[michail71]

So there are many complaints about the 1520 not coming with a pen but would one be of much use right now? It seems like there would need to be software support for this and I don't see that it's built into WP now.

Given this and no multitasking enhancements or resolution enhancements it seems like we should classify this as a giant phone and not a phablet.

[DBDev]

I think it should be great for OneNote on that big screen

[michail71]

I could see there are a few apps out there that could take advantage of a pen but I don't think there are many as of yet. A system wide input would be needed.

I'd always use a keyboard myself as I think I've lost the ability to write efficiently without a qwerty keyboard. It might be good for doodles, photo editing, etc.

[webdave]

Given this and no multitasking enhancements or resolution enhancements it seems like we should classify this as a giant phone and not a phablet.

The iPad doesn't have multitasking or a pressure sensitive stylus either. It's still a tablet.

[michail71]

Good point.

[MichaelBanning]

I'm glad I'm not the only one caught off guard by the massive amount of angry complaints about the lack of stylus support I've seen. Is this the 90's? Does this phone have a place to plug in my 56k interwebs? Can I play Hanson and the Spice Girls on this?

[leo74]

I had a few devices with stylus (oh the good old Palm Pilot and Compaq PDA days) and the first thing I ALWAYS lost was the stylus. I also had phones with a stylus - lost it within a few days.... I agree that the large screen would offer itself for handwritten notes, but I rather use the keyboard for note taking or record a quick voice memo... after all, this is the 21st century ... I for once am glad that I will not have to stare at an empty stylus slot after a few days on this phone :)

[jonathan sink]

I'm in agreement I see more need for keyboard then stylus. That said having more options to me is better then less options. So hopefully sometime soon this will be available for those who disagree with us.

[MichaelBanning]

I mean my case is coming WITH a stylus, which I'd prefer over having it as part of the phone. I just hate how people on other sites are using the lack of a stylus to lower their review scores for the phone or to otherwise insult it in comments. Ugh. Infuriating.

Wait, this phone doesn't have a CORD that plugs into the wall?!?! What about a ROTARY DIAL?!?! Does it at least have an ANTENNA?!?!?! Idiots. Shut up and by a stylus so you can use it for your 3 gimmick apps, a-holes.

[Citizen X]

Given this and no multitasking enhancements or resolution enhancements it seems like we should classify this as a giant phone and not a phablet.

Are you planning on throwing the phone away after three or four months? Windows Phone 8.1 is expected to debut in February and bring a bunch of enhancements. Why not wait and see? I'm still on contract so by the time I am ready to buy 8.1 will be hear along with at least a couple of new Nokia phones. Who knows maybe by then the 1520 will have PMA built in.

To answer your question some people really like having a stylus but a lot of people have no real use for it. The problem is people keep screaming for features. Well the 1520 has a nice form factor for what it is and in the US it is being sold dirt cheap. Right now you can go into at&t and pay $99 for one. You can even bundle it with a 2520 and get everything for $300 out the door. I don't know if the smartphone trade in works with that as well. If so then you would be looking at $200 total for all that.

You can't get to those kinds of price points without removing some memory and forgoing a stylus. I prefer cheap without a stylus.

[GSOgymrat]

I am sure there are artistic people who would use a stylus but I know I would never use one. There was a lady at Best Buy demonstrating the pen on the Galaxy Note 3 and I'm thinking 1) pull out pen, 2) press button on pen, 3) hover pen over screen, 4)... um, what was I trying to do again?

[FinancialP]

Given this and no multitasking enhancements or resolution enhancements it seems like we should classify this as a giant phone and not a phablet.

It's not a phablet.

Phablet = phone + tablet

Phablets can run tablet apps. Ex. Galaxy Note. Windows Phone has no tablet apps(at the moment).


This is just a giant phone.

The iPad doesn't have multitasking or a pressure sensitive stylus either. It's still a tablet.

It runs tablet apps right?

[DalekSnare]

OneNote needs to support it and the OS needs to support Wacom. Then Nokia could make a Note competitor.

[ArthJar]

Given this and no multitasking enhancements or resolution enhancements it seems like we should classify this as a giant phone and not a phablet.

Given this then the iPad is just a giant iPod Touch.

[FinancialP]

Given this then the iPad is just a giant iPod Touch.

I think 99% of the world agreed with you before the iPAD originally launched.

Remember all of the jokes on how it would flop and all of the iPad photos(other pad wink wink).

[stylusshop]

Hmm Point to be notice.. I think we should use stylus pens.. as they are more precise, easy to use, protect screen from scratches...

[Kebero]

Tablet, before anything else, is a form factor. It is not a reference to specific application or operating system architecture. I believe a lot of the problems with public understanding of this is the fault of both Apple and Google. They have positioned "tablet" as something more than just a form factor. It's similar to how Apple relegated the stylus to the status of "legacy accessory" with the iPhone.

Yes, there are people who need styli. You'll find that 90% of them prefer active styli powered by Wacom.
Yes, there are tablets that don't have styli, and there is a market for those, as well.
No, there is no such thing as a "tablet application."


To address the actual question of the thread, Windows Phone does not have any ability to use a stylus in the manner that devices with active digitizers do. There may be cases where one comes in handy (e.g. I use 2X for RDP connections to my office terminal server, and could use the stylus in place of the virtual mouse), but it's not something on which to hinge a review of the 1520.

[ronr9286t]

I just picked up my 1520 yesterday, and so far, I'm thrilled with it. Having said that, I've used convertible notebooks with Wacom digitizers for years, and inking in OneNote is a really useful tool for me in my work (client interviews in consulting projects). I take notes all day and then transcribe the notes at night in my hotel room, all in OneNote. I concluded that the tablets were too heavy for all-day use, so I tried the Galaxy Note phone (original one). Too small for note-taking and I so HATED Android for a phone. The the recently released pen-enabled 8' Windows tablets were not then available, so I've been using a Galaxy Note 8.0 for the past year. I'd still be using it if I could ink in the Android version of OneNote.

My current strategy is to use paper for note-taking, and at the end of the day use the 1520 to snap a photo of my note, paste into OneNote on my laptop, and then transcribe.

A Wacom screen and stylus definitely have their uses, but for me, I'm going back to paper and enjoying the goodness of my 1520 as it is.

Ron

[ragingklu]

I didn't miss my S-Pen when I ditched either of my Notes. There were some neat features baked in, especially on the GN3. Actually, I ditched the S-Pen (not physically) on my Note 2 before getting rid of the phone, as you had to stick with the TW launcher in order to keep all that functionality, and every ROM I wanted was not TW based.

I used it sometimes on the Note 3 but did not really give it the proper seat time to be able to use it as efficiently as intended. Some people do care about the stylus, depend on it for many of their tasks, and love it. MOST of the other Note users I've spoken to about it are in the same mindset as I am.

I also can't believe how badly the 1520 gets dinged in reviews for the lack of a stylus. They write as if the vast majority of phablet users really care that much about the S-Pen. They don't. Not once have I been left wanting a stylus for anything I've done on the 1520, but that's going to be a very subjective topic.

[husslord]

I loved my note 2 but never used it....it seemed more of a gimmick of something to show off to friends...plus my hand writing is horrid. With the windows operating system I don't see much use for it, especially with the steady keyboard! I also can't stand the reviews and people wanting two apps opened at once.....thats why we can now just multitask another pointless feature imo but that's just me

[maverick786us]

I am planning to buy a Lumia 1520 for my dad. He is not a technical enthusiastic like me, therefore typing using the onscreen keyboard is something that he always find hard.

Can someone suggest me a good stylus and an application, using which, anything that he writes, using the stylus, turns into digital? Something similar, that we have in Surface Pro 3 and Note 3?