9 replies to this topic

[tonybro]

HTC HD2 Capacitive Stylus

I might be the only person on the planet that finds the move to finger-friendly interfaces a somewhat double-edged sword as I do miss the accuracy and speed of using a stylus.



As a bit of an experiment I thought I would go for the official HTC HD2 Capacitive Stylus (mainly as I wanted some screen protectors - see below - and postage was the same!).



First Impressions

About £18 (including VAT) will secure you one of these weird looking contraptions (eventually - as they are not widely available and can take a while to come into stock).

First impressions are it is chunky, like a pen but the business end looks like one of those scientific spatulas you used to use at school in Chemistry lessons! Only this one is clear with a red dot in the middle. So for £18 you get a hollow, thin metal cylinder with two bits of plastic at either end, not looking like value is it?

It transpires there is a little more to it than that as there has to be some method of maintaining some sort of electrical contact with the capacitive screen but not much!

Is it up to the task at hand?

The main use of a stylus is for the interaction with the user interface and the input of characters using whatever SIP is in play. Now in the old world of Windows Mobile 6.1 and prior versions. The SIPs were fairly standard. Small, on-screen qwerty, Letter Recogniser, Block Recogniser and a few based around handwriting (including third party such as Calligrapher and Transcriber). With WM6.5 and the head-long rush to make the interface finger-friendly most of these dropped by the wayside with the finger Qwerty SIP becoming ubiquitous and other third party ones mimicking it (Swype and Finger Keyboard 2.1).

Now, I am probably not typical as I've had a selection of Windows Pocket PC/CE/WM devices for 10 years now and I was an absolute whizz with Letter Recogniser! Even with predictive functions, a finger qwerty keyboard is hard pressed to keep up with the speed and accuracy I could generate with a stylus and Letter Recogniser.

Now I wasn't expecting the HD2 Capacitive Stylus to re-enable this sort of speed again mainly as Letter Recogniser is not included in most of the finger-friendly ROMs. What I was seeking was accuracy as the on-screen keyboard can be a little hit and miss with the finger. So, has it delivered?
The short answer is NO!

So where does it fall short? Well firstly there is no point on the stylus it comprises a circular disc (10mm in diameter) with the red dot which is supposed to give the accuracy. This 'nib' is at a fixed angle too which can somewhat dictate the angle of use which is generally comfortable.

Secondly, most of the WM6.5(.x) ROMs don't have Letter Recogniser in them so that SIP isn't available and you are left with the QWERTY SIP. Now because of that I wasn't expecting any speed increase but I think it would be fair to assume an improvement in accuracy. Was this achieved? NO. The main culprit is the SIP and the spacing of the characters. It is still too easy to catch the next character.

So, all-in-all, not a great showing from the Capacitive Stylus. The main reason for having one can only be to use if you have lost the availability of the finger either because it's cold and you have gloves on or you have cut it/injured it in some way. That can't be a glowing recommendation....


HTC Official Screen Protector Pack



Now, I use my HTC HD2 pretty extensively and like most modern devices the screen is flush (well as near as makes no difference. That has always concerned me so Screen Protector time it was.



HTC's pack actually contains two protectors for the princely sum of around £10 (again including the dreaded VAT).

Although you get two protectors, that's pretty much all you get. Unlike the packs from other sources, there was no screen cleaning cloth and no applicator to smooth out any bubbles. My fears needn't have been that great however as after a solid clean and brush of the screen the protector went on first time and with no issues with bubbles.

It comes with cut-outs for the following: -

LED Light
Light Sensor
Speaker bar
Bottom Button bar

From that you may well have noticed it covers the entire front of the HD2 rather than just the actual screen so extra marks for complete protection.

How is it in use?

Very good actually. I've not noticed any decrease in screen sensitivity and it certainly doesn't take anything away from the screen clarity or brightness either. Although not a matte finish there is little extra (if any) reflectivity over and above the normal screen.

The stylus works through it too!

Good Value, YES
Effective, DEFINITELY
Recommended? CERTAINLY

Concluding thoughts

Capacitive screens don't lend themselves to use of a stylus. It's not that it's any worse than using a finger but there are no discernable benefits to doing so (unless its very cold and you are wearing gloves).

A waste of money, well no, not really, but not great value that's for certain.

The Screen Protectors are another matter. The HTC Official pack is good value (2 for £10) and certainly go on well and offer up the protection demanded and cover the entire front rather than just the screen.

Good Value - Yes, perform very well with no perceptible difference in screen sensitivity or reflectivity.

[R. Knops]

tonybro, on 19 April 2010 - 08:14 AM, said:

I might be the only person on the planet that finds the move to finger-friendly interfaces a somewhat double-edged sword as I do miss the accuracy and speed of using a stylus.

Tony, you are not the only one who is looking at this market-trend from this perspective. I would like to extend this view a little with the addition of a physical hardware QWERTY keyboard. I own both a HTC HD2 and a HTC Snap, but if I end up in an e-mail conversation I switch to the HTC Snap, because it offers me a better typing experience.

tonybro, on 19 April 2010 - 08:14 AM, said:

Now I wasn't expecting the HD2 Capacitive Stylus to re-enable this sort of speed again mainly as Letter Recogniser is not included in most of the finger-friendly ROMs. What I was seeking was accuracy as the on-screen keyboard can be a little hit and miss with the finger. So, has it delivered?
The short answer is NO!

Since I have been looking in a similar direction, I was able to test the DAGi capacitive stylus on the HTC HD2, and comparing the design this is exactly the same stylus as the official version. Part of the problem of inaccuracy is also the implementation in applications. I used the DAGi capacitive stylus for taking some quick handwritten notes. In the standard notes application the accuracy with not sufficient, while in Phatware Phatnotes the accuracy was good !! In my opinion there is some application dependency here ...

tonybro, on 19 April 2010 - 08:14 AM, said:

Now, I use my HTC HD2 pretty extensively and like most modern devices the screen is flush (well as near as makes no difference. That has always concerned me so Screen Protector time it was.

Very good actually. I've not noticed any decrease in screen sensitivity and it certainly doesn't take anything away from the screen clarity or brightness either. Although not a matte finish there is little extra (if any) reflectivity over and above the normal screen.

One of the main drivers for applying a screenprotector on the HTC HD2 was the smudge on the screen. I opted for a Brando Screenprotector Plus from the type Anti-Glare. In terms of sensitivity, screen clarity or brightness I come to similar conclusions, perhaps a decrase of a few percent. The advantages however are more important, a better viewing experience outside, a better "grip" on the screen due to the screenprotector surface, less smudge on the screen and of course an additional protection layar on the screen of your precious Windows Phone.

Tony good to see that I'm not the only one looking into these area's of capacitive touch screens and stylus use !

// Remo Knops

[Bassey]

That's a real shame about the stylus.  I've had a play with the gloves and found them to be equally imprecise.  I was hoping that was down to "feel" - as the gloves provide an extra layer of disassociation between you and the device.  My last hope was a stylus - although it would be a complete pain in the backside.

One of the guys in another of our hill-search teams has a pair of gloves that, whilst fingerless, have fold-over mittens, so I will probably have to resort to them when the inevitable move to a capacitative screen goes ahead.  Mind you, having had a quick look I can't actually find any online!

[tonybro]

Thanks for the input Remo! At least we are not feeling so lonely now!   

It's a real shame because actual productivity has declined for me with the finger interface. I was pretty damn quick on the stylus (60% of my typing speed at least) at least 50% faster than the finger input.

So for work I continue to use a Touch Pro 2 with Sense 2.5 for quick navigation and then hardware keyboard and stylus for speed and accuracy of input.

[The Guru]

Nice mini review, right puts me off from order that stylus though, seem a complete waste of time.

Remo, nice to see you on site, been a while!

[cyclist]

Reading your comments about text input confirms that I would find this device very frustrating, since as another long term user I'm also fast in the letter recogniser.  I've got used to doing less with the sytlus and more with my fingers in WM6.1, but by using my nails to tap rather than fingertips I can get a good degree of accuracy.  That would not work either on a capacitative screen.

Bassey, on 19 April 2010 - 10:54 AM, said:

One of the guys in another of our hill-search teams has a pair of gloves that, whilst fingerless, have fold-over mittens, so I will probably have to resort to them when the inevitable move to a capacitative screen goes ahead.  Mind you, having had a quick look I can't actually find any online!

These are generally home made.  I can supply urls for patterns to knit them.

[Bassey]

cyclist, on 20 April 2010 - 05:49 AM, said:

These are generally home made.  I can supply urls for patterns to knit them.

Cheers cyclist.  Turns out they are hunting gloves and I now have a URL for them.  £18 a pop but would be well worth it if I have to go capacitive

[Boz]

Nice review Tony, the screen protectors sound the bee's knees, and worth considering.

The stylus on the other hand is a damp squib, I honestly thought it would give decent keyboard input, and at that price it certainly is one to avoid!

[drummerboy]

I've not tried the stylus, but thanks to this review I'll save myself the time and money.

I'm not sure if anyone else has found that the screen protector also effects the proximity sensor? there were occasions when the screen wouldn't turn back on after a call... I ended up cutting the upper left section of the protector off as it was doing my head in!

one tip for inputting text. I've found that rotating the HD2 into landscape and using thumbs to input is faster, more comfortable and a lot more accurate. I occasionally hit the SIP button at the bottom, but not often.

[tonybro]

Not noticed the issue you mention with the proximity sensor , drummerboy, and I've been using it for a week now.

I do switch to landscape regularly to enter text though....