Garcian Smith said:
From Wikipedia: "The 3.5 in liquid crystal display (320×480 px at 160 ppi) HVGA touch screen topped with optical-quality, scratch-resistant glass[41] is specifically created for use with a finger, or multiple fingers for multi-touch sensing. Because the screen is a capacitive touch screen, no stylus is needed, nor can one be used.[42][13] Bare skin is a requirement; users wearing gloves would have to remove them to use the touchpad,[43] unless they are wearing electrically conductive gloves.[44]" Emphasis mine. The reason why no stylus support is a problem is because stylii allow for more precise touch commands than fingers do. |
And another tidbit from Wikipedia considering touchscreens, bolding by yours truly:
"Capacitive
A capacitive touch screen panel is coated with a material, typically indium tin oxide that conducts a continuous electrical current across the sensor. The sensor therefore exhibits a precisely controlled field of stored electrons in both the horizontal and vertical axes - it achieves capacitance. The human body is also an electrical device which has stored electrons and therefore also exhibits capacitance. When the sensor's 'normal' capacitance field (its reference state) is altered by another capacitance field, i.e., someone's finger, electronic circuits located at each corner of the panel measure the resultant 'distortion' in the sine wave characteristics of the reference field and send the information about the event to the controller for mathematical processing. Capacitive sensors can either be touched with a bare finger or with a conductive device being held by a bare hand. Capacitive touch screens are not affected by outside elements and have high clarity, but their complex signal processing electronics increase their cost."
So, you could use a stylus with iPhone, it just needs to conduct electricity and not ruin the glass surface.
