Review: Architect Stylus

Slick and beautiful, the Architect Stylus may have been created from a minimalist’s dream. Made of anodized aluminum, this stylus perfectly compliments the iPad.

The Architect Stylus is made up of two parts — a distinctive cap and an anodized aluminum body. The cap has a unique loop cutout in it that’s a perfect fit for a lanyard or keychain. This cap can also be screwed on either end of the stylus. When the stylus is in use, you can screw it on the top end. When not in use, you can screw it on the end with the nub, protecting it from any dust or scratches.

Using the stylus on your iPad (or any capacitive touch screen) is wonderful. Simply glide the stylus on the screen like you would with your finger. Write, draw, or browse with high accuracy. It feels ergonomically-correct in your hand with just the right weight and thickness. The Architect also comes with a small case to prevent any scratches on your stylus.

Overall, the architect is a beautiful stylus that’s both functional and enjoyable to see and use. My favorite part is how it compliments the iPad perfectly, as well as the unique design.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars · TheArcticStore.com · $22.95

Disclosure: This product was sent by The Arctic for review purposes. This is part of Beatweek Magazine’s coverage of iPad products. Opinions expressed in this article are my own.

Review: Woodees iPic Stylus

There’s now an iPad / tablet stylus made with musicians in mind. It’s both stylish and functional, and may I add, quite adorable. It’s Woodees’ new iPic Stylus. It works with all touchscreen devices, and resembles a guitar pic, but with a stylus nub on the end.

The iPic offers a very natural feel for musicians, especially if they’re playing the guitar, bass, or other musical string instruments on the iPad or iPhone. You can hold it between your thumb and index finger for that natural “pick” feel. Or even hold it to “poke” at the screen to type. You can even turn the iPic to the side and strum it like a real guitar pick on your device.

For fun with musical instruments, download the free iPad app, Miso Music: Plectrum for iPad to test iPic with.

One thing I would change about the iPic is the surface of the pick. It’s a little bit slippery to hold at times. If the surface of it had some texture, it may work better even for the sweatiest fingers.

Overall, the iPic is a fun little stylus, especially for the musician at heart. It’s available in both black and white. Normally $19.99, it’s currently on sale for $14.99.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars · Woodees.com · $14.99

Disclosure: This product was sent by Woodees for review purposes. This is part of Beatweek Magazine’s coverage of iPad products. Opinions expressed in this article are my own.

Review: Just Mobile AluPen

When it comes to elegance and design, Just Mobile understands and delivers. Sculptured from fine soft aluminum is the exciting new Alupen^TM; a stylus made with the iPad in mind.

This chunky pencil-shaped stylus gives you what their competitors don’t — more precision and control over your device. The simplistic design in itself is one to marvel at. This piece fits perfectly in your hand, like a chalk or a crayon when you were a child. The wider pen gives a better grip and more control of your writing or drawing.

Instead of a flat tip like some of their competitors, the Alupen has a soft round tip used to write on your iPad. No matter what angle you hold the stylus in, it’ll still make the intended marks on your device.

It’s the perfect tool to use with iPad apps like Penultimate (note taking/drawing app) and We Doodle (drawing game). You’ll be surprised at how much your handwriting is more clear when writing. Or how more crisps your drawings are.

Another plus to this stylus is the beautiful color. It matches Apple products perfectly! It’ll match your Apple iPad, keyboard, and trackpad like it was part of a set.

This stylus also works on the iPhone and iPod Touch, however, the size of it may seem a little awkward on the smaller devices. Overall, this is probably the best stylus for the iPad on the market now and is a necessity for any tablet artist.

Just Mobile’s new Alupen^TM comes in only aluminum color and can be purchased for $24.95. For more information, see their official website.

Disclosure: This product was sent by Just Mobile for review purposes. This is part of Beatweek Magazine’s coverage of iPhone and iPad products. Opinions expressed in this article are my own.

More Just Mobile products..

Review: Ten 1 Design Pogo Sketch Stylus

When the iPad first came out, I thought it’d make a magnificent artist tool. But the only way I could create sketches was by drawing with my fingers.

But there’s a great accessory to fix that. It’s the Pogo Sketch stylus. It’s like a pen for your iPad! The Pogo Sketch is about the same size of a slender pen. It’s made of a lightweight aluminum alloy that feels like a feather in your hand. One end has a clip that you can use to clip on your shirt, pocket, or purse. And on the the other end is a soft tip that you use to glide over the iPad when drawing or writing.

iPad apps like Penultimate and iDraft, and other drawing apps work very well with the Pogo Sketch. Since you’re writing with your hand (and not your fingers), the letters are more accurate to your real handwriting.

To do this, launch your preferred drawing/writing app and write as you would with a pen. Instead of writing at an angle, try writing in more of a right angle. The stylus doesn’t have a pointy end, so writing on the iPad in 90 degrees angle works better.

Just think, now you can sign your name on documents electronically. Or draw and write with a little more accuracy than your fingers would. Also, since your fingers are no longer needed to tap on the iPad surface, you can wear gloves when it’s too cold. Just tap on the icons on the screen to open and close apps like you would with your fingers!

One downfall of the stylus is it’s flat writing surface. As mentioned before, it’s not a pointy tool, so there is less precision when writing and you would need to write in a more upright angle. But that’s not much of a drawback if you need a tool like this. Think of is as a wide medium point pen instead of fine point pen.

The Pogo Sketch also works on iPhones and iPod Touches, as well as your MacBook trackpad. For the MacBook, it will need the help of a software called Inklet, you can also turn the trackpad on your Macbook into a mini tablet as well.

The Ten 1 Design Pogo Sketch is available in four fun colors — pink, orange, green, and silver for $14.95. In addition, the new Ten One Design Particle iPad Case comes with a silver Pogo Sketch stylus, packaged together for $30. You may consider getting this package if you want a place to put your stylus. Review of this item is forthcoming.

For more information on the Pogo Sketch, see the official website.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars · $14.95 · TenOneDesign.com

Disclosure: This product was sent by Ten One Design for review purposes. This is part of Beatweek Magazine’s coverage of iPad products. Opinions expressed in this article are my own.