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Styli from JAVOedge and Styrite

November 13, 2003

The Stylograph styli from JAVOedge are designed to fit inside the stylus silo of your handheld device, replacing the one that came with it. These are great for people who don’t want to carry anything extra, like a full size stylus, but still want something better than the stock stylus. Handheld makers often don’t include very nice styli with a device, instead choosing to include a relatively “cheap” stylus—one made of plastic for example, or a less-than-ideal stylus tip. The JAVOedge styli are a great choice because they include several nice features such as a reset pin under the screw-off cap, as well as a choice of finish. The picture shows a silver finish stylus for the Toshiba e series, as well as a black one for the Palm Zire 71. Even though I don’t have either one of those devices and can’t judge the fit in the actual stylus silo, I can tell that both of these styli are very well made. Each one is metal, which provides a nice “heft” for ease of writing. My personal preference is for the black one, as it has a slightly rubberized coating that is simply a delight— it provides a great tactile feel and isn’t as “slippery” as some styli can be. Both styli feature a pale orange tip, and even though it isn’t spring loaded I have been happy with the performance on my handheld screen. The black one has actually become my favorite new “small” stylus, even though it doesn’t fit in my new Tapwave Zodiac, simply because I enjoy writing with it so much.

The bottom two styli in the photo are from Styrite. These models are not designed to go in your handheld’s stylus silo; instead they are considered “full-size” styli. These are a nice option when you’re looking for a stylus that offers greater comfort when writing a great deal of information into your handheld at once time, for example, or if you have large hands that have a hard time dealing with the small stylus that came with your handheld. Both of these models feature a few extras too, such as a pen and a clip. The smaller of the two is quite petite, at only three and a quarter inches. This one is nice since it will go just about anywhere, including into directly into your handheld’s case (assuming it isn’t a form fitting aluminum hard case, of course!) It features an orange stylus tip close to the clip end of the pen, with a regular twist-action pen at the other end. The pen is refillable, which is a nice touch. I like using this stylus, though I wish that they had reversed the ends— since I use it as a stylus much more often than as a pen, I wish that the clip were on the other end. About the only advantage is that if you ever have to use this stylus in the dark, the clip will help you to make SURE that you’re using the stylus instead of the ink pen on your delicate handheld screen! The one concern I have about this particular stylus is the finish— I made the mistake of putting it in my pocket with my keys one day, and I was rewarded with several large scrapes that took off the green paint.

The bottom stylus is a multifunction one, including not only an orange stylus tip, but also a red pen, a black pen, and a mechanical pencil. To select the tip that you want to use, just rotate the pen until you’re looking at the function you want on the top, then press down the top to select it. There’s a handy eraser concealed under the top as well. I really like this one because it has a cool color scheme. It would be a nice gift for an executive— especially since it doesn’t look so “executive” with the cool navy and orange color scheme. The finish is nice and smooth, and the whole package is very light, with a tasteful Styrite logo on the clip. Even better, it comes in a very nice gift package with a see through window and a reusable plastic case.

The JAVOedge Stylograph styli are available for several handheld models right now for just $11.95. If you’d like to purchase one, head on over to the JAVOedge web site. The Styrite styli are quire reasonably priced, whether you choose the petite Arno 661 (available in five color choices) for $9.99 or the Arno 641 multifunction stylus pen for $14.99. You can get them at the Styrite web site. In either case, you’ve made a good choice, and you certainly can’t beat those prices!

PocketGoddess Rating for JAVOedge Stylograph: