This review is going to be a bit heartbreaking to write for one simple reason: I love Evernote. DailyTekk practically runs on it—nearly all of my ideas for posts start within the app. I recently wrote a piece for ReadWrite called 10 Ways to Make Evernote Rock Harder which garnered over 7k social shares. Naturally I was excited to discover the new Evernote Market for physical products that enhance the Evernote app experience. As I got to browsing through the store one day I discovered what looked like the mother of all styli: the Adonit Jot Script Evernote Edition.
I think the official Market description is really what hooked me:
Those clunky, squishy-tipped styluses just didn’t do it for us. So we asked our friends at Adonit if they were game to build something specifically for the art of note taking. Enter the Jot Script Evernote Edition, the first true precision-point stylus that allows your handwriting to flow as freely as your thoughts.
So I ordered one. Well, I take that back—I requested a sample for review, first, to give it a try. Adonit actually didn’t have any to spare—even for a review on a tech blog—because the item was so popular. I was a bit disappointed, but this seemed to be a good sign. People wanted the stylus. So, I took the plunge and ordered myself one.
Big mistake. Like I said, I love Evernote but I absolutely hate—even loathe—the Adonit Jot Script Evernote Edition stylus. There’s no way I can recommend it for purchase.
I’ll keep this brief, but here’s my list of grievances:
- It feels cheap.
- It writes poorly.
- The palm rejection technology simply sucks.
- The sound of the stylus writing on the iPad is loud and distracting.
- It’s expensive.
- It’s top-heavy.
I expected such an expensive stylus ($74.99) to feel premium, but the opposite is true. I could probably forgive or overlook all other complaints if it wrote well, but it doesn’t. It’s slow and cumbersome (and to be fair, I haven’t yet found a stylus that isn’t). My palm does just as much writing as the stylus. I love the idea of a “non-squishy” tip but it is loud as all get out. If I can’t use it in a meeting, I might as well not own it. Since the battery fits in at the top the whole thing feels unbalanced.
This, unfortunately, is one stylus you should avoid like the plaque. If you are looking for alternatives, they can be found in our list of The 100 Best iPad Accessories.