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.