Frequently Asked Questions
What is Bamboo Stylus feel?
We developed the Bamboo Stylus products for state-of-the-art mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. While the Bamboo Stylus products work on all capacitive-based touchscreens (e.g. iPhone), the Bamboo Stylus feel works on devices which feature our built-in active Wacom feel IT technology for a precise and natural pen input experience.
How does the Bamboo Stylus feel input work and why is it more precise?
The feel Styli feature advanced, active technology that communicates with a special sensor built into a number of mobile devices.
With the combination of both an active pen and sensor, very precise pen positions and fine grades of pen pressure can be detected. This provides the highest quality, most precise note-taking experience in the market.
Do I need to install a specific driver to use a Bamboo Stylus feel with my device?
No, each Bamboo Stylus feel works with all devices that use Wacom feel IT technology without any further installation required.
How precisely does the Bamboo Stylus feel detect pressure?
The Bamboo Stylus feel pen continuously detects and transmits the pressure you apply on the display of your feel technology enabled device. This information is then processed by the active feel sensor into super-fine pressure levels. The number of precision levels depends on your device and how the feel sensors and the device’s system software are implemented. Most devices can differentiate up to 512 pressure levels (and some even more). To find out how many pressure levels your device supports, check your product’s documentation. The number of levels supported may also depend on the application you use.
How does the side switch on the Bamboo Stylus feel work?
The Bamboo Stylus feel has a switch button on the side of the pen body that is usually preset by the application you are using to accomplish a certain function. You can often customize this function inside the application; please check the application and system software documentation to see whether it is possible to customize the switch button and how it can be done.
Why are there soft and firm nib options for the Bamboo Stylus feel?
In order to give you the most authentic feel while writing and drawing on screens, you can choose between two kinds of pen nibs which can easily be exchanged based on your preference. The soft nib consists of a combination of rubberized and firm material which allows for very smooth on-screen operation. The firm nib option allows you to write with firmer direct feedback or especially on screens that have a textured protection foil.
How do I identify a soft nib and a hard nib?
If you own a Bamboo Stylus feel carbon or a black Bamboo Stylus feel, you can easily differentiate the replacement nibs inside the package by color: The black nibs are soft and the white nibs are firm. If you have a white Bamboo Stylus feel, your package contains two white nibs. One is pure white. The other is an off-white color with a noticeable slight gray tint. This off-white gray nib is the soft nib.
It’s best to try both the hard and soft nib in your Bamboo Stylus feel to see which one is most comfortable for you to use.
On which devices does the Bamboo Stylus feel work?
The Bamboo Stylus feel works on devices that have our Wacom feel IT technology built in.
In general, the integration of feel IT technology will vary slightly depending on your hardware configuration and system software installed. For this reason, we make sure that only tested devices are shown on the list of compatible equipment. We continue testing feel-enabled devices and will update our compatibility list on a regular basis. Other devices that have not yet been included on the compatibility list will still work with the Bamboo Stylus feel, but there is a certain likelihood that the pen-on-screen performance will be slightly different to that of the pen included with your feel enabled device. The difference can usually be observed in a small offset of the pen positioning as compared to the pen that may have been include with your device.
Why is the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 not listed in the Bamboo Stylus feel compatibility list, while the Samsung Galaxy Note 1 is listed?
With the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, the integration of our feel IT technology was adjusted to fit its specific hardware configuration. The main difference in this case is the geometry of the active feel sensor, which leads to a clearly perceivable offset of the pen position. For this reason, we have already verified that the Bamboo Stylus feel does not work in the same way as the pen included in the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 package.
Will the Bamboo Stylus feel work on all capacitive touchscreens?
No, our Bamboo Stylus feel range will only work with feel-enabled devices. For other (capacitive) touchscreens, please use one of several Bamboo Styli from Wacom with a rubber tip.
Will Bamboo Stylus feel work on other Wacom products?
Our Intuos, Cintiq and Bamboo tablet products have been specifically designed to capture creative expression. This means each pen uses different, technology thoroughly tailored to creative needs by product. Therefore the Bamboo Stylus feel will not work on these other products.
Selected models from our Wacom business solutions line-up are based on our feel IT pen technology. We are currently testing them and they will be added into the compatibility list once the results are available.
Older devices based on Wacom pen-enabled technology will work with the Bamboo Stylus feel as the technology is principally compatible with feel IT pen technology. However, there are some differences in the sensor integration, so you may experience a different pen-on-screen performance from case to case. The difference can usually be observed in a small offset of the pen positioning as compared to the pen that comes with the device.