And now for something completely different….. Today we will look at something that is unique from other iPhone/iPod Touch accessory products – a stylus. Did he just say a stylus? Yes, a stylus that can be used with the iPhone 3G, iPod Touch or MacBook track pad as well as all capacitive interfaces. In addition to the Apple devices, the Pogo Sketch also works with the Blackberry Storm. This is the second stylus product from TenOne Design with the first being the Pogo Stylus.

Using a stylus with the iPhone or iPod Touch may seem counter intuitive. However, many users of smartphone/PDA devices grew accustomed to using a stylus in conjunction with their Palm or Windows Mobile devices and may actually miss the little pointy stick.

What allows the Pogo Sketch to work with capacitance devices such as the Apple products is a soft foam tip that conducts electrical charge.

The Pogo Sketch arrives is a clear plastic rectangular package with the stylus visualized within the box.

Once removed from the package, we discover the Pogo Sketch is constructed of a high-end anodized aluminum finish with a black pocket clip at one end and a soft foam tip at the other end. It weighs less than a pencil and feels like a pen in one’s hands.

Using the Pogo Sketch with my iPhone 3G was simple enough. Presses with the device on the screen were fairly precise and typing was easier and more accurate on the onscreen keyboard. Since the surface area of the tip is generally smaller than a human finger it does take a little practice to get the proper pressure to register contact.

Sadly the Pogo Sketch as a tablet substitute yielded less than impressive results. For testing, I used my 2008 MacBook Pro and some programs including Photoshop. Unlike using a tablet where there is a button on the pen, the Pogo Sketch requires you to press the track pad button to draw in the appropriate program. A tablet like experience is definitely not had here.

Specifications:
The new Pogo Sketch

Superbly designed using a light-weight aluminum alloy and detailed graphics, the Pogo Sketch features a look that’s hard to ignore.

The soft tip glides easily over the surface of your trackpad or display, making it fun and easy to sketch, draw characters, or just slide to unlock. Sized for comfort, it does away with inaccuracies common to fingertip-only use.

Turn your MacBook trackpad into a pen tablet for premium drawing programs! The new multi-touch trackpads allow the Pogo Sketch to control your favorite drawing programs (like, say Scribbles). Any drawing program that accepts mouse input will work. Many users find it easiest to use their opposite thumb for depressing the trackpad while sketching lightly on the surface.

Wear gloves in the winter? We do. With an iPhone, the stylus allows you to answer calls and surf the web all while keeping your hands toasty.

Longer nails can be a problem with touchscreen devices. Using your Pogo Sketch, you’ll soon find that problem is history!

Lastly, the cool, glossy Pogo Sketch pocket clip will keep your stylus close by, wherever you are.

Some of the reasons you’ll love your new Pogo Sketch:

-Our high-gloss curved pocket clip keeps the stylus handy
-Works with any combination of gloves and nails
-Allows you to use your touchscreen device or multi-touch trackpad at a natural drawing angle
-Typing on a software keyboard (especially at first) is much easier with a stylus
-Sleek aluminum design with detailed graphics

The Pogo Sketch also features a soft, durable tip designed with the needs of mobile users in mind. It is precision-formed to the perfect size for selecting smaller links and buttons.

The tip’s high-tech material makes it unique in its ability to function with iPhone’s multi-touch display. The tip glides easily over the surface of the display, making it fun and easy to sketch, draw characters, and slide to unlock. Functioning like a fingertip, it moves quickly and easily through the touch interface. The screen’s glass surface is kept scratch- and smudge-free.All the Deets

We designed the Pogo Sketch to look comfortable and classy in any environment. The high-end anodized aluminum finish complements everything from the MacBook to your Mother.

Even the simple details like the logo were refined until they perfectly matched our vision for the product.

When Steve Jobs first announced the iPhone’s arrival he mocked the use of physical keyboards and styluses. Since then, the world has been conditioned to use the iPhone without any peripheral assistance. Now for those who become accustomed to using a stylus with their smartphones or PDAs, then the Pogo Sketch may come in handy.

As a stylus, it is different from most other styli because it lacks a pointed tip of plastic at its end. The need for a capacitance responsive stylus necessitated the creation of a soft electrical conducive tip. This makes the Pogo stylus feel totally different from the “classic” type of stylus.

Working on the iPhone, the Pogo Sketch makes actions such as typing more responsive, especially if you have larger or meaty fingers. Is it better than using your fingers? That is a question that is up to the user.

On the plus side, using the Pogo Sketch avoids dirtying your screen with oils emanating from ones fingers and is especially helpful in cold weather when you don’t want to take off your gloves. The negative is that the Pogo Sketch takes up unnecessary room, can get lost and performs the same function that comes free with ones fingers.

As a tablet replacement tool, the expression “you get what you pay for” applies. The inability to use draw without holding down the track pad button can be frustrating. this picture took more than a minute to write out.

Conclusion:
Apple is notorious for leaving features out of products that get introduced in future revisions but the stylus is not one of them. Unless you are so accustomed to the stylus as an input device, there is really no justification for using it with the iPhone or iPod Touch. If you decide you need a stylus; the good news is that it is cheap enough to try if you are interested.

Is it worth spending the $14.95 to perform the same function as your finger on the iPhone? That is up to your personal preference.

Pros:
Improves typing accuracy
Cuts down on finger print grease
Can use with gloves on

Cons:
Fingers can perform same function
Not a tablet replacement

Grades:
Overall
Design
Performance