Stylus Academicus: What stylus is optimized for handwriting and conceptualizing ideas?

Stylus for handwriting and conceptualizing ideasMany people ask me what stylus I can recommend for taking notes in class or to conceptualize ideas; and for a long time, I became unusually quiet. The truth is: I am somewhat torn about using a stylus. For the most time, I have found neither hardware nor software developed enough for digital handwriting, but this has been changing for some time now with improvements on both sides. And with Bluetooth 4 being introduced in the new iPad, even better styluses are looming around the corner.

It is therefore time to finally enter the stylus debate: Does it make sense to buy a stylus for university and college work? The short answer is: Only if you don’t expect miracles. A true paper-notebook-like experience is impossible until the next generation of styluses rolls around. However, there are a few styluses today that are optimized for handwriting and drawing conceptual maps, and these are worth a try if you are willing to experiment a little in your analog/digital workflow.

This article brings you up to date with what you should look out for when shopping for a stylus today, tells you what I think is the best stylus for academics (spoiler alert: its the Adonit Jot), and discusses what exciting developments in the stylus world are lying ahead. [Read more…]