Remember Lloyd Dobler’s classic line, “I gave her my heart, and she gave me a pen”? Poor Lloyd. Maybe if Diane Court’s lame parting gift was a pen with integrated iPad stylus, some of that heartbreak would have been ameliorated. But they got back together by the end of the movie, so I guess it’s OK.

Just Mobile’s AluPen Pro takes the company’s chunky pencil-shaped aluminum iPad stylus and adds a ballpoint pen at the non-stylus end. It’s a little slimmer than the stylus-only AluPen, 5.5-inches long, and feels well balanced in the hand. The hexagonal pencil shape didn’t bother me when using the 7mm rubber-nib stylus, which glides smoothly across the iPad’s screen. But when using the twist-to-retract ballpoint pen for long stretches of writing (best test of any pen? a backlog of thank you cards), the hexagon’s corners became less comfortable to grip.

Wacom’s Bamboo Stylus Duo avoids that problem—it’s perfectly round, and while it’s slightly shorter (5.4 inches) than the AluPen Pro, it’s also a little heavier. Using the pen end feels great, even for long periods of writing. The pen isn’t retractable—you cover it with the cap, which fits on either end. Leaving the cap off entirely throws off the balance a little bit, so I don’t recommend doing that. The 6mm rubber nib is responsive and smooth on the iPad’s screen, and the black-and-silver metal gives the Bamboo Stylus Duo a classy look.

The bottom line. The Bamboo Stylus Duo gets the edge for its superior comfort and suave good looks. But either makes a good stylus, and a good gift.

Alupen Pro

Just Mobile
www.xtand.net

Price: $39.95

Requirements: Touch screen device for the stylus; paper for the pen

Pros: Retractable pen tip means no cap to lose

Cons: Hexagonal shape (like a metal pencil) is less comfortale to hold.

Bamboo Stylus Duo

Wacom
www.wacom.com

Price: $39.95

Requirements: Touch screen device for the stylus; paper for the pen

Pros: Nicely balanced. Comfortable to hold. Smooth writing with the pen.

Cons: It would be a little bit longer.