Originally posted by MrRiplEy[H]
You'll get real tired with the constant fingerprints on the big screen. At first it may seem as a no issue, when you find out you need to wipe it clean 10 times a day it starts to get annoying.
Salient points, except for some missing data: I use touch screens every day. I have a PDA with a touchscreen, same with my Carputer. I've used touchscreen electronics daily since the late 90s, and I've developed a technique that results in no, zip, zero fingerprint smudges on the screen.
How?! Am I a witch?
No, the technique is simple. Instead of pawing at my screen like an ape, grunting in frustration as I mash my fingers repeatedly at the button I'm trying to hit and smearing BBQ sauce everywhere, I do things slightly different. I turn my finger towards me (so I'm looking at the actual pad of my finger) and then, here's the hard part, I use the tip of the back of my fingernail to tap with high precision on the screen.
Unless your mother has trimmed your nails back all the way so you don't scratch your eyes out when you're having a fit, this should work for anyone. It's a small, clean, non-greasy "stylus" that's built into the hands of every modern human, and it works.
On the downside, it does tend to make you look slightly french. But on the other hand, this is still better than shrieking primally and throwing feces at a broken iPhone because the "spirit gods" in it had shown you disrespect in the form of a clumsy fingerprint.
Legos are what you play with when you're old enough to stop trying to swallow Duplos, and the iPhone interface is for folks who are old enough to figure out that blindly mashing their big meaty paws at things isn't always the right answer.
If you wear boxing gloves and a football helmet, however, I advise waiting until hands free dialing is supported.