Nokia sticks to its stylus roots, offers telescopic SU-36 for capacitive screens

You know what, we're not gonna make that joke. You can, but we'll just move right along to the meat of this story -- Nokia has listed a telescopic stylus for capacitive screens, the SU-36, which seems to have come out right alongside the N8 to serve as its Symbian^3 assistant. Compatible with the N8, X6, and any other phone with a proper touchscreen on it, this retractable accessory will substitute your fingers when they are either too cold or too imprecise to do the job themselves. It's not yet been priced or made available, but you'll be fine using that sausage stylus for another few weeks, won't ya?

[Thanks, Zabavan]

[sockatume Posted Apr 30th 2010 11:20AM]

@Suomaa : Sure, my point is that the inevitable comments about how Symbian only works with a stylus are misplaced because only a few markets will actually get one.

[KingFaisal94 Posted Apr 30th 2010 9:50AM]

This is optional, completely.

[kapryt Posted Apr 30th 2010 9:52AM]

I'm shocked that 90% of the readers know what a stylus is...

For those who don't...

A stylus is like a pen... wait first I need to define a pen... I pen is like a keyboard you use with one hand to "write" things.... Writing is like typing only "old" people do it.

A stylus is like a pen for digital input... like a pen with no ink (done that before back in the day when I couldn't find my stylus)

[hikeskool Posted Apr 30th 2010 11:18AM]

Not. Funny.

[kapryt Posted Apr 30th 2010 11:23AM]

@hikeskool

Fair enough...

I just thought I would do a public service to the people who thing Apple invented the MP3 player, the smartphone, the touchscreen and digital music.

[ounkeo Posted Apr 30th 2010 9:53AM]

ah good. good. At least someone is keeping resistive alive.

As good as capacitives are, they are no real match for the precision of the resistives. In many ways, resistives are much better for usability than caopacitives are.

The phones looks pretty nice too.

[mags1979 Posted Apr 30th 2010 10:08AM]

@ounkeo
This phone has a capacitive screen! It's stylus is just for some markets where is very cold and you can't unwear your gloves and where it rains a lot!

[WickedEast Posted Apr 30th 2010 10:17AM]

@ounkeo

Yeah, I too want resistive touchscreens to stay around. I like the fact that you have the option to use the tip of your fingernails for more precision. Remember that capacitive touchscreen precision test where the user can't help but draw "wavy" lines with his finger, well resistive doesn't have that problem if the user uses his fingernail.

Unless you are too dumb or too hardwired to capacitive, it takes minutes to adapt to resistive. (I have an iPod Touch and a Nokia 5800XM and I have no problem with both type of touchscreens.)

[Daveiops Posted Apr 30th 2010 10:01AM]

Am looking for a good multimedia phone. I might just get this when it arrives. Thanks mainly to the price,

[Johnny Tremaine Posted Apr 30th 2010 11:02AM]

And for the ladies, you get a Nokia N8 with your stylish silver Lip Gloss Case.

[rotarydialz Posted Apr 30th 2010 11:13AM]

It comes with a free tampon. Clever.

[teradome Posted Apr 30th 2010 12:19PM]

Cough cough http://tenonedesign.com/

[I like things Posted Apr 30th 2010 2:03PM]

@teradome I bought one of the pogo sketch ones for my ipod touch, I also have a DIY pencil covered with tin foil. whilst the pogo sketch works much much better than my diy stylus, its still not as accurate as a finger in tasks such as the Brush app or the autodesk sketchbook.

I really do hope nokia worked hard on the durability and sensitivity of the thing, if they want this to work. the pogo sketch's tip feels very flimsy to me (not to mention the fact that it seems to be made out of a piece of foam glued to an aluminum stick)

[DoubleD Posted Apr 30th 2010 12:23PM]

who the hell wants a stylus hanging off of their phone. Either integrate into the body of the phone or make the software usable without a stylus.

[Eastman Posted Apr 30th 2010 12:45PM]

OMG this is embarrassing ... NOKIA .. please someone drag this company into the new millennium

[MarkAnderson Posted Apr 30th 2010 3:57PM]

@Eastman

Hi. You just failed the intelligence test.

[trihy Posted Apr 30th 2010 2:26PM]

A stylus with the touch point of the same size as a thumb! great! Now everybody will know how useless the capacitive screen are for handwriting...

[Johnny Rockets Posted Apr 30th 2010 2:36PM]

"You know what, we're not gonna make that joke. You can, but we'll just move right along to the meat of this story -"

What was the joke? :(

I feel sad that I missed it. :(

[Johnny Rockets Posted Apr 30th 2010 2:37PM]

@Johnny Rockets

Never mind.

For some reason I didn't see the blue text.

[c w j Posted Apr 30th 2010 4:14PM]

You guys remember way back (a couple years ago) when the editors first started their "resistive sux" whine-fest and some commenters implied that it was indicative of their collective wussiness?

Ah, memories.

Dear editors, show me a scientific "sensitivity" measurement comparing capacitive and resistive. Seems do-able for an outlet aiming to be THE tech portal, no?

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 30th 2010 4:22PM]

They blew it.

[Jorgos6 Posted Apr 30th 2010 4:48PM]

Are these Engadget Editors some kind of mor***, they think that there is no life outside US? Hello, my name is Asia, I use stylus and I have a couple billion customers...

[jckchn Posted Apr 30th 2010 6:22PM]

I think capacitive touchscreens have more of a future than resistive ones. My last phone was resistive and using it was a PITA. It was nowhere as responsive as an iPhone, even the first gen one. Capacitive + Glass = Bliss. The iPad's 1000 points of touch should match a similar resistive screen's level of accuracy. If capacitive screens reach the same level of accuracy as resistive, then good-bye resistive.