oStylus

Frequently Asked Questions

We have summarized some of your questions and answers here for the oStylus

• Is the oStylus available?
  The current model is being made now but please check the order page for an approximate shipping date, or ask to be notified. We are a small studio assembling and finishing by hand, so sometimes we get behind on our orders.


• How much does it cost?
  $37.50. To order one, go to the order page. The signed, numbered, limited first edition was $75.


• Where can I buy one?
  The only place is through this web site, via the order page.


• What does it feel like to hold?
  We have tried to make it feel as much like a pencil as possible. It is the same size and a little bit heavier. It's long enough so that on an iPad or other large tablets you can reach across the screen easily, but short enough that it's easy to carry. In the future we may design shorter and longer lengths to suit different needs.


• Is it smooth against the screen or does it drag like the foam styluses?
  It's smooth. Almost no resistance. This is the result of the vinyl film applied to the contact area.


• Can I use it for everything on my iPad?
  The oStylus has been designed for drawing, painting and writing, although it works fine for keyboarding or choosing apps. We see it mainly being used by artists, graphic designers, architects, etc. for quick sketches and note-taking. For comments on handwriting with the stylus, see the UserGuide page.



• Other than the iPad, what else does it work on?
  Because the oStylus imitates the finger it should work on most touchscreen devices. We have had very positive reports of it working on the Xoom tablet -- one customer reports: "It's a definite thumbs up... the product is exceeding my expectations." Another uses it with a 23" HP2310ti touchscreen monitor with Photoshop, Sketchbook Pro and Illustrator and reports that "the stylus works amazingly well" and "being able to see the cursor is very good for precision drawing." This report is so complete we have included it on another page.


• What's on the surface of the metal O?
  There is a thin vinyl film on the surface of the O. It is not thick enough to interfere with the electrostatic conductivity, but thick enough to give a smooth surface to protect the screen and give a smooth glide. Think of it as a screen protector on the stylus.


• Can it mark the screen in any way?
  It leaves no greasy finger marks. And it will not scratch the screen because of the thin vinyl layer on the O, unless you decide for some strange reason to use it on it's edge or upside down. Our instruction sheet suggests you don't do that, even though the glass on an iPad or IPhone is harder than the metal O.


• Why not make the contact part smaller? It would be more accurate.
  It seems like it would be more accurate but it won't work. We have made a lot of prototypes in a lot of sizes, different diameters, different hole openings, and ended up with what we think is the optimum. You can go slightly smaller if you have no hole. But with a hole big enough to fulfill the function of being able to see clearly through you need that outside diameter.
  The problem with going smaller is that the touchscreen doesn't recognize the stylus as a finger tip, or it recognizes it some of the time and you get a broken line when drawing. The touchscreen engineers have programmed the screen to be ideally suited for a finger, not a piece of metal or foam. In a sense all the capacitive styluses out there are "cheating" or pretending to be a finger.


• How accurate is it?
  The drawing point appears in the circle, but not always in the precise centre of that opening. Touchscreens compute the drawing point where you would think the point is under a fingertip. This point moves relative to where you are on the screen. In the middle of the screen the point is very close to the middle of the oStylus O. But at the edges of some touchscreens (like the iPad) the drawing point shifts a bit. The oStylus's unique design aims to improve your interaction with this screen technology.


• Is there a magnet involved, or batteries?
  No. It's all metal, except for the thin vinyl film on the contact area. Your body's electrostatic field is conducted through the metal to the surface of the touchscreen.


• How "green" is the oStylus ?
  We're doing pretty well. All materials used in the stylus - aluminum, titanium and stainless steel - can be recycled. The thin vinyl film cannot. We ship the stylus out in a cardboard box (recyclable), using recycled bubble-pack, in a recycled padded paper envelope. Even the sandblasting beads used on the aluminum handle are recycled glass.

ORDER ONE?

Contact: ANDREW GOSS
oStylus Design Studio
agoss@oStylus.com
781 Second Avenue West Owen Sound ON N4K4M2 Canada
519-371-1857

oStylus ™