P-i-v-o-t 3in1 Stylus for the Palm Tungsten|T Review

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Product Requirements:
Device:
Palm Tungsten|T PDA

The Palm Tungsten|T is actually one of the few PDAs that comes with a fairly
decent stylus right out of the box. In fact, about the only way an after-market
styli manufacturer could improve upon the stock design would be by including a
built-in ball-point pen – which is exactly what you will find in the
P-i-v-o-t 3in1
Stylus
.

pivot tungstent stylus1
Top to bottom: P-i-v-o-t stylus,
stock stylus

The P-i-v-o-t starts with a metal telescoping shaft, just like the original
stylus does, but instead of being spring loaded it requires a pull-out motion.
Both styli are approximately 3.75" long when closed; but upon opening, the
P-i-v-o-t expands to 5" while the stock stylus is just under 4.25". The extra
length of the P-i-v-o-t actually does make the stylus a little more comfortable
to hold during extended graffiti writing sessions.

pivot tungstent stylus2
Top to bottom: P-i-v-o-t stylus,
stock stylus

Under the stylus’s black plastic end cap is a medium black ball-point pen.
While you probably wouldn’t want to write a long letter with this particular
pen, it is perfect for jotting down quick notes and ideas. The black soft nylon
stylus tip is smooth, not too pointy, and glides across the T’s screen.

pivot tungstent stylus3

Overall, I think that the P-i-v-o-t is a welcome accessory for the
Tungsten|T. If you need the versatility of a stylus that can jot paper notes
too, then you ought to give this stylus replacement a try.

The P-i-v-o-t
3in1 Stylus
is available from
Mobile Link Technology,
and other retailers.

Price: $12.99 includes overseas postage

Pros:
Adds a ballpoint pen a longer (more comfortable) version of the stock stylus
Priced right

Cons:
None

 

Product Information

Price:12.99
Manufacturer:Mobile Link Technology Ltd
Pros:
  • Adds a ballpoint pen a longer (more comfortable) version of the stock stylus
  • Priced right
Cons:
  • None

13 thoughts on “P-i-v-o-t 3in1 Stylus for the Palm Tungsten|T Review”




  1. Gadgeteer Comment Policy - Please read before commenting
  2. If the Tungsten was discontinued so soon, that would be the shortest time out that any Palm pda had. 😉

    And if it was discontinued, does that mean that current TT owners would just toss theirs into the trash the next day? I doubt it… :p

    But back to the topic, this is a welcome accessory. I have the PDA Panache stylus, but it suffers from the same thing all of my PDA Panache styli suffer from… unscrewing itself. I think I’ll give this one a go and see how it works out. 🙂

  3. I’m afraid I’m going to have to disagree with Judie regarding her review of the Pivot (sorry!). I received a review sample this morning, and I’m really disappointed. The makers had the opportunity to produce the first decent replacement stylus for the T|T, but instead have compromised on quality in order to achieve a low selling price.

    In my opinion, any quality replacement stylus for the T|T has to make use of the spring loading mechanism, otherwise it’s not going to appeal to most owners who like the ease of use that the supplied stylus offers.

    Of course if you’re going to produce a stylus that has to be ‘pulled’ from the silo, as the Pivot does, it would help if the barrel has been engineered well enough so that it can then be extended easily. Unfortunately the Pivot that I have is so stiff that it takes two hands to extend it, and even then the cheap plastic top, which covers the pen nib, comes off in my hand unless I squeeze it very tightly!

    I also expected the Pivot to be weightier than the supplied stylus, but if anything it’s lighter (possibly due to the ommission of the spring loading mechanism), which, allowing for it’s extra length when extended, makes it feel cheap and nasty.

    Come on manufacturers, there’s money to be made for somebody! I and many others are looking forward to aquality replacement stylus being engineered for the T|T.

  4. Craig,

    I agree with you about missing the spring-loaded function of the original stylus – but I felt the loss a bit less than you did because for the last 5 months (at least), I have been using a PDA Panache replacement stylus that also has to be manually extended. I got over missing the spring when I first starte using the Panache.

    I respectfully disagree with you about the feel of the P-i-v-o-t, I found it to be neither cheap nor nasty. This replacement and the stock stylus both weigh exactly the same: 7 grams.

    It could be that because the center of gravity is different, due to the extra legnth when extended, that is just felt lighter to you. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that the P-i-v-o-t feels “luxurious” (channeling Bobby Trendy there), but then for the price I don’t expect it to.

    Hopefully, there will be a manufacturer that makes an even better spring loaded stylus, but until then, we at least have two other brands to try that include ball-point pens.

    Judie :0)

  5. I have the PDA Panache stylus but had to give up on it because I couldn’t get used to having to pull the stylus out, then extend it before use (it’s way too short to be used without being extended IMHO). Seems like the P-i-v-o-t would give me the same problem.

    Oh well… the stock stylus isn’t pretty, and it doesn’t have a pen, but *darn* that spring mechanism is clever. 🙂

  6. It might be. I think that sometimes things like this get rebranded and resold under different names and through different vendors.

    Judie :0)

  7. got one today from StylusCentral. Definitely the same as the one in the review.

    I agree with Judie, it is a nice quality stylus. I will miss the spring action but to me it is a trade off and on balance having the additional length (which makes it extremely comfortable to use) and the pen are worth the loss.

    My only complaint so far is that the black tip that covers the pen does not fit onto the stylus end while writing. Although I do not see as a design issue how that would have been possible.

  8. There’s another TT stylus by PDAir. Their website is pretty bare, but you can see a picture ( and price ) of it at http://www.doml.com.sg/product.asp?id=928 where I got mine.

    It has a built-in black pen, and is spring loaded. The built quality is not as good as the stock stylus ( the spring action is not as smooth ), and it feels lighter. When extended, it is slightly shorter ( it’s only 4″ when fully extended ), so this might be an issue if you have big hands. But I reckon it’s the closest you can get to the original stylus.

  9. I got the PDAir one as well, but am cruising for an alternative as you might guess. Too bad the other two apparent choices have niggles as well.

    The PDAir Stylus/Pen I got from Brando has thick milled stainless steel tube finished to match the Palm’s TT Stylus. It feels as solid and and balanced as the stock stylus. The only thing that bothers me is that the spring loaded extension pops out unpredictably at times.

    I’m back to using the stock stylus. You need to be able to whip the stylus out without any impediment whatsoever.

  10. Originally posted by Gidora
    [B]I got the PDAir one as well, but am cruising for an alternative as you might guess. Too bad the other two apparent choices have niggles as well.

    The PDAir Stylus/Pen I got from Brando has thick milled stainless steel tube finished to match the Palm’s TT Stylus. It feels as solid and and balanced as the stock stylus. The only thing that bothers me is that the spring loaded extension pops out unpredictably at times.

    I’m back to using the stock stylus. You need to be able to whip the stylus out without any impediment whatsoever. [/B]

    My PDAir stylus works fine, and does not popup unexpectly like yours. But my stock stylus is getting flaky. I have to click it a few times to get it to stay “down”. I think the catch that’s holding it down is getting worn out.

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