Universal Stylus Initiative
The Universal Stylus Initiative (USI) is a non-profit alliance of companies promoting a technical standard for interoperable active pen styluses on touchscreen devices such as phones, tablets, and computers.[1] [2] [3]
It defines a two-way communication protocol between the stylus and the computer and allows the stylus to remember user preferences for ink color and stroke. It support 9-axis inertial measurement.[4]
Products started coming to market in 2019 including one stylus and several Chromebooks from different manufacturers.[1] By 2019, there were over 30 members, including Google and 3M, but some major players like Apple and Microsoft had not joined.[4] As of 2022, the promoters include Google, Intel, Lenovo, Samsung, and Synaptics. Dell, Sharp, and Wacom are contributors.
While USI promotes itself as an open standard,[5] access to detailed specifications is restricted to paying members.[6]
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History
[edit ]USI was launched on April 23, 2015, by a group of prominent OEMs, stylus and touch controller manufacturers.
- September 22, 2016: Release of the USI 1.0 Stylus and Device Specification
- September 26, 2019: Announcement of the first 14 companies with products using the USI 1.0 Specification
- June 10, 2020: Launch of the USI active stylus certification program
- February 28, 2022: Release of USI Version 2.0 specification
Features
[edit ]USI 1.0
[edit ]- Two-way communication protocol
- Support for multiple simultaneous styluses on a single device
- Pressure sensitivity (up to 2048 levels in USI 1.0)
- Button presses and eraser functionality
- Tilt detection
- Supports a color palette of 256 colors
USI 2.0
[edit ]- NFC wireless charging capability
- Support for in-cell display panels
- Expanded tilt functionality
- Enhanced color palette with 16 million colors.[7]
- Enhanced pressure sensitivity (up to 4096 levels)
Some reports suggests backwards-compatibility issues at least in some devices, with some USI 1.0 pens not working with screens that are certified USI 2.0 compatible.[8]
Certification process
[edit ]According to the USI website, the certification process is from an end-user perspective and is a test of performance and interoperability. The website guarantees that the certification program offers:
Personal experience: Users can choose a product in a form factor that works for their convenience and still get all the features and functionality.
Predictable experience: All USI products will perform the same way.
Interoperability: Ensures that the USI-certified styluses will work on all devices.
See also
[edit ]- Stylus (computing)
- Digital pen
- Pen computing
- Active pen
- Wacom
- Surface Pen
- Apple Pencil
- Computer mouse
- Human–computer interaction
References
[edit ]- ^ a b Schoon, Ben (2020年05月12日). "Hands on: Chrome OS works well w/ a USI stylus". 9to5Google . Retrieved 2020年05月14日.
- ^ "Google and Amazon Release Tablets Supporting USI 2.0 Stylus |". 2023年06月20日. Retrieved 2024年10月08日.
- ^ "universalstylus.org" . Retrieved 2025年01月29日.
- ^ a b Ong, Thuy (2018年02月01日). "Google and 3M have joined an initiative working toward an open standard for styluses". The Verge. Retrieved 2020年05月14日.
- ^ "Research Shows Global Stylus Pen Market To Reach 24ドル Billion by 2027 |". 2022年09月08日. Retrieved 2024年10月08日.
- ^ "Membership Benefits |" . Retrieved 2024年10月08日.
- ^ "The Universal Stylus Initiative Releases Version 2.0 Of Its Popular Active Stylus Specification |". 2022年02月28日. Retrieved 2025年11月13日.
- ^ Porter, Jon (2022年06月15日). "The new USI 2.0 standard for styluses isn't so universal after all". The Verge. Retrieved 2025年11月13日.
External links
[edit ]
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