Review: Mini capacitive stylus for HTC EVO 4G
A capacitive stylus may seem like a silly accessory to have for the HTC EVO 4G, but it can be quite handy if you live in an area with very cold winters and you don't already have a pair of gloves made for capacitive touchscreens
. The EVO's display doesn't respond to gloved fingers, so having something like this allows you to interact with the phone without having to remove your gloves or resort to pecking the screen with your nose or chin.
Any capacitive stylus on the market will work with the EVO, but BoxWave's mini capacitive stylus ($12.95) caught my eye for a couple of reasons. Its small size makes it easier to pocket than a standard stylus and it can even be attached to the EVO through the headphone jack.
But is it something that's really worth carrying around? Yes and no, depending on what you want to do with it. Read my quick review below to find out more.
Design & Quality
The capacitive stylus measures approximately 1.6 inches long and is primarily composed of hard plastic that could probably be mistaken for metal.
A bouncy rubber-like foam tip sits inside a metal ring at one end, while a lanyard with an end-piece designed to fit into a standard 3.5mm headphone jack is threaded through a small metal ring at the other end.
The stylus feels very strong and well made. The ridges near the foam tip give your fingers something to hold onto so although the stylus is very short, it's still comfortable to hold.
Function
The stylus does a commendable job as a "pinch fingertip" when tapping the screen but requires extra attention in the form of slow motions with more force than you need with your finger when scrolling or drawing.
So if you were hoping that this little item would let you create thinner lines in drawing apps, improve your handwriting in note-taking apps, or just give you finer control of the screen, then this isn't the capacitive stylus for you.
If you try to use the stylus with the same amount of pressure that you normally put on the screen with your finger, you'll end up with results like this when trying to write or draw:
Not good. It is possible to create lines that don't break, but the pay-off isn't worth the effort.
Trying to scroll with the stylus is more difficult because the extra force is often misinterpreted as an actual tap. So instead of scrolling through your list of apps, you'll often end up opening whatever app the foam tip touched instead.
Conclusion
The mini capacitive stylus that can be used with the HTC EVO has several small advantages and one major disadvantage. Its size, build quality, unique way of attaching to the EVO, and fine ability to tap the screen with the same accuracy as a fingertip are definite highlights. But not being able to do anything with ease beyond simple tapping is a serious drawback. Whether the good outweighs the bad is up to you.
The BoxWave mini capacitive stylus is available in four colors (black, silver, red, and blue) and can be purchased from Amazon for $12.95.
