Best Stylus for an iPad?

[Thelemic]

I'm sure this has been discussed in other, larger threads about more general topics, but:

I'm planning on getting an iPad and using Notability for note taking in vet school, so I can scribble directly onto the powerpoint/given notes. I also like the feature of being able to see my notes appear, in real time, when I listen to the lecture, if I've opted to record it.

However, I'm wonder what folks' opinions are of various styli? What stylus do you love and which ones should be avoided? I'd rather spend a little more, now, for a stylus that will last a while and works well, but I want to make sure that's what I'm getting if I opt for a pricier item. The names I've heard most often are the 'Bamboo' and the 'Adonit Jot Script'. I've also heard a stylus called the 'Maglus' is pretty good, though the review I read about it was over a year old.

What has your experience been?

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[Rainheart]

I actually got a stylus (it was a bamboo one) and then ended up not liking using one at all. So... there is also that option, too.

 

[dovelover]

I had the bamboo for a while, and while it was a nice general purpose stylus, it was not very good for writing because it didn't glide as smoothly across the screen as I would have liked. I've had pretty good luck with the Truglide stylus (by lynktec), because it is soft and smooth and glides easily across the screen. They also have a truglide pro that is a little more expensive and has a finer tip, which would probably work even better (I went with the cheaper one since I originally meant for this to be a temporary stylus). I'm thinking of trying out the Truglide apex once I have the money to spare. I hadn't heard about the Adonit Jot Script before, that seems similar to the truglide apex (but a bit more expensive), and is worth looking into. I wouldn't recommend the other Adonit Jot styluses though (the ones with the discs), I've read too many bad reviews about them scratching the screen, or starting to "skip", or just not working well after the first few uses. Someone I knew had one and gave up on it after a few days.

 

[devyn]

I have had no issues with the Adonit Jot styluses.... the one I had worked for an entire semester and I have just now had to replace the disc - so not bad really and I really like that I can actually write or draw with it well on the iPad. I have found I do not like the rubber tips at all - not enough control! I am actually looking at getting the Jot Script next as I have some Amazon gift cards and I want a bit of a better stylus - I use my iPad for notes all the time in class. I might look at the Truglide apex as well.

 

[kenggy]

Don't get the Wacom Intuos. I tried using it on noteability and the bamboo app it was recommended with but it didn't work on either. It's supposed to be better b/c it's Bluetooth but it was not fluid with handwriting and it squeaked really load as I was writing which is not good in the middle of class. It also has shortcut buttons right where your fingers are holding the pen so I constantly hit them by accident and it would erase what I just wrote.


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[WillowLeaf]

This is a little off topic, but related, and I don't want to clutter up SDN with an extra thread...
I'm planning to get a stylus, but I have issues finding a good program that allows you to write with a stylus. Does One Note only fully function on a microsoft-based tablet? I downloaded the free app of One Note on my ipad, but it doesn't seem to have an option to hand-write or draw anything, and the functions are really limited. Do you have to upload a pdf of the slides or something to get it to allow hand writing?
Notability would work with a stylus, I'm sure, but the organization of One Note is easier for me.

 

[orca2011]

I loved the idea of One Note on a PC but I also haven't been able to get it to work with the hand-written notes on my Galaxy Note, which was a huge bummer (esp now that they have One Note for Mac and I could probably sync things...). All of my friends just use Notability and get by.

 

[WillowLeaf]

Maybe I just need to get used to notability then. Thanks!

 

[Dlisted]

I loved the idea of One Note on a PC but I also haven't been able to get it to work with the hand-written notes on my Galaxy Note, which was a huge bummer (esp now that they have One Note for Mac and I could probably sync things...). All of my friends just use Notability and get by.

So to be able to annotate with a stylus in One Note it has to be a windows based version, like on a Microsoft Surface? You can't annotate with a stylus on the tablet based versions of One Note?

Also, any idea of mac / pc compatibility in One Note? For example, notes created on a windows tablet or computer are able to open on a Mac?

 

[orca2011]

So to be able to annotate with a stylus in One Note it has to be a windows based version, like on a Microsoft Surface? You can't annotate with a stylus on the tablet based versions of One Note?

Also, any idea of mac / pc compatibility in One Note? For example, notes created on a windows tablet or computer are able to open on a Mac?

Honestly, I'm not really sure if it needs to be a Windows based program. I have no Window's products anymore to test it out. I also haven't downloaded OneNote recently for my tablet to try it out. I know it was an issue in the past though.

 

[Cracker.Jack.]

I just got the Joy Factory stylus the other day and it's pretty neat. It takes a triple AAA battery and has a hard plastic tip instead of a run-of-the-mill rubber one. The tip is really tiny too, so it feels a lot more like an actual pen. Haven't used it for any note taking yet though.

I loved the idea of One Note on a PC but I also haven't been able to get it to work with the hand-written notes on my Galaxy Note, which was a huge bummer (esp now that they have One Note for Mac and I could probably sync things...). All of my friends just use Notability and get by.

I used to really like Notability for note taking on my iPad and never had any issues loading hand written notes onto a mac or a PC. However, they did some updates a few months ago and I absolutely hate it now. Sometimes I use the typing feature for longer lists or paragraphs. But now you can't just point your typing cursor anywhere on the page and type anymore, it puts your cursor on the left margin so you have to tab tab tab tab tab tab for every single line if you want to write something on the right side of the page. I've since downloaded OneNote and am pretty happy with it. I use a macbook/iPad combo so everything syncs across pretty well as far as I can tell.

 

[hygebeorht]

I finally bit the bullet in second semester and bought a used iPad for using Notability in class. I LOVE IT! It works SO well with the way I like to take notes.

I bought a pack of styli that got good reviews and have given some to classmates with iPads/tablets. So far, everyone seems to really like them. I like mine as well - there is almost no resistance, so writing is fluid, and the knit tip does not harm the glass or wear out quickly. At first I didn't like how lightweight the stylus felt, but I got used to it, and I like that they will be easy to recycle. Plus, they are inexpensive.

http://www.amazon.com/Friendly-Swed...74&sr=1-4&keywords=friendly+swede+stylus+knit

 

[Thelemic]

Thanks, everyone, for your comments and suggestions!

Those of you who have a tablet, how many GB of storage space does it have, and do you find that amount sufficient? How much storage space would you advise for someone getting a tablet for note taking through 4 years of vet school?

 

[orca2011]

Thanks, everyone, for your comments and suggestions!

Those of you who have a tablet, how many GB of storage space does it have, and do you find that amount sufficient? How much storage space would you advise for someone getting a tablet for note taking through 4 years of vet school?

Mine has 16 GB but has a slot for a microSD card, so total possible memory is 32GB. I bought a memory card for it at the end of 2nd year but haven't needed it yet because I move each semester's notes to Google Drive or Dropbox afterwards.

 

[dovelover]

Thanks, everyone, for your comments and suggestions!

Those of you who have a tablet, how many GB of storage space does it have, and do you find that amount sufficient? How much storage space would you advise for someone getting a tablet for note taking through 4 years of vet school?

Depends a lot on what other stuff you keep on there. If you like to have music, movies, or photos on there, you'll need more space. If it's pretty much just notes, you really don't need that much space. Like orca said, you can generally sync everything to google drive or dropbox, and get rid of the copies on your device after the semester ends.

 

[hopefulinva]

I'll go ahead and toss my two cents in here. For the sake of transparency, I'm very biased against Apple products.

I bought a Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 edition last year and it's all I could have wanted and more. I'm not sure how much memory it came with, but it doesn't matter 'cus I threw a 64 gig microSD card in there and if that fills up I can just buy another one.

The note-taking App that the Galaxy comes with -S Note - is incredibly powerful. The only hassle is loading the powerpoint slides in; they have to be saved as a pdf first and then imported into S Note, so if the instructor doesn't have their slides up beforehand it can be tough getting them imported in time. And sometimes some of the figures go wonky but there are some really easy ways around that.

I think the biggest advantage the Note has over any other tablet on the market right now - iPad included - is its ability to have multiple programs open on the same screen at the same time. You can split your screen so you can have the powerpoints open on one half and S Note open on the other (if you opt not to write on the powerpoints directly), and "widgets" up for - for example - Google Hangouts (not that I ever chat during class! ;D ), Calculator, etc.

Oh, and, y'know, the pretty intuitive feature of being able to, oh I don't know, rest your hand on the tablet while you're writing (which is weirdly absent from pretty much all other tablets right now).

 

[kenggy]

I'll go ahead and toss my two cents in here. For the sake of transparency, I'm very biased against Apple products.

I bought a Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 edition last year and it's all I could have wanted and more. I'm not sure how much memory it came with, but it doesn't matter 'cus I threw a 64 gig microSD card in there and if that fills up I can just buy another one.

The note-taking App that the Galaxy comes with -S Note - is incredibly powerful. The only hassle is loading the powerpoint slides in; they have to be saved as a pdf first and then imported into S Note, so if the instructor doesn't have their slides up beforehand it can be tough getting them imported in time. And sometimes some of the figures go wonky but there are some really easy ways around that.

I think the biggest advantage the Note has over any other tablet on the market right now - iPad included - is its ability to have multiple programs open on the same screen at the same time. You can split your screen so you can have the powerpoints open on one half and S Note open on the other (if you opt not to write on the powerpoints directly), and "widgets" up for - for example - Google Hangouts (not that I ever chat during class! ;D ), Calculator, etc.

Oh, and, y'know, the pretty intuitive feature of being able to, oh I don't know, rest your hand on the tablet while you're writing (which is weirdly absent from pretty much all
other tablets right now).

I just got the note 12.2 pro and I love it so far.. I start in the fall so I haven't got to test it out in class. The handwriting capability is amazing!! Also the screen has great picture quality.