Stabilo SMARTball – A Ballpoint for the Smartphone generation

The new Stabilo SMARTball his been created with tech lovers in mind.

This latest offering from the experts in pens for the prolific writer, is more than just a writing instrument.  An innovative design that incorporates a stylus for use on touch screens, created using the abundance of experience gained in ergonomics through working with teachers, scientists & students.

The SMARTball is available for left & right handed users, they each have a black barrel sporting the company logo & there is a choice of orange, cyan (a turquoise blue) & kiwi or lilac features for lefties.  At approximately 15cm in length this is a standard sized pen. The splash of colour is introduced in the pocket clip section, which can be rotated a full 360° there is also a ring between the grip & nib section.  Choose between blue or black ink.

I am checking out a right handed Kiwi SMARTball, which I would call a lemony/lime shade.  The medium 0.5mm ballpoint writes a smooth line & can be refilled.  The characteristic grip section provides the comfort I would expect from Stabilo, & apparently has been said to aid the grip of those with arthritis,  something I am fortunate not to be able to comment on.

Moving on to the stylus, Stabilo claim it is a must have for all those with smart phones, iPads & kindles, I took it through its paces on an iPhone.

The tip is approximately 5mm in diameter, probably smaller than the average fingertip.  As with most things I have seen negative as well as positive comments, one of which is that a finger tip is more accurate.  I just can’t agree, when I’m in a hurry, without a stylus I often find myself touching letters either side of my intended choice.  In my experience texting at speed was definitely more accurate using the SMARTball, just my personal opinion you understand.  I didn’t find a lot of pressure was necessary, this was helpful for freehand writing & basic drawing.  On a few occasions I did need a second tap on icons for them to open, but it was certainly not the norm.

My conclusion is that the SMARTball could be a good choice for those that need to combine digital with analogue, good old fashioned writing or note taking with frequent touchscreen use, with the added bonus of a clean smudge free screen.