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Google signs deal with the Unified Stylus Initiative, a new stylus standard incoming?

By Mihail Nikolov

Published: Feb 02, 2018, 8:36 AM

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A video posted by USI, showing off their technology's potential

This week Google signed a deal for partnership with the Universal Stylus Initiative and the goal is already clear - develop a unified stylus standard, so you are able to use one pen on all of your devices.

Universal Stylus Initiative was founded in 2015 and its goal is to make a single standard for all stylus manufacturers, which can then make their future products usable on any device. In the current state, every manufacturer produces their own styli, making them incompatible with other devices, meaning you can't use your Apple Pen on a Lenovo tablet.

Google's not the only one to join USI in their standard-unification journey, as other big companies such as Lenovo, Huawei and Intel have done the same.

Styli with the USI protocol will have two-way connectivity in order to keep the connection between the device and the pen stable and smooth. The current one-way connectivity can cause lag if the signal conflicts with another one coming from a tablet or phone. Another feature is the implementation of preferences, making your stylus "smart" as it switches between brushes, colors and more, depending on the device you're using it with.

Styli were popular among smartphones in the beginning of the touchscreen era, but some new devices also come with one, for example the Samsung Galaxy Note 8. Nowadays, styli are mostly used in tablets (the Apple iPad Pro being a great example) and touch-capable laptops (Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11 is another great example, which we have reviewed by the way).

source: USI