Closing the Business

As of today, we are no longer producing or selling the oStylus. It's been a great few years. We started this blog January 6, 2011, which means we have been with this project for over four years. But now it's time to stop.

My background and skills are in jewellery design and fabrication, not your usual main street jewellery, but contemporary work in alternative and traditional materials. It was this experience and skill that led me into designing the original oStylus, even before the first iPad was launched. I had seen the need for an accurate stylus for creative people to use when  drawing on the iPhone, but it ended up being a perfect fit for the iPad.

We never intended to make this a mega-business, more like a cottage industry, but we worked out the intricacies of designing for machine tools and got parts produced in Ontario, had them shipped to our studio, and assembled and finished them here by hand. I had a lot of help and advice from those with experience in the manufacturing field, particularly here in Owen Sound.

From the moment we started production we had serious demand and it was hard to keep up with that demand. Part of the reason for that was because we were early innovators onto the stylus scene and tablets were fast becoming big news. But because we insisted on quality and hand finishing, and we refused to go offshore for parts production, our prices stayed high. and demand slowly fell off.

In  March 2012 we introduced another design, the oStylus DOT, and we had another spike in demand. But it too has slowed down. We attribute this to two things: the use of Bluetooth in highly accurate styluses with a price not much more than the oStylus, and the generally very low cost of most other mechanical styluses.

Dragonfly Pendant, Sterling Silver

For those of you that own an oStylus let me say thank you. For those who might still want one, email me and we'll see if we have any left. Meanwhile I can now devote more time to my jewellery making. If you would like to see the sort of work we do, check us out at Goss Design Studio.

Price Cuts

Today we have cut the prices by $10.00 on both oStylus models. Now the original oStylus is $29 and the DOT is $28.

One other note: if you need a replacement tip on either model, we can send those to you at a cost of $5, including postage (air letter).

Temporary Closing Soon

If you want to buy an oStylus, our web site is just about the only place you can buy one. And if you want to buy one soon, now is the time to do it. We are temporarily closing our operation down at the beginning of April, 2013, for six to eight weeks. The regular order pages on our website will have notices posted about the closure. http://ostylus.com/order.html So this is a heads up.

During the shutdown you can request to be placed on an email list, so that we can notify you when we return to regular operations. In the meantime you have about a week or so to place an order.

Simple Is Better

Perfume dispenser?

Recently we received this in our email from a Chinese manufacturer:
"Many  new kinds of stylus pen were released currently . Every design with unique feature in color or structure , such as the pen with perfume sprayer  ,stylus with pen and bottle opener,stylus with SIM card pin etc .Attached include relative picture and price . Samples are available !"

It was reassuring, in a way, to have this perspective on our own two oStylus models - the original oStylus and the oStylus DOT. They have one - and only one - simple purpose: to make interaction with an iPad easier and more accurate. We don't think you really want a perfume sprayer built into your stylus. And why would you need a bottle opener while working on an iPad? Don't even ask.

oStylus DOT

In design, simple is always better. Focus on one thing and do it well.

Pricing

We have recently changed the pricing on the oStylus. It's not much of an increase – 50¢ for the DOT or 1.50 for the Original – but the stylus now includes a new pen clip with either model. The original oStylus is now 39 USD, and the newer oStylus DOT 38 USD.

ostylus.com/order.html

But the good news is that if you now order two styluses (one of each or two of one model), we'll knock 5 USD off the total price. Shipping costs remain the same, but don't forget that you only pay one shipping rate no matter how many styluses you order. This makes it worthwhile for you to order for a group of friends or co-workers.

The Latest Changes

For the last couple of months we have been selling the oStylus DOT with a few changes from the original design, so we thought we would share what those changes are. In another blog entry we mentioned how our small size means we can change, adapt and respond very quickly. These are concrete examples of how that works.

The current oStylus DOT model

The DOT is now one inch shorter. It's now 5 3/8" (13.5 cm). We had many requests from early users to shorten the stylus so that it fits easily in a shirt pocket. Connected to this idea was the addition of an optional clip for the stylus. We have found a very simple design to complement the aesthetic of the stylus. The clip is chrome-plated steel.

Clip for the oStylus DOT and the original oStylus

On the invisible, or not so visible side, the contact pad has some minor changes. The hole for the titanium wires is now dead-ended (as compared to drilled right through). This prevents any chance of slipping sideways on the wires, and also improves the rotation of the contact pad. The chamfer (or bevel) on the underside has been increased slightly to lower any chance of catching an edge. We have also increased the size of the vinyl pad slightly so it covers the steel more completely. These are all little things, but they mean that the DOT is continually improving.

Reviews and Feedback

We always welcome reviews and feedback for the oStylus, either model. Lots of authors and film directors swear they never read reviews – and you can see why. If you have spent a year or more working and editing a novel, or directing a movie with a million dollar budget, you have fixed the final product forever in stone and the thought of correcting or tweaking it would be a nightmare.

But not so with the oStylus. We are, as we have said before, a very small design business. Our background is in jewellery making, so we have the tools and technology to make almost anything in metal, build a prototype, try it out, listen to criticism, make an adjustment, and do another short run. In short, we think reviews and feedback are critical to the development of a tool. For example, we heard from a few people that they were a bit nervous about seeing some steel showing around the edges of the vinyl contact. So we made the vinyl contact a tiny bit bigger. We also heard that a pen clip would be a good idea. We didn't like changing our minimalist design, but "the customer is always right," so we sourced a simple design that fits the narrow handles and looks good, and now we include one in the package to use if you like.

Recently we heard from a customer who bought both the original model oStylus and the new oStylus DOT. We asked them if they would take the time to compare the two models. And the response made it all worthwhile. They were kind enough to allows us to reprint their impressions:

"I've had some time over the weekend to try them out, and I am very pleased. It is clear that you have honed them both to pull the maximum possible out of the Apple devices. I feel that I have purchased the best possible stylus tools, and I am glad that I ordered both. The original oStylus is a unique offering. It is ideal for close detail work, especially tracing around objects or filling in shapes. The new dot model is great for handwriting and freehand sketching. Also, on the iPhone's smaller screen, the dot model allows you to write very close to the edge of the screen. So, again, I'm glad I got both tools since the combination allows one to address the whole spectrum of writing and drawing needs. So, thanks very much for some great tools." *  

 So let us know what you think, how we can do better. You might even find one of your suggested improvements** incorporated in the next oStylus.

*Thanks to S.C. in Virginia.
**Sorry, no financial compensation...

Unique Textures

I've been experimenting with some random acid-etched textures on the aluminum handles of the oStylus DOTs. It gives a bit of a depth to the surface to hold on to, but more importantly, each of these DOTs is completely different from any other – one-of-a-kinds you might say.

Two sample etched oStylus DOTs

The darker areas are recessed, and that dark grey colour comes from the etching process. The handles are then anodized and hot-sealed, the same process as the production models.

Detail of two textured handles

If you are interested in these variations, they are $75. Send me an email and I can send you images of what I have available. The picture shows two that have optional pen clips. agoss(at)oStylus(dot)com

oStylus DOT Launches

After many months of work, the new oStylus DOT is ready. You can check it out on our website at http://oStylus.com, or see it in action in this video.


We are now offering two designs of stylus for capacitive touchscreen devices. Our original oStylus, introduced 18 months ago, was designed primarily as a drawing and painting tool for the iPad and other tablets. The new oStylus DOT is designed primarily as a writing and note-taking tool, but also handles other applications with ease. See our March 8 blog post for more details.

Touchscreen Delay

One of the things we can't control in stylus design is delay or latency in touchscreen systems. Several customers have emailed us saying they thought the drawing point for a stylus should always be right in the centre of the contact area. Unfortunately there is a delay between the actual touch and the appearance of the line on the touchscreen device, particularly apparent when drawing a line quickly.

Microsoft has been researching how significant this is. They have found that with today's touchscreens there is about a 100 millisecond (ms) lag. This happens whether we use a finger or a stylus, and is noticeable when we are quickly sketching curved or zigzag lines – the line appears a few millimeters behind the centre point of the finger or stylus.

Here is the video Microsoft Research posted:
http://youtu.be/vOvQCPLkPt4

They demonstrate in the video that a delay of 1 ms would be ideal. The human eye cannot detect that small a lag, and at that point you "feel like ink is coming from your finger" – a real physical connection with the screen. Unfortunately they estimate this technology may be as much as 10 years away. Until then we have to either put up with the delay, or simply slow down our drawing.

New "DOT" Design for oStylus

We have been working for several months now refining a new and alternate design for a stylus for touchscreen devices. It's called the oStylus DOT. That's DOT as in "dot", because it has a small round contact pad that slides across the screen.

The original oStylus was developed primarily for drawing and painting on tablets such as the iPad. We were thinking about artists and graphic designers who wanted more accuracy and more visibility of the screen than their finger would allow. But we found that a lot of people were primarily interested in note-taking and handwriting on their tablets. Some of the feedback we got suggested that even though the oStylus allowed you to see through it for more accurate placement of a line, it was a bit big, and a bit awkward for writing with.

So this is what we have come up with. The oStylus DOT is designed primarily for handwriting and note-taking. It has the smallest possible contact pad -- hinged to give you a comfortable hand position. The combination of the small contact size (6 mm) and wire hinge connection means you have an excellent view of the screen compared to your finger or other styluses. The oStylus DOT complements the original oStylus which was primarily designed for drawing and painting Apps. Both are hand-assembled and finished in our studio from aluminum for the handles and stainless steel for the contact pads, with a vinyl surface for smooth contact with the screen. More information will be posted on the website oStylus.com,  where you can ask to be notified when they are available.

Two Things

We have registered oStylus.ca as a domain name. It redirects to oStylus.com – as a Canadian business we thought we should claim the name to avoid any future confusion. Our domain name registrar also convinced us that .CA names are very cool, and worthy of trust. Perhaps the economic crisis and the stability of Canadian banks is having a spill-over effect?

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We have now sold oStyluses pretty well all over the world but we are not selling them in retail outlets. Our parts manufacturing costs plus our own labour to assemble and finish by hand simply mean we can't afford to do that. Our web site (and Etsy.com as a new experiment and one hometown outlet) remain the only way to order online. I know it seems like a contradiction that we work on Apple computers and use iPads and iPods, all of them made in China, but we are not willing to go offshore and have these manufactured. As craft jewellers we see ourselves like a cottage industry, having strict control over aesthetics, finish, quality and customer satisfaction. Our main market continues to be the United States, but the United Kingdom, Japan, Italy and Germany are close behind. Then there's Australia, Canada, France, Spain, Sweden, Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Denmark, Greece, Brazil... and countless more.

Two details... shipping, California

1. We are back at work and our postal system is functioning once again.

2. While the postal disruption was on, and for a short time afterwards, we spent two weeks in California enjoying wonderful hospitality in Idyllwild (at the Idyllwild Arts Academy), Santa Barbara and San Francisco.

Postal Shutdown in Canada

After a few days of a rotating postal strike in Canada, Canada Post shut the whole system down. I'm not taking sides on any of the issues in the dispute, but would like to make a plea on behalf of small businesses in this country that depend on postal services. Basically all our styluses are shipped out with Canada Post. Private shipping companies charge as much as three times the postal rates, so it's not an option.

In the meantime we had planned a vacation shutdown starting June 22  -- so all our shipping process would have been shut down anyway until July 8th. As of today, there is a government back-to-work order being debated in our federal Parliament. To be optimistic,  the postal dispute should be resolved before we return to fill the orders on our waiting list.

Our apologies to those of you who are patiently waiting for an oStylus.

Design Variation 3

We have changed the design of the oStylus very slightly. A few weeks ago we changed the contact pad upper surface to eliminate the cross-hair line on the circle. We agree that the engraved line looked very cool, but it didn't help with accuracy. The line inferred that the stylus was as precise as the crosshair. Software controlling how the line is drawn in the screen means that at different areas of a touchscreen the point of contact shifted slightly within the circle - so the crosshair wasn't consistent. We think screen software is coded to compensate for where you "think" the middle of your finger is touching.

Up to this point we have been engraving the word oStylus on the handle near the contact pad end. We have now designed the handle with a flat area at the tip. This enables us to strike the word "oStylus" using a steel punch into that flat area for a more permanent and clearer trademark.

The third minor change has been to the vinyl contact film. Originally we were using a plain white, but we wanted it a little bit thicker. We were able to find a thicker film, and it is also light reflective - if you ever need to find your oStylus in the dark! This is the same film that is used on vehicles for advertising graphics, so is very tough and long-lasting. We still include a couple of spares in the box in case if you ever need them.

We have also had requests for some sort of container or pouch to keep the oStylus in, for example when you want to throw it into a backpack, or just to protect it on a desk. We hope to have a solution for you in a few weeks.