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Google's Pixelbook Pen searches for what you circle
Google isn't launching the Pixelbook laptop all by its lonesome -- it's also unveiling the previously rumored Pixelbook Pen. The stylus lets you draw and write on the Pixelbook's touchscreen, of course, and it promises to be responsive with a low 10ms latency, 2,000 levels of pressure sensitivity and 60 degrees of angular awareness. However, the real party trick is its tie-in with Google Assistant: You can ask Assistant to search for items just by circling them. If you've ever wanted to search from an image or a snippet of text, it's now relatively trivial.
Microsoft's new Surface Pen should feel more like writing on paper
A new Surface Pro just wouldn't be the same without improvements to its companion pen, and Microsoft is going all-out with the upgrades this time around. It's introducing a new Surface Pen that it claims is the "fastest pen ever" on any platform -- with a 21ms latency, it's supposedly fast enough that it'll feel more like you're writing on paper than glass. There's also a whopping 4,096 pressure points (up from 1,024), reduced parallax (the mismatch between where your pen is and where input appears onscreen), and an Apple Pencil-style tilt feature that lets you apply artistic flourishes like shading.
It looks like Microsoft has a new Surface Pro after all
Microsoft VP Panos Panay recently said that "there's no such thing as a Surface Pro 5," and we now know what he meant by that. Images from uber-leaker Evan Blass (@evleaks) and his article in Venture Beat show a device simply called the Surface Pro, without a model or series number in sight. Other than rounded edges on the screen, it strongly resembles the current Surface Pro 4, including the lack of a USB-C port.
Staedtler and Samsung made an old-school pencil-like S Pen
Along with a pair of new tablets and some 5G equipment, Samsung unveiled a fresh new version of its S Pen stylus -- and it looks very familiar. The new stylus is just like German pencil maker Staedtler's Noris stylud, except it will most likely do everything Samsung's pen can. (We say "most likely" because Samsung didn't provide many details at its MWC news conference this weekend.) That featureset includes detecting up to 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity, and working with the company's new tablets to write and store memos even when the screen is off, as well as outline screenshots or annotate PDF documents. Samsung didn't say anything about price or availability, but young hipsters looking to mask their digital nativeness might have reason to get excited. Click here to catch up on the latest news from MWC 2017.
Samsung and Google built their ideal Chromebook
Late last year, I lamented that Google didn't make Chromebooks a priority over the holiday season. With Android apps and the Google Play Store coming to the platform, it seemed like a perfect time to push Chrome OS. As this morning's leak showed, I just needed to wait another month: Samsung and Google have just announced the Chromebook Plus and Chromebook Pro, a pair of laptops that strive to present the best Chrome OS experience a user can have.
LG's Stylo 3 pairs a solid midrange phone with a mediocre stylus
Now that the Galaxy Note 7 is just a footnote in smartphone history, what's a person supposed to do if she wants a phablet with a stylus? Well, there's always the LG Stylo 3. It was the most interesting of the midrange mobiles LG announced before CES officially started, and it's a testament to how good non-flagship phones can be. Mostly.
Digitize your doodles with an e-reader you can draw on
No matter how useful a tablet can be, for many, nothing can beat the versatility of paper. Well, paper-loving reader, it might be time to re-think those analog allegiances as reMarkable has just unveiled an impressive new e-paper tablet.
Wacom Cintiq Pro displays bring its Pro Pen 2 to desktop users
Wacom's pen displays have long been an option for creatives looking to use a stylus to work directly on a screen while connected to a laptop or desktop machine. They were a staple in many creative studios long before the company began making standalone tablets. Today Wacom announced the latest versions of its Cintiq devices: the Cintiq Pro 13 and Cintiq Pro 16. What's the difference? Size mostly, but there are some differences when it comes to display quality. While the 13-inch model packs a full HD panel (1920 x 1080), the larger 16-inch option has an ultra HD screen (3840 x 2160).
Wacom's new hybrid tablets pack power and a more accurate stylus
Wacom is no stranger to standalone graphics tablets. After years of outfitting artists with pen tablets and displays for working on a desktop machine or laptop, the company debuted both Android and Windows versions of the Cintiq Companion in 2013. A year and a half later, Wacom revamped the Windows version with the Cintiq Companion 2 in early 2015. Now the company has another take on the standalone tablet that doubles as a pen display: the Mobile Studio Pro. Wacom actually refers to new duo as "mobile pen computers," but they still carry the appearance of a large tablet.
Apple patents stylus that doubles as a joystick, air mouse
A simple, high-quality pressure-sensitive stylus is all well and good for tablets, but can such a device really meet the needs of a desktop user? That seems to be the question Apple's asking with its latest patent. The company's latest technology patent dreams up a do-everything stylus capable of being a drawing device, air mouse and even a joystick.
Oree's real ink-and-paper stylus is not for starving artists
Known for chic, artisanal digital products like a $190 walnut keyboard, French company Orée is going after the creative set with the Stylograph. Fabricated from pure copper, the ink stylus lets you transcribe your scribblings from paper over to an iOS or Android device. The idea is to marry the tactile sensation of drawing on paper with the flexibility of digital formats. The pen is nearly a work of art in itself, but it comes with a $300 price tag -- double that of rival Livescribe.
Windows 10's 'Anniversary Update' arrives this summer
Just because Microsoft is less focused on monolithic Windows releases doesn't mean it's forgetting to deliver big upgrades. The company has used Build 2016 to announce a so-called Anniversary Update for Windows 10 that delivers some hefty improvements. For one, it brings Windows Hello's biometric authentication to all kinds of apps, including the Edge browser: You can sign into a website with your fingerprint. Pen support also gets its due with a sticky note app, a sketchpad and virtual drawing tools like a ruler and a stencil. The upgrade brings more advanced gestures and pen input, a Linux command-line shell, smarter Cortana commands (such as sending files to colleagues) and unification between the Windows 10 and Xbox One app stores. The Anniversary Update arrives this summer, so it shouldn't be too long before you can give its features a try. Get all the news from today's Microsoft Build keynote right here!
LG brings a smarter pen experience to the Stylus 2
LG's promised trickle of details leading up to the G5's debut is in full force, but it's also teasing out at least one other model. Like last year, the outfit is selling a stylus-equipped phablet, the LG Stylus 2. Here's to hoping that the Korean tech company keeps that nomenclature from the prepared release rather than making us Yanks and folks in Korea request a "Stylo" again.
Evernote to stop selling notebooks, scanners and socks
Evernote is still one of the most popular and fully-featured note-taking apps, however as a business it's been struggling of late. Following extensive layoffs and the departure of its long-time CEO Phil Libin, the company is cutting back on nonessential projects. The latest is Evernote Market, an online store where it sells physical goods such as "smart" notebooks, scanners and styluses. Most of these are complimentary to its software, making it easier to transfer handwritten notes. While useful for users, the entire initiative was probably a distraction for Evernote.
Samsung fixes the Galaxy Note 5's backwards pen problem
Samsung isn't just relying on warning labels and "read the manual" suggestions to prevent people from inserting the Galaxy Note 5's S Pen the wrong way. A Phandroid reader has discovered that newer Note 5 models have an updated slot design that makes it feasible to eject a backwards stylus without breaking the detection mechanism -- you won't have to panic because of a simple mistake. It's not certain which models have this stealthy upgrade, although it wouldn't be surprising if many of the freshest units make the grade.
Use your Apple Pencil to alter photos, make music and weigh things
The Apple Pencil is aimed at professional artists who want to use the iPad Pro as a fancy creation tablet, but Simon Gladman has other uses in mind for the stylus. He made three Swift apps that use the Apple Pencil in new ways: as a synthesizer powered by AudioKit, in an image-editing program and as part of an electronic scale. PencilSynth uses the Apple Pencil's position on the iPad Pro to control the sound emitted, changing pitch and frequency as the Pencil travels at different angles across the screen. PencilController offers three image-filtering modes (hue/saturation, brightness/contrast and gamma/exposure), each controlled by holding one finger on the appropriate mode key and moving the Apple Pencil around a pivot point on the screen. PencilScale is the most "experimental" of Gladman's projects, using the Apple Pencil as a stand for a series of weights sitting directly on top of a scale app. Gladman calls PencilScale "sensitive, but not terribly accurate."
Evernote adds sketching and split-screen features on iOS
Sketching has been available in Evernote's Penultimate app for quite some time, but now the company's main productivity app is handling your scribbles on its own. With an update for its iOS apps, Evernote now lets you sketch notes with a Jot stylus or Apple Pencil and stores them for safekeeping. What's more, if your input device of choice supports 3D Touch, you'll notice the line weight vary based on how much pressure you apply. You can also adjust the line thickness manually between five settings and choose between 10 color options. When you're done, those drawings sync just like any other Evernote entry and the app's handwriting recognition makes those scribbles searchable, should the need arise. The new version of the app also delivers split-screen multi-tasking that's made possible by iOS 9, so long as you're using it on a iPad Pro, iPad Air 2, or iPad Mini 4. Ready to give it a go? The update is available now from the App Store.
VAIO's convertible PC for creatives lands in the US
As promised, VAIO (Sony's now spun-off PC brand) is returning to the US. To start, it's just a single model, the Z Canvas. The 12.3-inch convertible Windows 10 PC comes with a stylus capable of 1024 levels of sensitivity, a wireless keyboard and with pretty sharp WQXGA+ screen it's pitched to sketchers and photographers, and trying to appeal to the same crowd that's eyeing up that incoming iPad Pro. It's on sale now, online at VAIO and Microsoft's retail sites, with prices starting at $2,199 with 8GB of memory and a 256GB SSD. Those looking to do serious business can upgrade all the way up to a 1TB storage setup and 16GB of memory.
Artists rejoice: The Surface Pro 4's stylus has 1,024 touch levels
At the big Windows 10 devices event today, Microsoft's Panos Panay said that 53 percent of Surface Pro 3 owners use the device's stylus. So, when it came to building the improved Surface Pro 4, it made sense to upgrade the writing and doodling experience, too. Most importantly, the new "Surface Pen" has 1,024 degrees of pressure sensitivity, four times that of the Surface Pro 3, and an "all-year" battery life, which is something of a double-edged sword since you can't actually recharge it. The Surface Pen also has a tail eraser for manual undoing, and a selection of interchangeable tips for different tasks that change how the Pen feels and responds.
The best iPad stylus
This post was done in partnership with The Wirecutter, a buyer's guide to the best technology. Read the full article here. We spent 15 hours testing a total of 13 iPad styluses with a graphic designer and independently arrived at the same conclusion: The best iPad stylus for most people is Adonit's newly redesigned Jot Pro ($30). The Jot Pro's unique clear plastic tip allows for precise input: It doesn't block the iPad's screen like rubber-tipped styluses, so you can see what you're doing as you draw. It's also comfortable to hold, and a number of small details, such as a spring-loaded tip that better mimics the feel of pen on paper, make the overall experience a pleasure.
