Official HTC capacitive stylus for HD2 now shipping

As hard as the world has worked to get away from styli and toward fingers, HTC -- in all its quiet brilliance -- decided that it'd still make a poker available for its mighty, capacitive HD2; after all, how else are you going to pinch and zoom with those adorable mittens on? After some delays, at least one British retailer now has those official HTC-branded units in stock -- you won't have any place inside the phone to stow it, of course, but we're sure you'll figure something out. Heck, even if you do end up losing it, they'll be more than happy to charge you 17 quid (about $28) for another, so rest easy and keep those digits toasty.

[MarkAnderson Posted Jan 15th 2010 2:30PM]

Rather like a broken pencil.

Pointless.

[Xtole Posted Jan 15th 2010 2:58PM]

@HTC
Welcome to 2003

[scjessey Posted Jan 15th 2010 4:05PM]

@MarkAnderson
Stylus or no stylus, I wantses it. The Precious.


Give it Android and make it available on my shitty carrier (AT&T) and I would've gone for it. I mean LOOK at it. Gorgeous phone.

[MrBugMan Posted Jan 15th 2010 4:22PM]

@MarkAnderson
Perhaps you dont get the point?
Business apps that require signature capture, hard to explain to client to use finger tip. ck out LowFat Software and see what I mean.

[Jimbob Posted Jan 15th 2010 4:24PM]

@MrBugMan

And handwriting recognition, wonder if it works on iPhone screen?

[MarkAnderson Posted Jan 15th 2010 4:48PM]

@MrBugMan

Sure. Business apps on a consumer phone.

OK.

[E71 Posted Jan 15th 2010 4:55PM]

Your fingers no matter how slim, are too fat compared to a stylus.

I don't care what anyone says... you will always need a stylus for precise operations.

Any manufacturers trying to phase out the stylus are fools.

[jon Posted Jan 15th 2010 5:20PM]

@MarkAnderson

Two things; WinMo is not a consumer focused OS, I love 6.5, but it just isn't.
Also, one of the few carriers selling the HD2 is only selling it to business customers, remember.

http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/10/vodafone-reportedly-ditching-the-hd2-as-iphone-launch-looms/

[TonyMontana2367 Posted Jan 15th 2010 5:41PM]

@MarkAnderson

how is this a consumer phone. can you think of 5 consumers who own this?

[MarkAnderson Posted Jan 15th 2010 5:43PM]

@jon

Ok. Fair enough.

[geekthree Posted Jan 15th 2010 6:31PM]

@E71

I totally agree with you with the need and requirement for a stylus.

I semi-agree with you in saying that the manufacturers trying to phase out styluses (or styli? not sure on that...) I do love my iPhones screen, and should they load up android on the HD2.. I'd probably love it more.. and i'd indeed want a stylus, but a really good finger controlled interface is a pleasure to use, and its nice to not have to need one for most things

[Kerensky97 Posted Jan 15th 2010 7:32PM]

@geekthree
True but matter how good a finger controlled interface gets sometimes you need accuracy and no amount of big finger friendly buttons can solve that.
ex:
http://www.ookii.org/software/japaneseinput/

BTW: The above free app is open source and can be loaded and used independent of any draconian app store; another often overlooked and sometimes derided feature of having a windows phone.

[xconan Posted Jan 15th 2010 7:58PM]

@MarkAnderson
even apple put out a patent for a capacitive stylus

[choclat Posted Jan 15th 2010 11:46PM]

@Xtole

who wants a stylus? I don't...

[MarkAnderson Posted Jan 16th 2010 5:21AM]

@TonyMontana2367

Actually I know 3 who own one.

[YpoCaramel Posted Jan 16th 2010 7:32AM]

@E71 Trying to write Chinese characters with fingers is an exercise in annoyance as well. HTC is after all, Taiwanese, and they do everything in (traditional) Chinese over there.

[BigNose Posted Jan 17th 2010 6:23AM]

@choclat Don't underestimate the user friendlyness a stylus can offer.

I'm a former iPhone user and i always wished that it could have had a stylus and more screen accuracy. Sure you can design a big fat finger friendly U.I, but for browsing, it really sucks having to constantly be pinching in and out just to hit links.

Now that i'm back to winmo on my Touch HD, i'm loving the extra accuracy of the resistive screen, sure it's not quite so sensitive, but there's also a really handy feature where there's a sensor in the stylus holder, so if the phone is locked and you remove the stylus, it unlocks the phone.

Handwritten notetaking isn't bad either. Paired with a tablet pc it's a good way to read over One note files and make small changes (you wouldn't want to handwrite a whole note on a phone)

I'm really really wanting an HD2, but wasn't fussed about capacitive multitouch, just wanted the bigger screen and faster processor, but now that theres a stylus out that will give me back the accuracy of my HD, i might be keen to get one.

[tread Posted Jan 15th 2010 2:34PM]

looks like they designed it so you could pick your teeth with it too... HTC, quietly brilliant

[Khris Posted Jan 15th 2010 3:26PM]

@tread Butt-scratcher? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M79sqoPnICE

[000000 Posted Jan 15th 2010 7:07PM]

@Khris

Too funny. Love Family Guy.

[Accidental Posted Jan 15th 2010 2:35PM]

Sweet. You get the convenience of a capacitive screen plus the accuracy of a resistance screen.

[theflew Posted Jan 15th 2010 3:06PM]

@Accidental

No you have the accuracy of capacitance with a stylus.

[XChrisX Posted Jan 15th 2010 4:11PM]

@Unverified User *capacitive

[JeremyBenthem Posted Jan 15th 2010 4:41PM]

@(Unverified)
no, you get the accuracy of a capacitive screen, and the precision of a resistive screen

[gonintendo Posted Jan 15th 2010 8:37PM]

@Accidental Confusions. I has them.

[ZSX Posted Jan 16th 2010 7:02AM]

@JeremyBenthem No, you get the sensitivity of a capacitive screen and the precision of a resistive screen.

[Sweet Dude Posted Jan 15th 2010 2:35PM]

So is it $28 for a plastic stick or is there some kind of technology that makes it work?

[Junzhi Posted Jan 15th 2010 3:05PM]

@Sweet Dude

If you were being sarcastic, then sorry for the reply.

But, capacitive screens don't work with normal styli. They work by measuring a change in capacitance and so a plastic stylus won't do anything, but your fingers or any other part of your body are conductive and so change the capacitance.

[(Unverified) Posted Jan 15th 2010 3:08PM]

@Sweet Dude
There are stylus for capacitive screen that sells for like $5 on eBay

[kempcross Posted Jan 15th 2010 3:30PM]

@Junzhi nope.

[Sweet Dude Posted Jan 15th 2010 3:33PM]

@Junzhi

I wasn't being sarcastic, I have a Pre and I know those kinds of screens don't work like my old WinMo phones. I just didn't know if there was some kind of conductive material on the end or some actual tech going on.

[daguila29 Posted Jan 15th 2010 6:49PM]

@Sweet Dude

Yes there is some kind of tech going on the tip of the styus...they showed the patent on engadget a few months ago.

[ngko Posted Jan 15th 2010 2:35PM]

$30 for a stylus what's next $25 for an eraser?

[OCEAN CLAK Posted Jan 15th 2010 3:00PM]

@(Unverified)

I once payed £40 ($80) for 6 stylus's (3 plastic, 3 metal). remember when using certain types of windows mobile devices loosing a stylus can meen the end of your device, so yeah pretty standard for some companys to overcharge for them

[jgp Posted Jan 15th 2010 3:05PM]

@OCEAN CLAK

You can always use your nails. That's what I did when my old HTC Wizard's telescoping stylus broke.

[Tito Posted Jan 18th 2010 3:52AM]

@jgp Not on this screen. . .

[thechouster Posted Jan 15th 2010 2:35PM]

how does one "pinch and zoom" with a stylus?

[Taylor Yes Taylor Posted Jan 15th 2010 2:39PM]

@thechouster
Haha, I was just going to comment on that.

@Engadget - "how else are you going to pinch and zoom with those adorable mittens on? "

With the one stylus they send you, you won't.

[fourthletter Posted Jan 15th 2010 3:14PM]

@thechouster

On Windows Mobile zoom pinches you !

[EGOvoruhk Posted Jan 15th 2010 2:37PM]

Touchscreen tech needs to start advancing already. Why don't we have multi-touch resistive screens yet?

[jgp Posted Jan 15th 2010 3:03PM]

@EGOvoruhk

Yes! I'd love one of those.

[007 Posted Jan 15th 2010 3:04PM]

@EGOvoruhk
apparaantly you can use 2 fingers with existing resistive tech, and there are patents for mult touch resistive screens somewhere

[ninetynine99 Posted Jan 15th 2010 4:34PM]

@EGOvoruhk

What? You mean in cellphones? They exist in netbooks, Asus/Viliv has 2-3 point multi, Stantum has unlimited resisitive touch

[EGOvoruhk Posted Jan 15th 2010 8:14PM]

@ninetynine99 Thanks, I never knew

Now I want to know why this isn't in my phone...or any for that matter: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bv3X5y-ajtc

[Obserwer Posted Jan 16th 2010 2:30AM]

@EGOvoruhk

Wait a month or two. It will bee everywhere and works with stylus ...

http://www.st.com/stonline/products/literature/bd/16925.pdf

http://www.stantum.com/en/offer/technology-ip

[Chefgon Posted Jan 16th 2010 12:28PM]

@EGOvoruhk

Resistive screens are terrible just because they scratch so easily. I don't think capacitive is the perfect technology, but at least I can carry my phone around without goofy sticker screen protectors or bulky leather cases and the screen remains crystal clear.

[WixosTrix Posted Jan 15th 2010 2:41PM]

Well if you have a nice flip case it could hold the stylus

[Jeff Posted Jan 15th 2010 2:41PM]

Words dont describe how much i want to get away from my shitty resistive feature phone to something with a capacitive screen and some girth. Even if it is windows mobile...

[maddawg579 Posted Jan 15th 2010 2:57PM]

@Jeff
Same here. The Dare was fun for a while, but then I realized how much resistive screens fail when done wrongly.

The HD2 has GOT to come to Verizon soon. If it does, it's my next phone, without a doubt. Plus, you can upgrade to WinMo7 when it's released. I hope it's "groundbreaking".

[tylersmyler Posted Jan 15th 2010 2:42PM]

I would actually use this for my iphone..
wait, this WILL work on my iphone right?