It looks like the stylus is making a comeback! Wacom is a pioneer when it comes to the pen for all of their pen tablets, but plenty of other companies are introducing their own stylus for smart phones, iPads and iPad counterparts.

For those who may notknow, a stylus is the “pen” used to draw, write or move images on a multitouch surface using pressure sensitivity. The more pressure sensitive the stylus, the more detailed strokes you can create.

Here are some styluses that are appearing for various pen tablets and smart phones.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Scribbly iPad pen stylus is a fun stylus that looks and feels like a giant dry-erase marker. It isn’t better than any other stylus, but it’s possibly more comfortable to hold. It reminds me of being a kid. It comes with a cap to protect the point and it’s affordable at $16. It’s not available for sale yet and the company says it will be out “soon”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Just Mobile AluPen is another chunky stylus, but this one is shaped like a fat pencil. The AluPen has a rubber core and a rubber tip. The aluminium body shape keeps it from rolling away on flat surfaces. Unlike other rubber tipped styluses, this one doesn’t stick to the screen. The silver version is available for less than $20 on Amazon and also comes in red, blue and black!

 

 

 

 

 

If you enjoy letting your kids use your iPad/iPad 2, but want a fatter stylus for their small hands, then the Crayola ColorStudio HD iMarker by Griffin might be the best for them. It includes a coloring app that has Crayola’s stamp of approval. The iMarker acts as a pen, paintbrush, marker and crayon. Parents can print, email or upload their pictures to Facebook to share. So far this seems like the best app and stylus combo for kids. It retails for $30, but sells for less than $30 on Amazon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The slim Pogo Sketch stylus from Ten One, is not intended to be as accurate as a Wacom stylus. It’s purpose is to replace using your finger on your multitouch surface. No more finger prints messing up your device’s clean face because this pen has a foam tip. It’s also perfect for quick sketches where you need more detail that isn’t possible with a finger. The newest model isn’t available for sale yet, but you can buy the original on Amazon for less than $15 right now. Available in pink, orange and green as well.

These styluses are not going to replace the detail you can create with a Wacom graphics tablet and pen, but they do get you closer without spending too much.