Stylus
A small, pen-like instrument used to "write" on a touch-screen device.
A stylus provides far more accuracy than could be achieved with a fingertip, and provides a familiar pen-like experience for inputting handwriting or drawing.
A stylus can be nothing more than a simple stick of plastic, except that its tip is specifically designed to not damage the screen.
While any stylus should work with a resistive-type touch screen, compatibility can be an issue with the more-common capacitive type of touch screen. Either the stylus must be designed for capacitive displays, or the display must have an extra sensor for a specific type of stylus.
More advanced styli may have one or more buttons, and some include tip-pressure and/or motion sensors. Some include Bluetooth so they can double as a remote control.
See: Touch Screen
Last updated Jan 26, 2024 by Rich Brome
Editor in Chief Rich became fascinated with cell phones in 1999, creating mobile web sites for phones with tiny black-and-white displays and obsessing over new phone models. Realizing a need for better info about phones, he started Phone Scoop in 2001, and has been helming the site ever since. Rich has spent two decades researching and covering every detail of the phone industry, traveling the world to tour factories, interview CEOs, and get every last spec and photo Phone Scoop readers have come to expect. As an industry veteran, Rich is a respected voice on phone technology of the past, present, and future.
