Hard to believe that it has been more than two years since we uncovered the first signs of the Universal Stylus Initiative in the Chromium repositories. Since that time, Google has gone all-in on USI pen technology and presented Chrome OS as a massive springboard for the universal protocol that allows Chromebook owners to use the pen of their choice instead of a proprietary model that’s made for a specific device. USI pens lend themselves very well to the cloud-based nature of Chrome OS and the tech is evolving nicely but there’s still some work to be done before the USI stylus becomes a true staple in the Chromebook ecosystem. We’ve seen some really cool implementations of the USI protocol but we’ve barely scratched the surface of what the pens could do in the future. When we get there, USI will hopefully become a household name.
You can find a new USI stylus from many of your favorite Chromebook manufacturers or you can choose from the ever-growing list on Amazon. Just make sure you’re buying one that carries the USI certification and is listed to work with USI-compatible Chromebooks. You can find a few of our favorites at the link below.