12 Styli Reviewed by Macworld
The iPad lets you interact directly with your device with your fingertips, which makes the experience feel uncomplicated, natural and tactile. But some users prefer using a stylus, and some use a mixture depending on the task at hand. So when do you need a stylus and how do you pick one?
My Experience
Touchscreen computing really appeals to me. Finger painting feels very intuitive to me and I prefer to use my fingers to do everything on the iPad, except writing. That’s when I like to use a stylus.
There’s something about the angle you hold a pen that becomes part of your handwriting. The way your writing forms a unit, from one word to another and from one passage to another. It’s different than writing with your fingers when it becomes more about drawing each individual character, like writing in sand, and you don’t get quite the same flow writing with your fingers as you do when you write with a pen.
Choosing a Stylus
Here’s a useful comparison of 12 different styli to help you pick one that suits you. Check out the video and for more depth, the companion article Drawing on the iPad: 12 touchscreen styluses reviewed and see what you think. While I haven’t tried all the styli featured in Macworld’s comparison, I’ll be back with an article on the styli that I find useful for painting and writing.
Related Articles:
Top 20 Apps to Turn Your iPad into a Portable Creative Studio
Tags: handwriting, iPad, iPhone, review, stylus, tools, touchscreen
1. MindNode ($5.99) Beautiful and minimalist mind mapping app. A simple and effective way to brainstorm and easily map out and organize your ideas. Also available 
2. Evernote (free) Remember everything. Build and organize your own digital scrapbook with notes, photos, links, web clips, audio and auto-synchronize to your Mac, PC, iPhone, iPad and Web. Magically makes text within snapshots searchable and includes geo-location information in notes. For research, to capture design, art, writing and blogging inspiration.
3. Moodboard Pro ($4.99) and Moodboard Lite (free) Make a moodboard to visualise your ideas and jump-start your creativity. Capture a mood, feel or ambience with a collage of materials (photos, textures, sketches, text and color palettes). Easily share early design concepts with clients and colleagues to communicate your idea or use as a guide and inspiration for your own creative projects.
4. MaxJournal for iPad ($2.99). A simple and elegant diary or journal. Customize the font and size, add up to three photos per entry and password protect your journal. Features tagging, time stamping and autosave.
5. My Writing Nook ($4.99) and $2.99 for the iPhone. Simple and powerful tool for writers. Minimalist and distraction free writing environment with easy-to-use dictionary and thesaurus. Word count and auto save. Work on your manuscript anywhere, on your iPhone, iPad or computer, synchronize and have access to the latest version for reading, writing and editing everywhere.
6. Qvik Sketch Pro ($0.99) Quick, easy, effortless sketching, doodling and drawing tool. Qvik Sketch shades or inks your sketches in real-time, creating beautifully rendered drawings. Fast and fun.
7. Adobe Ideas 1.0 (free) 
8. Brushes ($7.99) 
9. SketchBook Pro ($7.99) A versatile, elegant digital SketchBook for painting and drawing that features 75 art brushes, a smear brush, geometric shapes and a symmetrical drawing tool. Interact with SketchBook through a gesture-based multi-touch user interface.
10. iMockups ($9.99) This gem of a tool will save designers countless hours by helping you to quickly create mock-ups, layouts and wireframes for your web design, iPhone and iPad app projects. iMockups includes customizable navbars, tab panels, and autofilling Lorem Ipsum text. Intuitive and beautiful interface that takes full advantage of the breakthrough touchscreen device with iPad-optimized gesture controls.
11. StudioTrack ($39.99) StudioTrack is a powerful audio recording and songwriting tool for musicians and producers who want to capture musical ideas and record songs on the go. Multitrack recording with up to 8 tracks, and bounce them down to add even more. Easily apply effects such as delay, reverb, EQ, and a compressor.
12. Korg iElectribe ($9.99) A perfectly faithful replica of the famous Korg Electribe•R analog drum machine that’s easy and intuitive to use. Features 64 preset patterns, 8 supercharged effects and advanced Motion Sequencing that make patterns come alive.
13. Rehearsal ($20) This professional tool for actors helps you learn your lines. Developed and tested by Hollywood actors. Highlight lines, play peekaboo to memorize your script. Record your script and play it back. Add notes and record different takes to explore your character. Updated with the ability to open your scripts directly from the email messages in which they arrive from your agent, casting or production. “Almost every show on TV has at least one actor that uses the app”.
14. CameraBag ($2.99) Recreate the magic of film by emulating photography’s most beloved and iconic vintage cameras, film, and processing techniques. Easy to use with an intuitive, simple interface. The perfect companion for your iPhone photography.
15. TiltShift Generator ($2.99) Make your photos look like they are shots with miniatures, toy camera images and fake DSLR by adding a radial blur to your photos to change the perception of depth. Move the sweet spot with your fingers and increase or decrease its size.
17. HandiCraft ($4.99) 
18. iZen Garden 2 – portable zen garden ($5.99) 
19. Soundrop (free) Wonderfully fun and simple sound game. Tap the screen to draw lines and watch as a ball bounces off them and Soundrop creates music out of the pattern you create.
20. Zen Bound 2 ($7.99) 
