Pogo Stylus for iPhone and iPod Touch

Is it worth getting a Pogo Stylus for drawing and painting on the iPhone or iPod touch? I posed this question on Twitter some time ago, and got no replies. So I decided to order one and find out for myself. Within just a few seconds of using it, I could tell it made a big difference in my painting accuracy. However, when you look at what it is in relation to what it costs, it's rather sad.

The Pogo Stylus is a small metallic tube about 3½ inches long with a soft foam-like tip on one end. There are many much cheaper, similarly-looking stylus products advertised as being compatible with the iPhone and iPod touch, but from reading the reviews, it seems that many of these don't work with the capacitive touch screen of the iPhone and iPod touch. So buyer beware. Apparently, there is something special about the foam of the Pogo's tip, and I see from the packaging that there is a patent pending on it.

Pogo Stylus

I decided not to take my chances on one of the cheaper no-name styli, and found the best price on a Pogo Stylus from BargainCell via Amazon--$10.67 with free shipping, still less than I'd pay buying it direct from Ten One Design, the manufacturer.

The Pogo stylus comes with a clip for attaching it to the iPhone or iPod touch, so you will need to order the specific item labeled for your device. Since I keep my iPod touch in a case all the time, I ordered the Pogo for the iPhone, knowing the clip for the iPod touch would not fit over my case anyway. I hoped the iPhone clip might fit over my Rebel Touch case, but it doesn't. No big deal. I don't expect to be using so much that I'll want a clip attached at all times.

The Pogo Stylus with the iPod touch

I did wish it had a cap because the tip seems fragile, and it picks up lint in my pocket as I'm sure it will if I ever carry it in my purse. Resourceful person that he is, my husband discovered it fits perfectly inside the barrel of a Bic "stic" pen, so I have been using that for protection. The plug on the back of the stylus keeps it from sliding all the way into the Bic barrel and gives me a little something to grab when I take it out.

My makeshift stylus holder and clip, an empty Bic pen.

Overall, I wish I could have paid about 5 dollars less for it, but I do prefer drawing and painting with the Pogo Stylus over my bare finger. It allows you to see more of your work as you are painting, and brings a significant improvement to accuracy in those fine detail areas. It'll also keep your screen cleaner, especially if you are prone to sweaty hand syndrome, as I am. They say it's also good for using your touch screen when you're wearing gloves--living in Florida, this isn't an issue for me.

The stylus can't be used for all actions on your touch screen--things that require multi-touch, like zooming and panning, will still require the use of your fingers. But the Pogo stylus is a good thing to have around for sketching and painting on your iPod touch or iPhone, and if you have a lot of trouble typing on the small keyboard. I probably won't pull it out every time I need to type something, but when I know I'll be typing a lot of text, I'll be using the Pogo Stylus.

• Learn More about the Pogo Stylus

• Graphics Apps for iPhone and iPod Touch

Photos © S. Chastain