Taking Notes with a Stylus on Your iPad

Update: Thanks MacSurfer for linking to us! Here are two other stylus products for iPhone and iPad. Pogo Stylus and Pogo Sketch via CNET - but still they emphasize typing not drawing, writing.

While Apple didn't include a stylus for handwriting recognition or note taking on the iPad, I expect we may see a variety of after market solutions in the coming months. 

There are a number of iPhone touch screen safe stylus' already available. But note, this one isn't recommended for dragging:

Rubber angled tip provides enough contact with screen to allow proper electrocurrent flow to replicate the use of your finger on the touchscreen. Best for typing and selecting rather than "dragging".

Therefore, it's probably not going to be very useful for taking notes on the iPad.

More likely, we'll see some updated Bluetooth pens that you write with on a surface beside the iPad - and see the ink tracked on the display. Check out the Pen-It Bluetooth Digital Pen from 2007:

When you use it to write on special paper (which has been pre-printed with literally millions of little dots), it records your strokes for later wireless upload to your Mac. Apparently the pen has a tiny camera which makes this possible. The Pen-it NOTES application on the Mac then retrieves your scribbles as vector data(!) which can be saved or further edited on the Mac. Of course, as Merlin Mann notes, this locks you into their paper, and they don't say exactly how much it will cost. It is also not clear whether this is compatible with Apple's Inkwell technology.

While this pen requires special paper, it's possible future designs will work on their own.

It's a bit frustrating that Apple hasn't provided a stylus option - perhaps it's something they'll release later. They clearly want the device to be simple and focus on multitouch.

For me, the iPad is missing a note taking application e.g. page management tool that doesn't require the multitouch keyboard.