GADGETS: FiftyThree Pencil: Supercharged iPad stylus arrives in the UK!

While a stylus isn’t an essential piece of kit for YOUR iPad, for the more artistic among you, it could make all the difference when it comes to making your NEXT digital masterpiece. Design studio FiftyThree has now announced that its Bluetooth-connected iPad stylus, known as the Pencil, is now on the way to UK shores and it could put your iPad on equal footing with Microsoft’s brilliant Surface Pro stylus too! READ ON for all the details!

Previously, FiftyThree’s Pencil stylus has only been AVAILABLE in the US, but now you can finally snap one up in the UK to sling in your bag. The stylus itself is actually a companion to FiftyThree’s brilliant doodling and note taking Paper app, which has been named as one of Apple’s iPad apps of the year. The stylus works by pairing up with your iPad using Bluetooth LOW ENERGY, and then disables any accidental input from other touches, such as from your palm when you’re drawing on your tablet.

Getting started with it is simple, as all you need to do is charge up the stylus for 90 minutes (which then gives you a month’s worth of battery), and then pair it with your iPad by justholding the tip of the Pencil to the logo in the app’s palette, syncing up in just seconds. The app also knows automatically whether your finger or pencil is touching the page, and there’s also a built-in eraser at the top of the stylus that lets you erase any mistakes with just a quick rotation of your Pencil.

Pencil does work like a regular stylus with other apps too, but it really shines when it’s paired up with your iPad and you’re using the Paper app, and there’s more IN STORE for the app-and-stylus combo when iOS 8 rolls around, such as surface pressure. If you’re interested in the Pencil, you can grab it today from Amazon for £49.99 for the Graphite version or for £64.99 for the Walnut edition. We’ve currently got our hands on a Pencil at the moment, so keep your eyes peeled for a full review of the Pencil stylus.