| Official Gadgeteer Hands On
Review: E & B Company's iPoint Styli for the Handspring Visor and
Palm V by Don Damiani and Julie Strietelmeier Last date revised: 05/23/2000 |
E & B Company is has 2 new styli for the Handspring Visor; the iPoint VSR and iPoint VSR with pen. Both styli look exactly the same from the outside. They are made of brass, with a titanium finish, and have blue highlights. Both have a white stylus tip.
Both styli have a smooth writing tip. They are much better than the stock stylus that comes with the Visor. The iPoint VSR has a rather light feel to it, and it has a good feel as far as writing on the Visor. But there are a couple issues that I have with the iPoint VSR.
| First of all, the end caps on both styli are designed to be a bit larger
than the stylus port, (silo), in the Visor. This is, presumably, to keep the iPoint
VSR from falling out of the Visor. While this does serve it's function, I would
prefer that they had designed it to be more like the end of some of the other Visor styli
which have an indented area on the end that matched the plastic part of the silo. Why do I say this? Well, just read some of the Visor message boards that talk about Visors with cracked plastic in the area of the springboard module cover. I would prefer not to have to force a stylus into the Visor, since it will be done over and over again. That said, I have no data that shows that the silo will crack. And if it did, it would
be more of a Visor problem than a iPoint VSR problem. But it bothered me
to have to force it in place. |
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| My second issue: Under the end cap is a reset pin. But unfortunately, in both styli, the reset pin was not long enough. I tried it and in both cases the pin would not reach the reset button on my Visor. Both styli have a reset pin that is .225" long. The reset pin on my PDA Panache Custom Visor Stylus has a pin that is .275" long and it reaches the reset button with no problems. If you decide to purchase the iPoint VSR, check with them if they have fixed the reset pin issue. |
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The one thing that sets the iPoint VSR apart from other "docking" style styli is that you can get one with a pen in the housing! It is really quite a nice feature. Granted, you have to unscrew the stylus cap, but there are only 5 threads and it just takes a few turns. (I don't know what you do if you need a refill.)
I would not feel comfortable recommending the iPoint VSR until they at least fix the reset pin issue. Other than that, it is a nice stylus for writing on the Visor.
| Prices: | iPoint VSR Visor Stylus | $15.95 |
iPoint VSR Visor Stylus with pen |
$18.95 |
Pros:
The smooth tip.
Pen in the housing available.
Con:
Reset pin is too short.
End cap design may stress the Visor silo.
The iPoint Stylus 5 is a stylus made specifically for the Palm V/Vx. This stylus is made of the same materials as their other iPoint styli above. The only difference is that this stylus doesn't have a 'cap' on the top. Instead, it has a small blue (brass) button sticking out of the side. You use this button as a grip for removing the stylus from the silo. The stylus fits in either silo in the Palm V. It is held in place by friction and is a snug fit. For me it is actually easier to remove this stylus from the silo than the styli that come with the Palm V. I think I like the button grip better on this stylus than the cap on the PDA Panache Palm V Custom Deluxe stylus. The button makes it somewhat easier to remove from the silo.
The iPoint 5 has two hidden features. The top unscrews to reveal a reset pin. This pin
works fine with the Palm V. You can also unscrew the other end of the iPoint to reveal a
ballpoint pen (with black ink). I wouldn't want to use this pen as my primary writing
device, but it does work fine in a pinch. The pen can be pulled out of the stylus for
replacement but, I couldn't find the replacement pens for sale on the E&B site.
The iPoint 5 works well with the Palm V. It is heavier and better balanced than the stock
Palm V stylus. The stylus tip also feels smoother to write with. Although this tip feels
fine, I still prefer the PDA Panache styli tips due to their color and feel.
The iPoint is a well made stylus that sells for a decent price. With the added ballpoint
pen, it is a very good value.
Price: $18.95
Pros:
Smooth tip.
Hidden pen.
Hidden reset pin.
Con:
None really.
| Let me know your comments
on the iPoint Styli review and read what others have to say. |
