In addition, this is clearly a stylus built for drawing or writing. Navigating buttons and tapping menus--even within painting apps--using the flat O was possible, but barely so.

Balance-wise, I found the oStylus to be quite comfortable to hold, though perhaps an inch too long (the handle alone is 5.5 inches). The O-ring pivots and rotates as you move your hand, thanks to the two titanium wires connecting it to the handle, allowing you to make circular motions without lifting the contact point from the screen.

The oStylus has some neat ideas, and the implementation works up to a point. For example, if you're zoomed in within your drawing app, and you're slowly detailing line work, you can achieve a phenomenal level of precision. Unfortunately, the iPad's lag and mapping limitations prevent the oStylus from pushing past "good" to "great." The concept is lovely, but the companion hardware is not quite where it needs to be to make everything work.

The oStylus is an impeccably designed tool for close-range precision sketching--if you don't mind putting up with some of the iPad's own screen limitations.