Can I be 100% certain that this will not scratch or otherwise mar in any way the iPad screen? Stylus would be a nice to have for me and it won’t be worth it if I run even a small risk of causing damage to my beloved iPad.
May 25th, 2010 at 1:07 pm
The tips of these things are soft and rubbery, so no it will not scratch the surface of the iPad.
That said, I am a professional artist and I found these styluses to be worse than useless for creating art on the iPad. They do not register gentle touches – you have to press down pretty firmly before the drawing app will recognize the stylus. That makes it difficult to draw anything but the crudest of lines.
I suppose if you have the hands of a railroad construction worker a stylus might be a improvement for you, but I think it’s a stretch to say you need one in order to take advantage of the drawing aps.
May 25th, 2010 at 4:52 pm
These dont work, well they sort of work sometimes but not all the time. In my infinite quest to find the best stylus for capacitive screens I stumbled upon BoxWaves iPad capacitive stylus. And it DOES work, it works pretty darn well.
May 30th, 2010 at 11:15 am
The clip broke on me the very first day. Save your money.
May 31st, 2010 at 4:55 am
This does work. I use it with Penultimate and with Note Taker HD. I take notes in meetings, then email them back to my office. I have found the Pogo Stylus far superior to my finger on note taking apps.
June 3rd, 2010 at 8:11 am
Pogo Sketch works great on OmniSketch at http://OmniSketch.com. The new version should be approved soon and has 18 brushes, slide show, online gallery and more.
Check out some videos here:
July 2nd, 2010 at 10:45 pm
I purchased a stylus from boxwave.com. It’s a great stylus with a firm rubberized tip. It’s not mooshy like the pogo pens from what I’m told. It’s very accurate and works great in sketchbook pro. I highly recommend any one this pen.
August 8th, 2010 at 6:54 pm
I purchased the Pogo Stylus and it is fairly decent. The design is a little flawed as the plastic ring around the foam end broke and there is a possibility that the exposed aluminum body could scratch your iPad. I have an invisishield and my iPad was protected. The plastic at the shirt clip also broke off when I tried to clip the stylus to a shirt pocket. I was not that satisfied with the “mushiness” of the foam tip with writing apps like Penultimate. AutoDesk’s Sketchbook is okay, as it feels more like a brush than an accurate pen or pencil tip. Yes superior to finger writing, but not as precise as I hoped. Still looking for an excellent solution.
August 8th, 2010 at 8:38 pm
Hi Barbara,
I’ve been looking for a stylus for the iPad and was wondering if the Pogo stylus would allow me to replace paper and pen? I’m looking to be able to take quick notes and drawings like one would on paper.
Do the stylus’s allow one to rest their hands on the screen and write finely i.e. I don’t want the page filling up fast because the tip/text is very thick.
I’d love to hear your feedback.
Thanks.
PB
August 11th, 2010 at 11:33 am
Hi PB,
The stylus tip is pretty thick. You can get a fine line depending on how you hold the stylus, the pressure you use and the app you’re writing in. I’ve managed a few fine lines while drawing. But, it would take practice to write small enough to use it for note-taking. And, the ability to rest your hand on the glass is really an issue with using a touchscreen device.
If you’re on the iPad, typing would probably be faster. I also tested a stylus with a finer point on the end, but it was horrible!
Hope this helps with your decision.
Barbara
August 18th, 2010 at 10:07 pm
Does anyone know anything about the one at brvsh.com?
October 12th, 2010 at 12:17 am
I’m using the Stylus Socks, a simple and smooth working stylus made from highly conductive fabric: http://flic.kr/p/8J6kup
November 24th, 2010 at 11:52 am
Well i’ve bought the pogo pen and I found it a big disappointment, you just need to apply too much force. When drawing or coloring for more than 5 minutes your wrists get tired. After searching for a while I found and alternative. I found a great alternative in a small shop at Etsy..it doesn’t look as good as the Pogo Pen, but what a difference in use. The Stylus Socks II slides over your touch screen with hardly any resistance. It works great and it costs a lot less. It got some great comments from a professional designer too. Look for Shapedad and Stylus Socks to check for yourself.