Jot Pro by Adonit Is Perfect iPad Stylus for Attorneys – Once You Fix It
I love my iPad (3rd Generation). As an attorney, I frequently use its note taking capabilities. That way, my files can go anywhere I go. I use Evernote along with three apps: Penultimate, Notability and NoteShelf to take notes. I’m still trying to decide which I like best.
Note taking can be a bit of a pain with those rubber tipped styluses. 
They’re just not as precise as I’d like and I feel like I’m drawing with a crayon. Enter the Jot Pro by Adonit ($29.99 retail). It’s a work of modern art that works–eventually. It looks and feels like a regular pen except that it has a pivoting clear disc attached where the ink would normally hit the paper. The disc allows for a large enough surface area for the iPad to recognize the writing device while at the same time allowing the writer to see exactly where the line is being drawn. I love it–but I didn’t use to.
Although the Jot Pro is a great idea, out of the package it has a couple hangups–at least it did for me. From what I’ve read on the forums out there, I’m not the only one.
First, I have a Zagg Invisible Shield screen protector on my iPad. It’s a thick, practically indestructible film the covers the entire glass on the front of my iPad. It’s a necessity for me. The problem is that the surface of the Zagg is tacky and the surface of the disc on the Jot Pro is also tacky. Put them together, and the Jot Pro sticks to the screen when you want to write or draw. Kind of hard to write when your pen won’t move. This was incredibly frustrating for me until I found the easy solution: Scotch tape!
I simply cut a small piece of tape and placed it tacky side up on my desk. Then I touched the Jot Pro’s disc to the tape–stuck. Next I grabbed my trusty blunt-nosed safety scissors (I’m safety impaired) and trimmed off the excess tape. There you go! The Jot Pro now glides over the iPad screen like a dream.
Fixing the stick-to-the-screen problem uncovered the other little problem: skipping. Even though the stylus now glided along the glass, the lines it drew would suddenly stop and stop for no apparent reason. Instead of a solid line, you’d end up with a broken line. And it was getting worse. Again, the internet came to the rescue. I found a few posts that mentioned “thermal grease” from Radio Shack. Do you have any clue what that is? I didn’t either.
I went down to my local Radio Shack and of course the young woman behind the counter had no idea what I was talking about. Finally, after wandering around, I find a silicone-based, heat sink compound. It looked like it fit the description well enough so I bought it; one tube cost me about $3.50 plus a little aggravation. (Turns out there really is a heat sink grease. Moral of the story: Google it and print it before you go to the Shack.) I opted to give the heat sink compound a try.
First I carefully popped the disc off the ball joint on the tip of the Jot Pro and put just a tiny drop of the compound into the joint receptacle (the cup). Then I carefully clicked the disc back onto the Jot Pro and PRESTO! I now possess the best iPad writing instrument ever.
No complaints now. I just wish the folks at Adonit had addressed these two issues in the factory so I didn’t have to spend a couple hours solving what are really pretty simple problems to address. For lawyers looking for a note taking instrument, I recommend the Adonit Jot Pro.
[If you live in California and are considering bankruptcy, check out my bankruptcy law website at www.pixlaw.com. My family law website is pixtonfamilylaw.com]