Throttle

Gadgeteer Hands On Review by Julie

March 03, 1999

The Throttle stylus made by Tools is a new idea for an old concept. This is a dual action stylus with a ink pen, and a PDA stylus in one package. The Throttle is made of grey plastic (the same grey as the PalmPilot casing).   When the top red button is pressed in, it can be used as an ordinary ink pen, but when it is retracted, it is a stylus. The stylus can also be unscrewed like an ordinary pen to insert ink refills.

But what makes the Throttle unique is that it docks into the actual PalmPilot or Palm III case. The clip portion of the stylus slides into the PDA's stylus silo. I found that the Throttle fit better in my Palm III than my PalmPilot. It was a very tight fit in the PalmPilot and required quite a bit of pressure to remove it once it was fully inserted. It fit much easier into the Palm III but because the stylus silo is on the back of the casing, using the Throttle with a Palm III isn't that convenient.  I'm not sure how convenient this stylus would be with a PalmPilot for that matter. It seems like it tended to get in the way. I'd rather just put the stylus in my pocket than dock it in the PDA.   It also probably wouldn't be compatible with most playthru cases.

The tip of the stylus is made so that the ink pen tip can slide out under it. When I was first checking the stylus out, I ran my finger over the writing tip and found it a little rough to the touch. With closer inspection, I found that the plastic seam between the two halves of the stylus run through the tip. Writing with the stylus felt smooth on the screen but I would always keep the tip facing forward so that I wouldn't have the potential to scratch the screen. (see TTools rebuttle in the comment page of this review) The Throttle does have a nice thick barrel which makes it comfortable to hold.

Write while the tip in this direction. Not this way.

This is a neat idea for a stylus, but I'm not sure I'd ever really use it like it is intended. It makes an adequate standalone stylus / pen combo but would be much better if they fixed the seam problem. Since the price is so low, I'd say give it a try and see what you think...

Price: $9.98

Pros:
Inexpensive
Pen and stylus in one package

Cons:
Snug fit in my PalmPilot
Tip is rough... could have a potential to scratch display if held wrong while writing

For another viewpoint on the Throttle
read what the PalmGuru said ...