How often do you really use your pen?

[Tom T]

The stylus, for those that never missed it's presence before, is more a novelty. But if you are the type that often took notes with pen and paper even though you had your laptop sitting in front of you willing and able to accept your keystrokes then the stylus is a godsend. I imagine this is a minority of users. I do wonder if Microsoft realized this but understood that given the screen size of 10.6" that any precise input could not easily be accomplished with capacitive touch.

 

[tonyz3]

i think they saw the success with Samsung Note Series All sizes as well as previous WIn 7 devices with Pen support and knew they needed it to be competitive. I think the buzz word here someone mentioned is choices. Even though most probably dont use it as much they still want the choice for the times they want it. I use mine everyday as i prefer the handwritten note to a typed note. MY son is 5 and his school will probably not teach script so i make it a point to handwrite everything i send to his teacher as i know it bothers her. I had to email her the other day so i handwrote the email in outlook 2013 on the SP with the pen.... I like to doodle and use the pen for mouse functions when using as tablet etc. i think the stylus is here to stay for a little while.. atleast for me.

 

[mitchellvii]

I'm using my pen far less than I expected. Mostly because my handwriting is so tragically bad. Also I can honestly type about 3 times as fast as I write and I know that future text searches won't miss anything.

More than likely I will be using my pen for diagramming or drawing things and very little for writing or when I have to hold the phone in one hand (i normally wear a bluetooth earpiece) while scrawling some quick notes. I truly envy people who learned good handwriting as a child.

Anyway, it is kind of odd that one of my primary reasons for buying the SP was the ability to handwrite in OneNote and now I rarely use that function at all.

** I do wish MS would provide us with a selection of nibs other than the hard blue plastic.

 

[Grape Jelly]

I never realized how much I used the pen until I lost it. Now I find myself reaching for it when it's not there. As a previous poster mentioned, it comes in handy when in the desktop. I don't use the touch keyboard very often except for specific typing tasks. Thus, the pen makes some apps in tablet mode easier to deal with. This is especially true for desktop apps that don't scroll or require precision.

 

[Inadorel]

My handwriting isn't great but I find one note recognizes it 99% of the time. I use the pen all the time - I just wish it worked with Surface RT and WP8

 

[mitchellvii]

My handwriting isn't great but I find one note recognizes it 99% of the time. I use the pen all the time - I just wish it worked with Surface RT and WP8

This new Adobe Bluetooth Stylus may work for you on the RT:

Adobe announces first hardware, the Project Mighty smart stylus and Napoleon ruler | The Verge

Has squishy tip so don't know how great it will be.

 

[J515OP]

i think they saw the success with Samsung Note Series All sizes as well as previous WIn 7 devices with Pen support and knew they needed it to be competitive.

Not likely. Remember this was in development for quite some time prior to those devices (the Smamsungs that is). My guess is that Bill G. uses the stylus a lot and is a proponent

i make it a point to handwrite everything i send to his teacher as i know it bothers her. I had to email her the other day so i handwrote the email in outlook 2013 on the SP with the pen.

Very funny :big smile:

 

[ScottyS]

Does the Wacom Bamboo Feel stylus have eraser feature?

 

[tonyz3]

Does the Wacom Bamboo Feel stylus have eraser feature?

no...........

 

[waxfondler]

i used a macbook+bamboo setup for inking on the go....

SP is my new workhorse for sketching.

in my case, the pen was the MAIN reason i got the SP.

 

[ozcons]

One of the primary reasons I bought the Surface Pro over a convertible ultrabook like the Dell XPS 12 is access to the digitizer pen for taking handwritten notes in OneNote.

But I have found that because I can type so much faster than I write, I am rarely using the pen for inking. Also, obviously because my handwriting isn't the best, search accuracy at a later date will be more accurate with typed text. I find myself using the pen less for writing and more for diagramming, a task which could be easily handled by a normal stylus with a finer point which are commonly available today.

So, I am torn. I suppose that it is nice having the pen there in case I have to scrawl down some handwritten notes quickly and I don't have access to both hands to type - for example if I am in a restaurant on the phone and I don't have on my bluetooth headset and need to hold the phone with one hand as I write with the other.

So, glad I have it, but don't use it nearly as much as I imagined.

What's your experience?

 

[ozcons]

$15 Lenovo digital stylus works well on pro.