Where do you store the Surface Pro pen?

Kueller

Supreme [H]ardness
Joined
Jun 19, 2001
Messages
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So I've had this Surface Pro for less than a week and I've already misplaced the pen half a dozen times. Attaching the pen to the charging port on the tablet is one of the most ill conceived design choices I've encountered.

You want to charge your 4hr battery life tablet? Great, just detach the pen from the charging port, put it down somewhere, walk away, and forget about it.
Would it have been that difficult to put a magnetized indentation on the top of the Surface Pro where the pen could dock even when you wanted to charge the device?

Microsoft didn't see the need to change the pen dock point with the Surface Pro 2 like they did with the kickstand, so there must be some trick I'm missing here that makes the pen something other than a PITA to keep track of.
 
I have a stylus for my (Android) tablet. The case I bought, which is made for it, has an elastic loop for holding a pen/stylus. Inelegant, but functional and totally handy.
 
Well I decided to try solving the problem myself.
Ghetto mod incoming:
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It holds the pen at least...Does anyone know how to open one of these pens? I'd like to put some magnets inside the pen and mount a small magnet along the top edge of the surface where my ghetto clip is currently attached.

I'm thinking one of these in the Surface and then some tiny cubes in the pen.
http://www.kjmagnetics.com/proddetail.asp?prod=BC14-N52
 
I think the alternative from a design point would have been to go with a thinner pen that fits into the housing. On the other hand though that would be likely less ergonomically and conformable compared to the current thick pen.

The magnet port for the covers is actually a lot stronger, you could use that for the pen if do not have a cover attached.
 
Well I decided to try solving the problem myself.
Ghetto mod incoming:

I was far less impressed with your ingenuity after I saw the second picture. At first I had thought you just stuck the stylus through a packing peanut and let static electricity hold it to the screen. That would have been a clever joke.
 
I have a stylus for my (Android) tablet. The case I bought, which is made for it, has an elastic loop for holding a pen/stylus. Inelegant, but functional and totally handy.

Most of the Dell Venue 8 Pro cases use this solution and it works well.

Would have been nice to have an internal silo for the pen, the Surface Pros do seem to have some room for one but it might look easier than it is.
 
An internal "silo" for the pen should have been standard, if it made the surface pro thicker so be it fill the extra space with battery. This is just one of those little things that kills what could have been a really great device.

That said it seems to me that most after market cases should have a pen holder.

Every day I see MS screwing up like this I realize how easy its going to be for Google to invade the laptop / desktop space.
 
An internal "silo" for the pen should have been standard, if it made the surface pro thicker so be it fill the extra space with battery. This is just one of those little things that kills what could have been a really great device.

That said it seems to me that most after market cases should have a pen holder.

Every day I see MS screwing up like this I realize how easy its going to be for Google to invade the laptop / desktop space.

It's not so simple, you can't just make a tablet thicker because thickness is a very big parameter that is used to judge tablets, and at a .5", the Surface Pros are already pushing what is acceptable to a lot of folks as far as tablet thickness goes. And as for Google invading the laptop/desktop market, I bet the Surface Pros have done a hell of a lot better than the overpriced Pixel.
 
Most of the Dell Venue 8 Pro cases use this solution and it works well.

Would have been nice to have an internal silo for the pen, the Surface Pros do seem to have some room for one but it might look easier than it is.

This. I have the Infiland case since it was a decent bundle of case, otg cable and keyboard. Plus my old pen while waiting for Dell to re-release an active pen has a clip so you can plug it into the headphone jack.
 
I stashed mine away never to use again. I have a note 3 and use that stylus on my surface. Works great and has its own spot in my note.
However, the calibration sucks!!!! The stylus that comes with the surface is totally terrible. It only works if I write at a 90degree angle. I feel the stylus input on this tablet is terrible.
I use my note 3 and stylus throughout the day, every day. It has completely replaced my need for paper and pen. I use an app called Papyrus. I used the note 3 pen to draw a line between 2 dots and it connects perfectly. I use the surface stylus, holding it the way I would hold a pen, and it is at least a centimeter off.
 
Adding more thickness via a case just to hold the pen for the sumo wrestler of tablets is not a viable solution.
 
Adding more thickness via a case just to hold the pen for the sumo wrestler of tablets is not a viable solution.

Gee, I'm only trying to help with a suggestion of what I did because YOU ASKED.

If you are so concerned with not considering a very neat and well made protective case, to the point you have resorted to bubble gum getto mod sticking a clip on the thing, you should probably either just put the pen where it is made to go, right smack on the side of the tablet, or trade it in and buy a less useful toy, like an ipad, that doesn't have a pen to worry about losing.
 
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