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View Full Version : Stylus Central 3-in-1 Stylus for iPAQ hx4700 Reviewed


Dave Beauvais
01-03-2005, 06:00 PM
<img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/beauvais-dec04-hx4700_stylus-0.jpg" /><br /><br /><b>Product Category:</b> Stylus<br /><b>Where to Buy:</b> <a href="http://www.styluscentral.com/3in1stpenfor6.html">Stylus Central</a><br /><b>Price:</b> $9.99 USD (Sale price; regularly $15.99 USD)<br /><b>System Requirements:</b> Product reviewed requires a Hewlett-Packard iPAQ hx4700, rx3715, rx3115, or rz1715. Versions are available for other makes and models of PDAs.<br /><br /><b>Pros:</b><li>Stylish and attractive;<br /><li>Well-balanced and comfortable to use;<br /><li>Ink pen included;<br /><li>Very low price.<b>Cons:</b><li>Does not fit stylus slot of the hx4700 series;<br /><li>Advertised reset pin is not present.<br /><b>Summary:</b><br />Looking for something to replace the stock plastic stylus that came with your shiny new iPAQ Pocket PC? Stylus Central may have just what you're looking for in their 3-in-1 Stylus. You get the convenience of an ink pen without the need to carry anything but your Pocket PC! iPAQ hx4700 users, however, should be aware of one important caveat.<br /><br />Read on for the full review!<!><br /><PAGEBREAK><br /><span><b>The Pen <i>and</i> Stylus is Mightier than Just a Stylus</b></span><br />I don't often write notes on paper anymore, but when I do, it's nice to not have to search for a pen or ask around until you find someone who's carrying one. Since my Pocket PC goes with me virtually everywhere, what better way to carry a pen than inside my stylus? I recently bought a "3-in-1" stylus replacement for my hx4700 from Stylus Central. (The stylus is actually made by another company and sold by a variety of vendors.) Since most of the new iPAQs use the same stylus, this one is advertised as being compatible with the hx4700, rz1715, rx3115, and rx3715. I've had stylus/pen combos before and really like the convenience of having a pen with me for writing the occasional paper note or signing a credit card receipt without having to carry a separate pen in my pocket.<br /><br /><span><b>The Good...</b></span><br />The stylus arrived very quickly, and was engraved with my initials as requested. (Engraving of up to four characters is a free service that Stylus Central provides for items which can be engraved.) The stylus came in plastic packaging such as would hang from a display rack in a store. The weight and balance are very nice and the stylus feels great in my hand. It's slightly heavier than the stock stylus, which I prefer; the extra weight just feels better to me. The pen cap is also very secure so it won't fall off accidentally. The silver aluminum barrel looks very nice and the engraved letters are gold in color -- a nice contrast.<br /><br />The "3" in "3-in-1" means the stylus has a pen, stylus, and reset pin. Interestingly, I looked carefully and there is simply no reset pin to be found. "2-in-1" would be a more appropriate name for this product. :) The stylus tip works just fine to press the reset button, however, so it's no great loss, though the name and product description on the Stylus Central Website is rather misleading. The ink is refillable using refills available at most office supply stores, so your investment is safe there.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/beauvais-dec04-hx4700_stylus-1.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 1: A photo of the 3-in-1 Stylus disassembled. Note the lack of a reset pin, which is an advertised feature of this stylus.</i><br /><br /><span><b>... and the Bad</b></span><br />Unfortunately, I am forced to make use of Stylus Central's excellent return policy. Why? Well, the stylus simply doesn't fit my hx4700's stylus slot! It slides in about half way, then becomes very snug. (The aluminum barrel is probably a <i>very</i> tiny bit larger than the stock plastic stylus.) I can push it in a little more, but it finally stops with the top of the stylus protruding from the slot about half a centimeter. I had the opportunity to try the stylus in the other three iPAQ models that it's compatible with and it fits all of them properly, and just as easily as the stock plastic stylus. It's only the hx4700 that seems to have this problem.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/beauvais-dec04-hx4700_stylus-2.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 2: A photo showing the 3-in-1 Stylus protruding about .5 cm from the stylus slot of an iPAQ hx4700.</i><br /><br />Comparing the original stylus and the 3-in-1, there are very few differences. The length is identical, and the tip is almost exactly the same as the stock stylus. The problem stems from the pen cap on the top of the stylus. The original stylus' fingernail nub is tapered ever so slightly, allowing it to slip into the groove in the stylus slot. The 3-in-1's nub, however, is straight on both sides, so it can't slide into the tapered groove. The fix for this would be for the manufacturer to simply redesign the pen cap. I suppose one could gently file the nub's sides down so it would fit properly in the hx4700's groove, but this is not something consumers should have to do.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/beauvais-dec04-hx4700_stylus-3.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 3: Comparing the 3-in-1 Stylus (top) side by side with the stock stylus from an iPAQ hx4700 (bottom).</i><br /><br /><span><b>Conclusions</b></span><br />While I love the idea of stylus/pen combos, be sure you buy this one from a vendor with a good return policy in case it doesn't fit as well as it should. Stylus Central is taking mine back with no hassle whatsoever, and this is an example of the excellent service I've received from them in the past. I hope the actual manufacturer of the stylus revises the design slightly, because I'd gladly give this one another try if they can get it right. Unfortunately, I cannot currently recommend this stylus to any hx4700 users, but would encourage users of other recent iPAQs to buy one of these as a nice and inexpensive upgrade to your Pocket PC. And keep in mind that versions of the 3-in-1 are available for many other PDAs, as well!

szamot
01-03-2005, 06:22 PM
Perhaps this was just a design or manufacturing mistake, in any even it is pointless to have something that will not work properly. I too would return it.

Jonathan1
01-03-2005, 06:54 PM
Does not fit stylus slot of the hx4700 series

Dang. I'm looking for a good replacement for my stylus. Note the word GOOD. In my book if it doesn't fit the silo, it doesn't fit into the good category. If I can get a better (read metal) stylus and a metal flip cover I could be a very happy and content PPC user. :)

ucfgrad93
01-03-2005, 09:28 PM
Well, the stylus simply doesn't fit my hx4700's stylus slot!

D'oh!

OSUKid7
01-03-2005, 09:40 PM
In my book if it doesn't fit the silo, it doesn't fit into the good category.
Exactly. I was really considering this stylus until I read that it doesn't fit in the slot. :?

bobmay
01-03-2005, 10:50 PM
Doesn't the stylus tip fit in the reset hole on a 4700 like the rest of the IPAQs? If it does there is the 3 of 3 in 1. I know Palms need a small pin to reset, but I didn't think it was needed on an IPAQ.

OneAngryDwarf
01-03-2005, 11:09 PM
Some Ipaqs need a reset pin... like the 1900... don't know bout the 4700 though

OSUKid7
01-03-2005, 11:11 PM
Doesn't the stylus tip fit in the reset hole on a 4700 like the rest of the IPAQs? If it does there is the 3 of 3 in 1. I know Palms need a small pin to reset, but I didn't think it was needed on an IPAQ.
The hx4700's work fine with just the stylus.

DaleReeck
01-04-2005, 02:27 AM
This isn't the first stylus that didn't fit right. I've bought some in the past from other companies that just didn't fit right. This seems to be a trend. How any company could get that wrong is beyond me. It's not like they need this huge, complex beta test on a stylus. If it fits in the hole and writes, it's good. Apparently, these guys missed this "bug" :roll:

jaddison
01-04-2005, 06:59 PM
I have not tried the stylus myself, but I was just thinking that it is possible that the engraving slightly deformed it so that it no longer fits. It would not take much to deform it since it is a hollow metal (Aluminum?) tube. It appears that the company that did the engraving is not the company that designed the stylus so they may not be aware of the effects of engraving. The unintentional fault may lie with Stylus Central rather than the original manufacturer.

Has anyone tried it without the engraving?

Dave Beauvais
01-04-2005, 08:57 PM
... it is possible that the engraving slightly deformed it so that it no longer fits. ... Has anyone tried it without the engraving?
That's what I thought at first, too. So I took the cap off and tried to put that in the stylus slot of my hx4700 and it wouldn't go all the way in. That's without the aluminum barrel even attached.

Doesn't the stylus tip fit in the reset hole on a 4700 like the rest of the IPAQs?
It does, and I mentioned that in the review. I just mentioned the lack of a reset pin since the product literature specifically mentions it, but it's not present on the actual product. Again, not a big deal, but something people might want to be aware of.

... How any company could get that wrong is beyond me. It's not like they need this huge, complex beta test on a stylus. ...
I suspect that if they designed it for the other iPAQs which use the same stock stylus as the hx4700. Since it worked with those models, it was assumed it would also work with the hx4700. But who knows, really.

Mark R Penn
01-07-2005, 03:55 PM
I don't have it yet, but have just ordered a replacement stylus from PDA Panache. It's all metal (except the tip obviously), has a screw on pen cap that is very secure, and looks fantastic. It is a little more expensive though.

I had one for my Jornada, and it was wonderful. For my 5550 I got a Proporta version, but that had a push on cap that worked loose after a while.

Re 3 in 1 being valid because you can reset using the stylus tip, umm no! You CAN do that, but you can also use the stylus to get stones out of horses hooves, to de-scale fish (slowly!), to hold tents down, and to clean your ears out, but that doesn't make it a 7 in 1! It has two components, so it's a two in one - stylus and pen. If you make multiple uses of the stylus (or pen) bit, it's still only a stylus combined with a pen!

The fact is that for a 4700, you don't NEED a 3 in 1.

Mark

Dave Beauvais
01-07-2005, 05:14 PM
I don't have it yet, but have just ordered a replacement stylus from PDA Panache. ...
Would you mind posting your thoughts on it once it arrives? When I was ordering from Stylus Central, PDA Panache didn't have a stylus for the new iPAQs. I used one of their chrome styli (without pen) for my old Toshiba e740 and liked it, and was hoping to have one for my hx4700. Since the Stylus Central 3-in-1 doesn't fit, I'm still in the market. :-)

Maybe you could start a new thread on it so the review comments here don't get cluttered with other products.

Mark R Penn
01-07-2005, 05:36 PM
No problem at all, will do. It might be over a week before I get it though, as I'm in the UK and it's coming from the States.

djr13
01-10-2005, 11:14 PM
Just received my PDA Panache stylus. Exatly the same problem! The nub has parallel side and doesn't fit the hx4700 properly. Another user has posted the same problem on Brighthand. I've emailed PDA Panache and await their reply. :(

Dave Beauvais
01-10-2005, 11:47 PM
Just received my PDA Panache stylus. Exatly the same problem!
That's really a bummer. I kinda wonder whose fault it really is: the stylus manufacturers for making them wrong or the designer of the hx4700 for making it non-standard when compared with the other iPAQs which share a common stylus. ;)

Thanks, djr13, for letting us know it doesn't fit properly, either.

djr13
01-11-2005, 08:14 AM
PDA Panache have offered a full refund with no need to return the stylus. Seems fair but I'd rather they made one which fits properly. The quality is excellent and I've always been pleased with their products in the past.

For now though, I'd advise hx4700 users to steer clear

djr13
01-11-2005, 09:05 PM
Received this today:

"Hello,

This important notice is for our customers who have recently purchased a PDA Panache Model #IPQS-EV or #IPQS-BT Stylus for use with an iPAQ hx4700 device. This notice does not apply to customers who purchased a PDA Panache model #IPQS stylus for use with an rz1700 or rx3000-series iPAQ device.

We regret that the #IPQS Stylus was mistakenly identified as being fully compatible with the iPAQ model #hx4700, as well as the rz1700 and rx3000-series units. The #IPQS stylus may not correctly fit the stylus holder of hx4700 devices. There is no problem with the fit on rz1700 and rx3000-series devices, and this model stylus remains currently available for those units.

If you purchased this model stylus for use on an iPAQ hx4700, we will be
pleased to process a full refund of your purchase at this time. Please
contact us via email at [email protected], or phone at 1-631-776-0523 to verify that you purchased this model stylus for an hx4700 and wish to have a full refund at this time.

An hx4700 compatible stylus will be announced when available. An exchange program will also be offered at that time.

Very sorry for the inconvenience.

Best regards,
PDA Panache Corp."


Impressively rapid response. Watch this space

Jeff Rutledge
01-12-2005, 04:30 AM
That's a decent response. It's nice to see a company own up and take appropriate measures (but unfortunate that it's becoming rare that it's now noteworthy).

Mark R Penn
01-12-2005, 01:24 PM
Yep, same issue here, and same honerable response from PDA Panache. Everyone makes mistakes (and this is an easy one to make), it's how you deal with them that is important, and PDA Panache have "done good".

Mark