Jot Touch with Pixelpoint
Adonit Again The company’s latest product ticks all our boxes, but some big issues are looming in the stylus world…
We’re guessing that those clever stylus designers at Adonit are regular ImagineFX readers. The Jot Script – which we reviewed in issue 106 – dropped the weird transparent disc of its predecessor, but its lack of pressure sensitivity was a bit of a letdown. The company’s latest stylus, the Jot Touch with Pixelpoint, includes the Script’s precision tip as well as 2,048 levels of pressure sensitivity, both of which should please digital artists.
As with all of Adonit’s styluses, the Jot Touch with Pixelpoint feels solid and weighty. Furthermore, it’s wellbalanced and comfortable to hold, thanks to its rubberised grip. It works with any touchscreen device when it’s turned off, but you can tune it into your iPad via Bluetooth to enable pressure sensitivity and tie useful features such as Undo to its two buttons.
Adonit states that the Jot Touch’s battery will last 11 hours after a charge, and we found this to be about right, although we tested the device over several sessions, rather than during a solid 11-hour painting stint. It charges via USB as opposed to the Jot Script’s single AAA battery, so it might be worth investing in a power bank if you’re going to be away from a socket for a long time.
It works as you’d expect, delivering accurate brush marks and a smooth ink flow. Lag is still a bit of an issue, but it’s no deal-breaker. A bigger problem, however, are diagonal lines. Draw one slowly and it quivers a little, giving you a slightly wavy line rather than a straight one. This might be fixable in an update, but it’s rather annoying.
The other problem – and this is likely to affect the entire industry and not just Adonit – is that Apple has filed patents for its own stylus, which could be released alongside the next generation of iPads. This would make the case for purchasing a third-party stylus less compelling, especially if Apple’s stylus includes pressure sensitivity. While the Jot Touch ticks all our boxes it could soon feel like, well, a box-ticking exercise. Are you reading, Adonit?