Improved USI pens coming soon: version 2 of the standard released
Introduction
The Universal Stylus Initiative adopted a standard for active pens and compatible devices in cooperation with several companies around 2016. Google is also on board, and many Chromebooks and Chromebook Tablets now support this standard. The range of corresponding pens has also grown over time.
Now version 2.0 of the successful standard has been adopted. [USI]
The Improvements
Pens that follow this standard can optionally enable the following features:
| Characteristic | Meaning |
| NFC wireless charging capability | Charge the pencil wirelessly like the Apple Pencil |
| Expanded tilt functionality | Better drawing possible (line width) |
| Upgraded color pallet from 256 to over 16 million colors | Also an improvement for drawing |
| Support for in-cell display panels | That increases the number of supported devices |
Using AAAA batteries is not loved by every person, and doing without them and being able to charge a pen wirelessly is a significant improvement. That will then be similar to the Apple Pencil or the HP Chromebook X2 11, where this already works similarly:
What does it mean? If you’re writing notes for a long time, this means you can just magnetically pin your pen to your Chromebook during breaks or afterward, and it will charge.
Unlike me, people who are good at drawing will be pleased with the enhanced tilt functionality and the increase in the color palette. The results in apps like Google Chrome Canvas or Sketchbook should be able to create even more beautiful drawings this way. Designers are also bound to be happy when using apps like Adobe Creative Cloud Express: Design, Canva, Desygner, and Infinite Design on Chrome OS.
These are great improvements! 😉
Let’s see when the first devices are available for this!
I’ve been using my Penoval Pen on my Lenovo Chromebook IdeaPad 10 tablet for quite a while now and am happy with it. However, since I travel a lot, it’s not much fun with the batteries. I’m excited about wireless charging, and you? 🙂
USI-Standard?
If you aren’t familiar with the USI standard, here is a brief overview of the features that active USI pens must have according to the Version 1 standard:
| Characteristic | Meaning |
| Compatible with any other USI compliant device | Chromebooks |
| 4096 levels of pressure sensitivity | Better drawing possible (line width) |
| Possess nine-axis inertia measurement | Different pen posture and movements are supported |
| Save ink color information and pen size on the stylus | |
| Two-way communication between device and stylus | Without Bluetooth and Drivers |
| Using the existing touch-tone technology | Present in almost any touch-screen device |
Words in italics may be registered trademarks or companies! Examples: Google, YouTube, and Android. Or they are technical terms from the IT world, which are described in various locations in the blog.
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