So I've been loving my Surface Pro 2 so far after replacing my first Surface and I'm seeing a lot more mileage with this lovely device. I can honestly that every improvement (Kickstand and Battery) have fully enhanced the experience of using this powerful machine. However, there was one thing that MS didn't address that I see people talking about from time to time. It's really a personal preference thing but I've been using the Surface in tablet mode a lot since 8.1 is really helping me navigate the interface very well. I'm not a heavy pen user but I do use it for Sketchbook and Photoshop when I need to do some work but I also see it being integral to the desktop experience if you were to use the machine in tablet mode. I never liked the Pen being magnetically attached to the power slot for 2 main reasons:
1) It takes up the charging port. Therefore it can't be always be on with the device.
2) Even when on the device; it can be easily knocked off... Also this may be just me but when using it in tablet mode, I like holding the Surface on the two sides and having the pen there just doesn't allow me to do so. It's either I take the Pen off or have it eventually be taken off with my grip or just it being intrusive to the experience of holding a 2 pound tablet comfortably for 30 minute sessions.
I know many people may not see the need of having the pen (if you don't take notes or draw) but if you want to access files easier and get more of a traditional windows experience, you're either using mouse + keyboard or you'd have to rely on the stylus which is to me; a great replacement if I'm mobile. This led me to thinking about ways on how to use a cheap, alternative method of attaching the pen to the Surface. My first idea led me to "Self-Adhesive Pen Loops" (Link Below) which can be attached to your keyboard. It could also be attached to the Surface itself but I just don't see the adhesive lasting the heat and potentially leaving all sorts of residue on the back of my Surface. If I go the keyboard route; it doesn't make sense since I want a solution for having just the tablet & Stylus with me.
self adhesive pen loop | eBay
Here's when it hit me. I had seen some mini styluses in stores when I was vacationing in Hong Kong and came upon an ingenious idea. The styluses are attached to a string that locks into the headphone jack. I was thinking that if I were to just use the string and tie a knot around the Surface Pen, I'd have a clear-cut solution. I found a lot on ebay (link below) and I got the package that had 10 of the mini styluses and waited about a few weeks for this experiment to start. The pictures shown below illustrate how simple it is. I hope that this could stand as a cheap solution for anyone who has the same issue as me with the Surface. I also want to request for some help since my creativity ends here. I can't figure out a way to tie the string concretely to the Pen to make it foolproof. It stays on but there is still a possibility that it could fall seeing that I just tied a knot and me a circle, and looped it in.
I really hope you folks here can think of a better way of using the string to attach the pen or innovate on this idea with even different materials if ideas come to mind.
Styluses
headphone jack stylus | eBay
As you can see here, if you were to put this in a bag or have it pull the wrong way, the pen could fall off. I use it mostly around the house and never put it in a bag together yet but during normal use; it shouldn't fall
Well Voila! It's not the best solution and I did a crappy job of putting it together but it goes to show that it's a cheap solution and doesn't require much work and money to make happen. I don't really need to continue further with this idea since it just works for me but like my situation, you could have a different sort of scenario which leads to some more refined thinking on how to make this foolproof!
1) It takes up the charging port. Therefore it can't be always be on with the device.
2) Even when on the device; it can be easily knocked off... Also this may be just me but when using it in tablet mode, I like holding the Surface on the two sides and having the pen there just doesn't allow me to do so. It's either I take the Pen off or have it eventually be taken off with my grip or just it being intrusive to the experience of holding a 2 pound tablet comfortably for 30 minute sessions.
I know many people may not see the need of having the pen (if you don't take notes or draw) but if you want to access files easier and get more of a traditional windows experience, you're either using mouse + keyboard or you'd have to rely on the stylus which is to me; a great replacement if I'm mobile. This led me to thinking about ways on how to use a cheap, alternative method of attaching the pen to the Surface. My first idea led me to "Self-Adhesive Pen Loops" (Link Below) which can be attached to your keyboard. It could also be attached to the Surface itself but I just don't see the adhesive lasting the heat and potentially leaving all sorts of residue on the back of my Surface. If I go the keyboard route; it doesn't make sense since I want a solution for having just the tablet & Stylus with me.
self adhesive pen loop | eBay
Here's when it hit me. I had seen some mini styluses in stores when I was vacationing in Hong Kong and came upon an ingenious idea. The styluses are attached to a string that locks into the headphone jack. I was thinking that if I were to just use the string and tie a knot around the Surface Pen, I'd have a clear-cut solution. I found a lot on ebay (link below) and I got the package that had 10 of the mini styluses and waited about a few weeks for this experiment to start. The pictures shown below illustrate how simple it is. I hope that this could stand as a cheap solution for anyone who has the same issue as me with the Surface. I also want to request for some help since my creativity ends here. I can't figure out a way to tie the string concretely to the Pen to make it foolproof. It stays on but there is still a possibility that it could fall seeing that I just tied a knot and me a circle, and looped it in.
I really hope you folks here can think of a better way of using the string to attach the pen or innovate on this idea with even different materials if ideas come to mind.
Styluses
headphone jack stylus | eBay
As you can see here, if you were to put this in a bag or have it pull the wrong way, the pen could fall off. I use it mostly around the house and never put it in a bag together yet but during normal use; it shouldn't fall
Well Voila! It's not the best solution and I did a crappy job of putting it together but it goes to show that it's a cheap solution and doesn't require much work and money to make happen. I don't really need to continue further with this idea since it just works for me but like my situation, you could have a different sort of scenario which leads to some more refined thinking on how to make this foolproof!
