Pogo Connect by Ten One Designs Helps Bring Pressure Sensitivity to the iPad

Pogo Connect by Ten One is a pressure sensitive stylus.

I have been using sketching apps on the iPad for a year now and I have tried range of art apps and styluses alike, but I have been unable to fully reproduce the experience of sketching with a brush to the iPad until now. Today I will review Pogo Connect by Ten One Designs, a Bluetooth enabled stylus that uses Ten One Designs patent pending Crescendo Sensor to pick up changes in pressure which allow different apps vary the thickness of your line.

Pogo is easy to set up, but each app has its own unique way of connecting to the Pogo Connect and not all apps do a great job of registering the pressure changes. So far I have tried the Pogo Connect using ProCreate, Sketchbook Pro, Sketch Club, Zen Brush and Inkist with varying degrees of success. Up to this point I have had the best luck with ProCreate, Zen Brush and Sketch Club (in that order), but I had trouble varying the line quality with Sketchbook Pro and Inkist. Pogo Connect can also be used with animation apps FlipBook, Flipink and Animation Desk and writing apps like Noteshelf and smartnote to name a few. Ten One Design has created a list of apps that currently support Pogo Connect as well as a list of "coming soon" apps that will be added later. Make sure you check the list of apps and see how each app supports the Pogo Connect. Most apps will work with the iPad 3 and 4, but they do not work with the iPad 1 and 2. Other apps support all iPads, but there are a few that does not support the iPad 1 and 2.

Pogo Connect looks like  a standard stylus and shares the same metallic look of the iPad itself, but is very light and easy to hold. The Pogo Connect runs on a single AAA battery and the website boasts that the pen can run for months without needing a replacement. To connect the Pogo Connect with a specific app you must activate the Bluetooth under the setting found on the iPad, press down on the button on the handle until a blue light comes on, the light will blink and when it turns off it has generally connected with the app you are using. You will have to go into the apps settings, find styluses and look for Pogo Connect to activate it. Once you have found Pogo Connect follow the directions in the app (usually requires you to turn it on in the app so the iPad will search for it) and when the blue button stops blinking it has synced with the app and is ready to use..

Pogo Connect's button can undo your last mark.

The back button on the Pogo Connect is not just a button to connect the Pogo to the app, but serves a
second function as a back button allowing you to undo your last mark. You can keep clicking the button until the apps' history has run out and it won't allow you to undo anymore. I have ready that some users find the button a little annoying because it is easy to hit and accidentally undo your work one click at a time. I have not run into this problem myself, but knowing that this could happen in advance has made me more aware of what the button can do so I can avoid clicking it.

Pogo Connect's rubber tip does need to get replaced from time to time, about every 4-6 months, but replacements can be purchased from Ten One Design's website. Now you could pay $79.95 on Ten One Design's website or pay a little less on Amazon ($65.00), but I found that Amazon does sell open package items option where you can purchase an opened Pogo Connect for around $35.00. The cost of the open-box Pogo Connect is about the same price as the Adonit Jot Pro or the PenGo BrushPen. Even though I really liked both the Adonit Jot Pro and the PenGo BrushPen the Pogo Connect's ability to sense presser is a real game changer for me. If you are a serious artist the ability to apply pressure to your make is a big deal and than the Pogo Connect is well worth the money.

Pros and Cons for Pogo Connect by Ten One Designs...

Pros

1. Senses pressure when making marks in a wide range of creative apps... Nuff Said!
2. Works with a wide range of creative apps
3. Light weight and long battery life
4. The back button to undo marks comes in handy while working.

Cons

1. The cost of a brand new pen is higher than most people (poor artists) are will to spend, but well worth the cost in my opinion.

I come back and update my review in a month or two and let you know how it is holding up. Right now I have only had it a few days, but so far it is pretty amazing!

I give the Pogo Connect by Ten One Design...

5 of 5 stars