Update 1/18/01 - The Stylus breaks your Palm! I love this stylus, but the way that it inserts into the side of your Palm (Palm calls them the V's "rails") causes too much stress on the rails and will cause them to snap, rendering them useless. This may or may not affect your ability to use the Palm again (mine snapped, but didn't affect the rest of the V's structural integrity).

This is really a great stylus, but I just can't recommend it any more. It's really a shame.

***** My original review follows ******

Take out the 2nd mortgage and get this stylus...The clip of the dual action stylus slides into the side rails of the Palm V. Twist the stylus and the pen nib extends past the shark head stylus nib. Now you can write on paper using the pen. Twist the stylus back and you write on the Palm.

I've had my PalmPoint Dual Action Stylus since a month after I bought my Palm V (in May '99) and haven't regretted it. I use it as my primary stylus and my regular pen. Why?

Feel: The stylus feels more solid than the little stylus that comes with the Palm V. I found my handwriting improved so the Palm was more apt to recognize the writing. Note, the Dual Action stylus is shorter than most pens (it is the same length as the rail), and some people don't like that in a pen. I haven't found it a problem.

Mechanical Design: Excellent design greatly reduces the chance of wear. Because the pen only retracts and extends, you don't have the same problem as stylus where the pen and the stylus nibs both extend and retract. In other designs where both nibs extend and retract, you have a higher chance of failure. The clip fits firmly in the rail and locks in with little bumps.

Style: Hey, it really looks good with the Palm V. When the clip is inserted into the rail, the stylus fits neatly along the side of the Palm V.

Price: Ouch. Full retail is $40. Shop around on the web and you should be able to get it around $30.

Recommendation: Because the price is so high, go to a store that sells the stylus and try it out. For me, it was really worth the price, but you may not like the shortness of the pen.


Recommended: Yes