It retracts like one and even though it has a somewhat squishy silicone tip that’s necessary for all touchscreen styluses, it writes as thin as any stylus you can get for a touchscreen. (Technology limits keep you from going thinner than 4 mm, which is the HAND Stylus’ diameter.)

The HAND Stylus people sent me one to try out, and it’s the easiest one to use for notetaking of the several that I have tried.

If you’re interested, order one by clicking HERE. For tips from HAND Stylus founder/designer Steve King, see blog post below or click HERE.

The HAND Stylus works on touchscreens and mimics a ballpoint pen.

~ Lillie-Beth Brinkman (lbrinkman@opubco.com)

The new HAND Stylus, available in a range of colors, is a thin stylus that comes close to mimicking a ballpoint pen. PHOTO PROVIDED

Today’s Get App-y column and blog post above talk about the successful Kickstarter campaign to launch the HAND Stylus for touchscreen devices

The experience on Kickstarter.com has made the HAND Stylus’ founder/designer, Steve King, an advocate for the “crowdfunding ” site.

Kickstarter, like indiegogo.com, bypasses traditional venture capitalist funding and lets the public contribute to projects they believe in, with amounts as small as $1. (Find King’s HAND Stylus Kickstarter campaign by clicking HERE.)

In a recent phone interview, King, who lives in Alameida, Calif., described himself as an “incurable designer … constantly coming up with ideas.” He recognized Kickstarter as a way to get those ideas out of a file and into the real world. He also offered creators some tips and shared some of his experience about using a crowdfunding site to launch products and those investing in them:

For the creator/inventor:

1) Use the Kickstarter pages to communicate with the people who have contributed to the project. You can update them about development and manufacturing like you would post status updates on a Facebook page.

2) If you get a lot of orders on Kickstarter (certain levels of giving include the product as a thank-you), then expect a comparable amount of additional orders on the website when your product is ready.

3) Be prepared for a lot of work in launching your dream. “Making a video (for Kickstarter) took me months,” King said. “I could never get it right the first time.”

4) When you exceed your original funding goal, you aren’t rolling in money: All your costs will go up in manufacturing and in fulfilling promises you made to people who pledged. For King, offering laser engraving as an extra thank-you to donors ended up slowing down the process of getting the HAND Stylus to the public. However, “now that we’re through it, I’m glad we did,” he said. Also note that King had already invested his own money in the project before he launched his Kickstarter campaign.

5) Kickstarter projects let you keep the shares of your company. Instead of stockholders, creators get “pledgers” who pre-purchased the product.

6) Ask for enough money to carry your project from idea to completion. If there’s high demand, you’ll need the extra money.

7) The failure rate is high. “A lot of good things can come from Kickstarter if you beat the odds,” King said.

8) The more successful you are, however, the harder it is to keep your product distribution on schedule. “I thought I had figured out everything,” King said about coming in about two months after his deadline for delivering the stylus. “It was a little humbling. … I thought we would be a shining example.”

For the investor: Expect delays in shipping, if you contributed to the product at a level that nets you one. This is true especially for the successful projects with high demand.  These products are not just sitting on a shelf waiting for shipping like others you order. These are new products where the manufacturing likely has not started and the kinks are not worked out.

King said the farther away he gets from the Kickstarter experience, the more he would consider doing it again, despite the massive amount of work that went into making it successful, starting with the design. His initial goal in creating the HAND Stylus was to improve upon existing styluses and design them better, which he accomplished.

“It will be harder than you probably anticipate but the rewards can be substantial, not just in monetary terms,” King said, adding it was affirmation that yes, he had a good idea. “For us the rewards were doing business with all sorts of people who wouldn’t have found us otherwise.”

~ Lillie-Beth Brinkman (lbrinkman@opubco.com)

The robotic ball known as Sphero would make a fun Christmas present for the tech lover on your list if you have an extra $129 to spend (or $99, its current sale price at Brookstone).

While it’s an expensive toy for a remote-controlled ball — the control is your smart phone or tablet, the technology developed by the people at Orbotix to make it work is pretty remarkable. There are many ways to use it for entertainment, both as a device you control and as a controller for other games.

The Sphero works with iPhones, iPads, iPod touches and Android devices.

Today’s Get-Appy column gives you an overview of the Sphero, but here are some links to the areas of the website that are worth checking out, including the  apps.

There are enough of those to keep you entertained, but start with the main Sphero one. This is the starting point for new Sphero users. It explains the basics and then lets you drive. You can change its colors and update it, all from this app.

Also, if you have a minute, check out the technology packed inside the Sphero ball by reading/viewing  these blog posts about its history here and here. After viewing these posts, I understand the price of the ball.

It is available at the Go Sphero website (http://www.gosphero.com/) and, among other places, in stores at Barnes and Noble (http://www.barnesandnoble.com/), Target (http://www.target.com/) and Brookstone (www.brookstone.com), where it is currently on sale for $99. You can also get it from Toys R Us online and other websites.

Do you plan to get a Sphero? Give one as a gift? Which apps do you like?

Leave a comment below or email me.

~ Lillie-Beth Brinkman (lbrinkman@opubco.com)

Classes will help smartphone users get most out of their device and customize it for their lifestyle

OKLAHOMA CITY – U.S. Cellular is offering several free Device Workshops in Oklahoma City where current or potential smartphone users can learn more about the features, tips and tricks of their specific device. At the workshop, U.S. Cellular associates will offer attendees hands-on assistance to get the most out of the features on their Android-powered, Windows Phone and BlackBerry devices, including the Samsung Galaxy S III.

“Your phone is supposed to simplify and enhance your life,” said Tommy Arens, director of sales for U.S. Cellular in Oklahoma, in the news release.

The workshop is open to everyone. Please call to RSVP.

Workshop dates and locations:

9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 15, at U.S. Cellular at NW 63 and May, 6406 N May Ave. in Oklahoma City (405) 843-7073.

8:30 to 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 15, 101 N Douglas Blvd., Suite J, Midwest City. (405) 739-0133.

~ Lillie-Beth (lbrinkman@opubco.com)

“With September National Preparedness month just around the corner, we are all checking up on some preventative steps that can be taken to prepare for emergencies in our homes, businesses, schools, and communities, but what about our electronics? CrashPlan, a data backup provider, warns that electronics can be seriously damaged when severe weather strikes. With the upcoming month in mind, CrashPlan has compiled a list of tips for keeping your electronics safe before the storm hits.

“Back up.  – Sometimes it is inevitable that hardware will be damaged so back-up your data and back-up often! This will prevent data loss even if the device itself is destroyed. While there are reasons to be wary of online data storage, it may make sense for people in disaster-prone locales since you’ll be storing your files on remote servers that will be safe from whatever disaster takes down your computer.

“Alternative Power Source – When the power goes out, you’ll want to have a secondary source of power to charge cell phones and other electronics. The purchase of extra phone batteries or even a small generator could be a priceless purchase.

“Unplug – As the storm begins, unplug all of your electronics to avoid a power surge. It is also smart to move computers, TV’s and any other electronics away from windows and place them on an elevated surface in the event of rising waters.”

These are just a few tips from one company. I know there are others. What have you done to make sure your electronic information is safe before anything happens to it?

~ Lillie-Beth Brinkman (lbrinkman@opubco.com)

A McAlester man is one of 10 U.S. Cellular associates around the country singing in the wireless service provider’s #HelloBetter Twitter campaign this week.

For three days, the associates are responding directly with songs they write in response to complaints about the wireless industry in general. The wireless provider’s social media team is then posting the YouTube links to their videos on Twitter.

James McPherson, 25, of McAlester, has been tweeting Wednesday, including one in response to country music blogger and social media consultant Jessica Northey. McPherson, a retail wireless consultant, has been with U.S. Cellular for three years.

He and the others are singing and recording customized videos to the tune of Travis Tritt’s “Call Someone Who Cares” when they see Twitter complaints about wireless service. Some of his videos are posted on this blog.

“I’ve always enjoyed singing, so I was really excited when I was chosen to participate in the ‘Call Someone Who Cares’ campaign,” McPherson said in a provided comment. “I’m looking forward to coming up with some creative responses to complaints that people have about their wireless carriers and seeing the reactions we get.”

The campaign goal is to highlight U.S. Cellular and its customer service. The wireless provider recently launched its new “Hello Better” campaign to convince people to switch to U.S. Cellular.

To see the songs McPherson writes in response to on Twitter, go to twitter.com/uscellular, search Twitter using the #HelloBetter hashtag, or go online to U.S. Cellular’s youtube channel at uscellularcorp.com

~ Lillie-Beth Brinkman (lbrinkman@opubco.com)

When you open the app, you see terra cotta plants, waiting for you to plant seeds of your choice with fantastical names like “Rain Drop,” “Rainbow Stars,” “All Hallow’s Eve” and “Wishing Tulip.”

You have to “water” them at certain intervals, depending on the plant (the app tells you how often they need water). Then flowers grow over a period ranging from a few hours to a few days. When they’re fully grown and ready, you can “cut” them and arrange them into a bouquet, like the one pictured above. You select the flowers for the bouquet, position them and personalize an accompanying note to send to friends via email or text or post to Facebook.

If you don’t tend to them, they will ruin, but there’s a “vacation mode” that stops everything from growing or wilting so you don’t have to worry about the app if you get tired of playing or don’t have time.

In-app purchases include additional seed packets, fertilizer to make your flowers grow faster and “color dust” that changes all the flowers in the pot to a random color. You can also buy additional gardens for your pots so you can grow more flowers.

It’s a colorful app.

I have had the app on vacation mode for the last couple of months because I was growing so many flowers and didn’t have that many people to send them to. It also took a lot of time to tend them all, so the bouquet from my mom was a fun birthday surprise.

When your friends receive the bouquet that you’ve created using Flower Garden, they might not know the work and time it took to “grow” the flowers in a personalized bouquet, but you will. The design will be enough, though, to make them smile.

~ Lillie-Beth Brinkman (lbrinkman@opubco.com)

"The Haggadah App" for the iPad guides observers of the Passover Seder through the important ritual.

“The Haggadah App” from Melcher Media offers an interactive look at the seder tradition that begins Friday.

For those who will observe the Passover Seder Friday night, a new iPad application can help guide you through the important Jewish ritual and teach you some things you didn’t know.

“The Haggadah App” ($7.99, Melcher Media) offers both the tradition of the ritual that commemorates the Israelites’ flight out of Egypt with new features to help users of the 21^st century connect with the rich history of Passover.

“Many of us have been using the same copy of the Haggadah all our lives,” said Charlie Melcher, founder and president of Melcher Media, in a news release. “But today we celebrate, share and learn in new ways. So it’s time for a new Haggadah that both honors the old and celebrates the new.”

The app, released April 4, offers songs, lists, recipes, interactive commentary, history, beautiful art, games and coloring pages for children and more.

Using the app, you can plan the holiday, learn as a group about the history and explore versions of the Haggadah that you might not have seen before. It also features a contemporary, alternative approach to the seder, audio recordings of Passover songs and commentary and photos of rare illustrated manuscripts dating back to the 1300s.

"The Haggadah App" for the iPad features important historic manuscripts and art about the Passover seder.

Even if you’re not Jewish, the app is a good way to find out more about the symbolism involved in the seder that marks the beginning of the eight-day Passover holiday.

Described by developers as a “rich and beautiful multi-sensory experience,” “The Haggadah App” was developed in collaboration with a team of people steeped in the history of the Passover.

David Kraemer, the app’s primary author, is the librarian and professor of Talmud and Rabbinics at the Jewish Theological Seminary. Also contributing to the app with audio commentary about the art and meaning of the ritual are: Rabbi Irwin Kula, president of Clal, The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership; Sharon Liberman Mintz, curator of Jewish Art at the Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary; Amichai Lau-Lavie, a founding director of Storahtelling.

For more information about Passover and the use and the importance of the Haggadah read The Oklahoman’s Life section on Saturday or see NewsOK.com/religion.

~ Lillie-Beth Brinkman (lbrinkman@opubco.com)

In this undated image released by NBC, judges, seated from left, Oklahoma country music star Blake Shelton, who lives in Tishomingo;Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green and Adam Levine are shown during a rehearsal for the second season of "The Voice," in Los Angeles. A new Facebook application will allow fans of NBC's "The Voice" to vote for their favorite artists through their Facebook profiles, now known as their timelines. AP PHOTO/NBC LEWIS JACOBS

A news release from NBC has details of a new Facebook app for the popular music competition show “The Voice”:

Beginning April 2, when NBC’s hit music competition series “The Voice” (Mondays, 7-9 p.m. and 8-9 p.m. Tuesdays, Central time and Tuesdays) goes live, fans of the show will be able to vote for their favorite artists via a new app that people can add to their Facebook timeline. The app, which enables people to share their viewing and voting with their friends, creates one of the first truly social voting options for any network competition series while providing a deeply engaging experience for fans.

Vivi Zigler, president, NBC Universal Digital Entertainment, and Justin Osofksy, director of Platform Partnerships at Facebook, announced the timeline this weekend.

“What better show to launch a new Facebook timeline experience with than ‘The Voice’?” said Zigler, “This app gives our already socially savvy fans another way to connect and share. From declaring their favorite artist to discovering friends’ preferences to interacting with more content, the app creates a fully social online voting experience.”

With the timeline app, fans will be able to show their support for their favorite teams and artists by casting their vote each week, connecting with their friends and other viewers, tracking their artists and seeing if they made it to the next round. The new app also will allow them to discover new content, including performance videos and blogs. Additionally, people using the Facebook app on their iPhone, iPad and Android devices will also be able to engage with “The Voice” timeline voting app.

“We’ve always watched and talked about TV shows with friends and family,” said Osofsky. “The Voice’s timeline app for Facebook will make it easy for people to do this online, enabling fans to vote for their favorite singers and share their votes with friends.”

“The Voice” returned Feb. 5 with celebrity musician coaches Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine and Oklahoma’s Blake Shelton and Carson Daly as host. Christina Milian joined this season as social media correspondent.

“The Voice” is a presentation of Mark Burnett’s One Three Inc., Talpa Content USA, Inc. and Warner Horizon Television. The series is created by John de Mol, who executive-produces along with Burnett, Audrey Morrissey, Stijn Bakkers and Lee Metzger.

For embeddable clips and full episodes, please visit NBC.com’s official show site.

Find the Voice on Facebook  and or on twitter at @NBCTheVoice and #TheVoice.

~ Lillie-Beth Brinkman (lbrinkman@opubco.com.)

Open up the iOS app for the Encyclopaedia Britannica, and a new entry is featured each day.

News today that the Encyclopaedia Britannica would no longer publish its print editions after 244 years should not discourage anyone who want to peruse the entries that have served as credible, scholarly sources for term papers for as long as most of us can remember. Instead of paying $1,395 for the 32-volume set, you can still get a CD copy or download the iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch application free with limited content and pay $1.99 per month for access to all of it.

I got to try it out last December for a “Get App-y” column. Here’s more information.

This “Get App-y” column originally appeared in The Oklahoman on Dec. 20, 2011:

Those who look up “Christmas” in the Encyclopaedia Britannica get a litany of choices among the entries — they can read about the holiday, the island, the tree, the carol, the famous novel by Charles Dickens and the cactus, among others, as well as detailed information about each one.

 The oldest English-language encyclopedia — it was first published with three volumes in 1768 — is now available on one of the most modern devices, the iPad, and its smaller counterparts, the iPhone and iPod Touch.

The 32-volume encyclopedia is still available in print, and the $2,000 price of the books includes support material such as DVDs and online access. For $195, people can buy reprints of the three volumes first published more than 240 years ago.

 But as more people get their news and information on their mobile device, Encyclopaedia Britannica is meeting them there. Users can download the free mobile application to their devices for limited access and for $1.99 a month have access to all 80,000 or so of the articles that Britannica offers.

The company also is developing Android and Microsoft versions of the mobile app.

If you want to start researching a topic, this is a good place to start, with content provided and verified by experts — scientists, historians, Nobel laureates and political leaders that include former U.S. and international presidents.

When the app first opens, a large “Did You Know?” screen about an entry appears, as well as something that happened on that day in history.

For the most part, entries on the app stay current — news of the Oct. 20 death of Libyan leader Muammar al-Qaddafi is already incorporated.

In the app, it’s easy to search for an entry, email, download for offline viewing or save to favorites. Entries are cross-referenced and linked.

For those who want to learn a little bit about everything, the encyclopedia is the place to get it. Britannica’s mobile versions make it even easier to find that knowledge. For one man’s funny abridged version, author A.J. Jacobs offered that a few years ago after reading the entire set from A to Z and tossing out his new wisdom in “The Know-It-All: One Man’s Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World.”

I wonder if he’d feel even smarter reading the encyclopedia on his iPad.

~ Lillie-Beth Brinkman, lbrinkman@opubco.com