| StylusCentral 3 in 1 Stylus Pen for Palm Zire 71 |
Reviewed by: Greg Gaub
Date: September 23, 2003.
Go to StylusCentral for ordering info.
Anyone with a Zire 71 knows that the included stylus is less than stellar. In fact, the first accessory I wanted for my Zire 71 was a new stylus, if only because I had already scratched the screen slightly with the cheap one it came with. Enter StylusCentral with their nifty 3 in 1 Stylus Pen for the Zire 71!
It's called a 3 in 1 because it is a stylus, of course, but it also includes the much welcome reset pin, which the stock Zire 71 stylus was lacking, and an ink pen for when you didn't expect to need one. The pen writes smoothly and the reset pin is just the right size, and they both do the job very well. I was a little worried about the stylus tip, though. The stylus I received has a clear, hard plastic tip and I was worried that it might be prone to scratching the screen. I'm happy to say that after extended use, there does not appear to be any damage done by this stylus, though at time it still feels as if it is scratching the screen. Still, I would have preferred a stylus with a bright orange tip and/or a spring to make sure excess pressure is not transferred to the screen.
The 3 in 1 for the Zire 71 fits quite well into the stylus silo on the Zire 71 with good friction holding it in. I've had no fear that it will fall out, but I did notice that it doesn't make use of whatever mechanism the stock stylus does. The stock stylus has a notch near the tip, and when it is put into the silo, there is a definite stopping point for the stylus. The StylusCentral stylus lacks this notch, and therefore does not stop at a specific point in the silo. As such, it's easy to push the stylus down farther than it needs to go. It's not a big problem, as it's still easy to get out with a fingertip, and I don't think there is any worry of damaging internal components of the Zire 71.
Lastly, in the complaints department, is that there is no place to put the pen cap when using the pen. It would be nice to be able to snap the cap onto the stylus tip while using the pen. As it is, I'm often holding the pen between my lips while holding the paper with one hand and writing with the other.
These minor quibbles aside, it's a great replacement stylus, and one that I can heartily recommend to other Zire 71 users. Never hunt for a paper clip when that buggy app crashes again, and never have to hunt for a pen when the odd signature is needed. Get your 3 in 1 now. :)
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