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Comment by anonhacker | Hacker News Reader

I have the note and i would have to agree with the article. I don't think "scribble some notes on a screenshot" is supposed to be a typical use case, it is just one that will demonstrate the benefit of a stylus quickly.Having used the stylus for a while I definitely prefer it and tend to miss it on other devices.

The stylus does have some lag to it and you have to get used to not seeing your writing show up immediately. When you see your writing hasn't showed up yet you tend to stop or slow down which isn't necessary, just keep writing and trust it will show up. I know that sounds terrible but it's really not.

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I found it pretty terrible, but I didn't really commit to using the device, just played with it for awhile in the store.

Which is of course why the iPhone was so brilliant. Current stylus technology still can't create a paper-like, pleasant writing experience, while capacitive touchscreen technology can create a pretty good direct manipulation experience. People aren't going to commit to getting over the learning curve after the unpleasant in store experience just because of the theoretical advantages of the stylus.

Its not just the stylus technology: the screen themselves are glass. How often have you written on a glass? Maybe with a marker...

I'm used to the textured feel of paper and the pleasant friction b/w the pen and paper when writing on it. On glass, it just slips... However, I guess that's just something of a habit. Maybe for future generations, brought up with touchscreen enabled laptops, it will feel more natural.

It's not just habit, writing is just easier on paper. The texture of the paper does two things while you're writing: provide continuous feedback and provide resistance. Delicate movements are a little bit easier when you have some resistance to work against. That's why steering wheels these days still have a lot of push back, even though they're electronic and could be designed to turn much more easily. Moreover, the feel of the pen moving across the textured paper gives the body an additional source of information about which direction the pen is moving in and how fast. This allows for more precise control versus just depending on sight and proprioception.

> That's why steering wheels these days still have a lot of push back, even though they're electronic

I thought power steering was still hydraulic. Are you saying we have "fly by wire" cars?

Many popular cars have electric power steering (most new Toyotas, many Chevys, even some BMWs). A sensor monitors the position of the wheel and drives an electric motor to turn the wheels. They're not completely fly by wire, because the motor augments a traditional mechanical linkage, but that goes back to wanting to maintain the feel of mechanical steering (and also to provide redundancy).

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