Innopocket Metal Styli for the Palm m500 and Sony CLIÉ NR Series PDAs Review

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Product Requirements:
Device:
Palm m500 series PDAs
Sony CLIÉ NR series PDAs

PDA owners typically buy two accessories not long after buying a new PDA: a
case and a stylus. Sure, PDAs usually come with some type of case and stylus,
but they tend to be low on quality. This review will take a look at the
Innopocket Metal Styli for the Palm m500
and the Sony CLIÉ NR series PDAs.

Metal Stylus for the Palm m500 Series
[Julie]

Although the original stylus that comes with this PDA isn’t as lame as some
stock styli, once you try out the Innopocket, you’ll put the original in a
drawer and never look back.

Why is it so much better? For one reason, it has a better balance and weight.
At .5oz (14g) it is quite a bit heavier than the original stylus. This added
weight really makes a difference when writing on the screen. I found that I
could actually write graffiti with a lighter touch. The smooth white tip glides
easily across the screen.

This stylus is molded to look identical to the original stylus. But, instead
of having plastic ends, it is made entirely of metal. It fits perfectly in the
stylus silo and as such, I had no problem with insertion or removal.

The top end of this stylus has two extra features. One is a hidden metal
reset pin that is revealed when the top end is unscrewed. The other feature is a
soft silicon tip that can be used to press the application buttons. This tip
fits perfectly in the up/down scroll button dimples. It also has a rubbery
texture, so it doesn’t slip off the application buttons if you want to use it to
press them too. The only
problem with this tip is that it sticks out of the stylus silo slightly.

I think the best advantage of this stylus over other replacement styli is the
fact that you actually get 2 for the price of one! You get a chrome and matte
finished versions. So, you can use one and have a spare.

Price: $15.90

Pros:
Nice balance
Two for the price of one

Cons:
Nothing

Metal Stylus for the Sony CLIÉ NR Series
[Judie]

The NR70 version of the Innopocket stylus is much better than the stock
stylus. Similar to the PDA Panache
stylus that I recently reviewed, it has a heavier weight than the original stock
stylus and also includes a higher quality metal reset pin than the original.

Like the m500 series stylus that Julie just reviewed, this NR70 version also
has a rubber tip on the end for pressing the CLIÉs buttons.

While I can’t help but like the bright orange tip of the Panache version
better, the tip of the Innopocket is certainly better than the stock stylus’s.
It writes smoothly on the CLIÉ’s screen, whether you use protection or not.

The Innopocket fits securely in the silo of the NR70, and even after a
vigorous shaking it didn’t budge.

The one spot where the Innopocket completely surpasses the competition is in
the fact that it comes with two styli for the price of one! You receive
one finished in chrome and one in matte silver. This is perfect if you want to
keep an extra stylus in the cradle, or for if you should ever happen to lose
one.

Interestingly enough, the chrome version weighs one gram more than the matte.

Now that we have a couple different brands of styli for the NR70 to compare,
lets take a look at how they stack up…

	Weight	Special Features	Price
Stock Stylus	4g	plastic reset pin	Free
Innopocket	8g (matte), 9g (chrome)	heavier weight, two for one, metal reset pin	$15.90
PDA Panache	8g	heavier weight, metal reset pin, Panache stylus tip	$17.95
Brando	4g	metal reset pi, built in ball-point pen	$15