I am so happy to see the stylus coming back. I’ve been missing them, as I have no love for smudged screens. Yet I see no reason why the stylus should serve only one function. Why can’t it also be a magic wand like the ones used by Hogwarts students?
While it’s not a magic wand exactly, Griffin's Stylus + Pen + Laser Pointer ($49.99, On Sale for $29.99) is much more than just a stylus. It has the typical squishy end for capacitive screens at the ready on one end and has a handy pocket clip. On the other end it sports a red laser for pointing stuff out during presentations. It uses three hearing aid batteries to power it, and they are included, so it’s ready to go right out of the box. The other handy function is that it is also a nice, black ballpoint pen. All you have to do is pull the stylus end of the pen off, turn it around and push it back into the shaft of the instrument, and it’s a pen. It writes as smooth as silk and is a pleasure to use.
I have to admit I don’t do too much hand writing anymore. I wonder who does. I understand teachers don’t even teach penmanship in school anymore. I guess the time is near when no one will be able to read or write cursive.
Well, there you have it—a three in one multi-functional instrument. How convenient to have all three instruments in one place instead of having to look for each separately every time you want to point or write. How much would you expect to pay for such a device? I’m thinking it would be pricey. The manufacturer’s suggested retail price is pricey at $49.95. But you can get one here for only $29.95, which is much more reasonable. It only comes in black. The stylus works on all capacitive touch screens, which of course include iPhone, iPad, and iPod. While I appreciate all the functionality, I just wish the laser were green instead of red. I just got a green laser, which is a hundred times more powerful than the red laser. I use it to point out constellations in the sky and to point out birds in the bush. You’d be surprised how well the green shows up on green. The red laser just doesn’t cut it.