handwriting

Two 'handwriting' stories November 2015

Here’s how Apple Pencil beats other iPad styluses, and your best alternate picks

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As mentioned on an earlier Happy Hour podcast, I have a giant collection of iPad styluses, having tested dozens of them since the first iPad debuted in 2010. Earlier this week, my colleague Zac Hall reviewed the best (and most expensive) iPad stylus, Apple’s brand-new $99 Apple Pencil, which is hard to find in stores, and only works with the 12.9″ iPad Pro.

Since the Apple Pencil is two to six times as expensive as some other options, I wanted to spotlight its key strengths and weaknesses relative to rivals, all of which are more broadly compatible and readily available to purchase. During testing, I discovered that the Apple Pencil actually benefits from a surprising little Apple software cheat to make an ultra-fine first impression…

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Evernote for iOS adds sketching/handwriting in notes, iPad split-screen support

Evernote just announced an update to its iPhone and iPad apps that brings the ability to sketch in notes, which should make many users happy as the company points out the feature is one of its most-requested (and one it’s long had on Android).

Using your finger or a stylus like the Evernote edition of the Adonit Jot Script or Apple Pencil, users can now sketch inside of notes. And for users of the new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus with 3D Touch, the feature will allow you to “change the line weight just by adjusting your writing pressure.”

Sketches, like everything else, sync across platforms so you can view and continue to edit on another iOS or Android device. And the feature includes handwriting recognition, so you’ll be able to search for text you’ve written inside notes.

Here’s how you access the feature:
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