LITTLE ROCK — I’m rolling though the inventory again this week, and this time I pulled out two products that never really rang bells for me in the past. I was curious to see if any improvements had been made.
The first items are for anyone who has trouble with touch-screens, or who just needs a really good pen.
Zebra Pen Corp. knows a thing or two about making pens. They have several lines of ballpoint, roller and steel pens, as well as highlighters and mechanical pencils. Now, they have added stylus pens to their repertoire.
Zebra provided two of their Zebra StylusPen models- the 1.0mm medium-point advanced black ink pen and the 0.7mm fine point black ink pen.
The medium point is a black pen with metal trim around the cap and stylus tip and a strong metal clip. The cap slides easily over the stylus tip for when you need to use the pen. The pen, incidentally, writes smoothly.
The same goes for the fine-tip pen. It writes very smoothly with a thin, smooth flow of ink. The brushed-steel exterior feels nice n the hand. Like the rest of the pen, the stylus tip is thin.
The key to these pens are the stylus tips, which are round rubber bumps on the bottom of the pen. The stylus flattens when pressed against the touch-screen of a phone or tablet, simulating a finger.
I found that the thinner stylus was much more responsive on both tablet and phone touch screens. The fine point stylus is made to be more precise. Zebra even suggests it be used for things like sketching on smart phones. It certainly can do the job, but not perfectly. It does miss once in a while.
I had less success with the medium-point pen’s stylus. The rubber tip is slightly wider than the fine point. I don't know if that’s confusing to the tablet or phone, but neither responded as well to this stylus as to the fine one. It works, but you really have to keep an eye on your typing.
These pens are nice, and if you prefer a stylus, they do the job. I do recommend the fine point over the medium. It does a better job, for sure. Still, neither of these can beat fingers for touch-screen response.
Finally, I tried out the latest forms of protection for the iPhone 5 from Hammerhead Cases.
The last cases I had seen from Hammerhead were for the iPad, and they got a high grade. The cases offered great protection while being stylish and functional. I wasn’t sure what to expect from these new cases, though.
The cases are the Hammerhead Bumper for iPhone 5. For those that don’t know, a bumper is a case that just goes around the edge of the phone. It offers nothing to cover the screen or the back of the phone.
These bumpers come in several colors. The two I got from Hammerhead came in purple and white and green and black.
In general, I’m not a fan of bumper cases. I’m totally paranoid when it comes to protecting my phone - and for good reason. Namely, I’m a klutz and phones cost a lot to replace. So I wasn’t sure I would like these much.
As it turns out, they’re pretty nice, as bumpers go.
The bumper includes metal buttons that cover the phone’s power and volume buttons. Every other button and port is accessed through cutouts on the bumper.
It provides good protection for the main buttons, but nothing for the charging port, microphone or speakers.
The bumper does have a nice design that makes it better than other bumpers I’ve seen. While others are just plastic, the Hammerhead combines plastic with rubber edging.
This is good for several reasons. The rubber hugs the phone tighter, keeping dust and dirt from getting under the bumper. The rubber also provides some shock absorption should the phone be dropped. In addition, the rubber sits slightly higher than the front or back of the phone. So if the phone is dropped face down or up, the rubber is what makes contact, rather than the glass of the phone. That’s more protection than I expected.
I have to admit, I like the look of these bumpers. The purple and white blends well with a white iPhone, so it’s hard to tell anything is there. And, the plastic and rubber on the sides of the phone provide an easy grip.
The rubber also provides flexibility to the bumper, making it easy to put on or take off.
Bumpers may not offer enough protection for my clumsiness, but for those that want to show off their phone, the Hammerhead bumper is the way to go.
It has more to offer than most bumpers, and it does so in a stylish way. I may be paranoid, but I may go with this bumper for a while. It does look really nice on the phone.
These products definitely improve on what I’ve seen in the past. I can’t say I'm totally convinced, but I'm getting there.
Melissa L. Jones can be reached via e-mail at [email protected].
Where it’s @
The Zebra StylusPen works with smartphone and tablet devices and retails for $8.99. The Hammerhead Bumper for iPhone 5 requires an iPhone 5. The product retails for $12.99. More information on the bumper is available at www.hammerheadcase.com CQ. The web site for Zebra is www.zebrapen.com CQ. However, information on the StylusPen line is available on retailer web sites.
Business, Pages 19 on 02/25/2013