Has anyone tried other synaptics pens (Dell AAGN, HP Active Pen, etc.) with the Switch Alpha 12?

d1jor

Bought this computer with the main purpose being taking handwritten notes but I've found that it looks like a 3rd grader is writing them. Right now I'm planning on returning this item unless I find a pen that makes it usable, or Acer does some kind of firmware/driver update. Has anyone tried other pens with this laptop? Have they been compatible and worked well? Thanks!

 

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I have the i5, 8GB, 256 SSD config

gbardach

There have been several posts (including mine) on this subject in  the English and German sections of the Acer Community.

 

All agree that the handwriting on this device is bad. Until now, no one has come up with another pen that works on the Swithch Alpha 12. It is a second generation Synaptics digitizer and the only company that apparently uses the same digititizer is Fujitsu with similar poor results.

 

I am disappointed too and may return or sell the device. I don't think that Acer can or will improve this deficiency. Unfortunately none of the rreviews I read before I bought the device mentioned this fault - often they tested devices without the pen (which is optional on some models).

 

Anyway this experience will make me think twice before buying an Acer device again.

d1jor

Thanks for the input. I had read all the posts I found on this Acer community site but still wasn't really sure about which technology they used and which pens had potential to improve the situation; I guess there's not much hope right now. I think I'll just go ahead and return mine, since this is too important of a factor. Will probably wait for some lenovo or Microsoft SP4 to go on some sort of deal  

Jose-Acer

I’m sorry to hear that you’re not happy with your Switch Alpha 12.  Have you tried changing the settings on the app you’re using to enhable pressure sensitivity?

PatientGuy

Same for me with my Alpha Switch 12. Can't get a straight line when drawing, always jaggies line and curve...Alomost unusable. I think returning it to the store for a refund...

Is it possible to enhance the pen experience???

AlexKim71

I used to have a Sony Multiflip 13 along with a HTC N-trig pen (I thought it would work well with the Switch Alpha 12, which was wrong), and was fully satisfied with pen writing. It's been a week since I bought this Switch Alpha 12, and pen writing function is really disappointing. To make matters worse, someone in charge of ACER repair center said that the company also acknowledges the problem but there hasn't been any significant improvement on it. 

 

So far I haven't found any evidence that non-Acer pens work well with Switch Alpha 12, but it seems quite possible that Dell 750-AAGN pens work since it is known as a "Synaptics Active Plus pen" like the one that came with my Switch Alpla 12. Plus, the 750-AAGN seems to be the best so far among the same technology-based(Synaptics) pens. I am seriously thinking about buying it for that reason, but still hesitant waiting for some reliable proof. Or hopefully there would be some kind of enhancement (such as firmware update). Hope to get some useful comments from those who are concerned (including ACER tech specialists).

 

Alex from Korea

PatientGuy

I just try Lazy Nezumi Pro plugin. Work great in Photoshop and Sketchbook pro.

No more jaggies lines and curves with the Acer pen!

 

Can we get replacement tips for the pen? After 1 day using it and testing, not sure how long it will last....

AlexKim71

I was about to order a 750-AAGN, and I happened to find a thread on the pen issue. According to the comment, a 750-AAGN does not function properly on the Switch Alpha 12.

 

"Another thing is that i tried the dell active stylus 750-AAGN, the alpha 12 can sense the pen and detect the pointer but it cannot write on the unit. That really sad as that pen was really good when i used it on my dell venue 11 pro 7130(although its spotty some time after long uses, I think that mostly the problem of the 7130 overheating and creating problem with the screen)."

 

Here are the links:

http://community.acer.com/t5/Windows-Tablets-and-Convertibles/Acer-Alpha-Switch-12-Active-Pen/m-p/440306/highlight/true#M19134

 

http://forum.tabletpcreview.com/threads/acer-aspire-switch-alpha-12-s.69500/page-13

 

By the way, PatientGuy, have you tried Lazy Nezumi Pro on Onenote 2016? I've tried it and couldn't see any difference. 

AlexKim71

Dear Acer-Jose,

 

To me OneNote is the most frequently used, and to the best of my knowledge I do not know any way to change/improve pen sensitivity on OneNote itself as well as on Windows 10. Please let me know if there is anything existing worth applying for. And do you have any plans, such as firmware upgrade, releasing other Synaptics Active Stylus pens with better performance, and/or providing solid (instead of rubber-type) and well-working pen nips, on improving this pen issue? I am totally satisfied with my Switch Alpha 12, but the pen sensitivity is, I would say, terrible, compared to N-trig stylus pens. 

PatientGuy

Hi Alexkim,

 

Have you try to hook the plugin to the Onenote window?  By default, it's active only for Photoshop amd you have to hook any other application at startup.

AlexKim71

Yes I have. It's ether that "Nezumi" doesn't work with OneNote or that there is something wrong in my applying the "Nezumi" function. But I assume that I followed the right path, turning on "Nezumi", turning all processing on, and hooking Window.

 

Below is the captured image of my handwriting test on OneNote 2016. I don't see any difference between the handwriting with the funcion on and that without. I'm not saying that my handwriting is great, but it is better with my N-Trig pen than the one below (written with Wacom Bamboo). The first two are quite 'un-pretty.'

 

One good thing is that according to an Acer Technician in Korea, Acer is aware of the pen issue and doing some effort to improve handwriting performance, which he mentioned is likely to be S/W related (not H/W related).

 

AlexKim71

https://www.reddit.com/r/stylus/wiki/index

 

The link above is about recent pressure-sensitive pen devices. I would never had bought the Switch Alpha 12 if I had known this link before. The digitizer for the Switch Alpha 12 is categorized as "ELAN," which doesn't appear as a category among digitizers but is grouped as "other." What is more, it is described as below:

 

"Synaptics, Atmel, other - any other pressure-sensitive digital pen technology. Usually nearly-unusable."

 

Acer definitely seems to have made a wrong choice of applying non-WACOM/non-Ntrig digitizers for the Switch Alpha 12 that could otherwise have made it the best 2-in-1 device with a reasonable price. I hope Acer will do something, I mean anything, to fix this problem.

PatientGuy

Hi AlexKim,

 

Just be sure to hook OneNote app window, not the window background.

You should see a flashing red border a few second in OneNote window.

AlexKim71

Hi PatientGuy,

 

I couldn't see the border though I followed the steps as described on the "Nezumi" popup. Have you succeeded in seeing the border in OneNote window? Please let me know if there is something missing. Or it seems possible that Nemuzi functions are not effective on OneNote.

 

It's a pity that so far no user-based efforts work on enhancing handwriting function for the Switch Alpha 12, including RedStone, Calibration of pen touch, installing Wintab drivers, and so on.  

mkaicher

It has to be software related! I just received my switch alpha 12 with the pen a couple days ago and have experienced similar problems in One Note. However, I downloaded the free Bamboo Paper app and my handwriting looks gorgeous!! It looks better than it does with pen and paper and I have above average handwriting. I also tried plumbago and squid (papyrus) and found the same disappointing results I've had with One Note. However, for some reason well beyond my knowledge of this stuff, my handwriting looks perfect in Bamboo Paper. If I could get those results in One Note I would be ecstatic!

gbardach

I cannot discern any difference  between my handwriting on Bamboo  Paper and on the other Apps like OneNote, Squid, Write or Plumbago.

 

Maybe part of the bad handwriting experienced by some posters here is due to Windows. I think very few have access to S-Pen or other stylus enabled tablets to see the difference between Windows tabets and tablets with other OS.

 

There are some reports about bad handwriting recognition on Windows 10 on the Internet (http://www.laptopmag.com/articles/windows-10-ink-is-a-toy)

 

I gave up on taking notes on the Acer Switch Alpha 12. For note-taking I now use a Huawei Mediapad 10.0, which  I find vastly superior for this purpose. Even the Google handwriting recognition is much better and doesn't need any training.

shay9730

Im interested in that too... my pen has broke down so i need a new one. I didn't like the old acer pen BTW

gbardach

Whatever they say here: The Acer Switch Alpha 12 uses an ELAN and not a Synaptics digitizer. You have to use an ELAN compatible pen. I don't know an alternative to the Acer pen. Maybe you can find some other notebook/tablet company that uses ELAN digitizers and try their pen.