The traditional way to put information into a cellular was to use the numeric keypad. I never got friend of this method to write text messages (and I really understand why it took so long until the States started text messaging…). So then came some devices with small keyboards with real letters on. Parallel to that there were first touch sensitive screens that were to use with a small pen called Stylus.
This was also the method to be mostly used on my Nokia N800. It was ok but in some situations you were not able to use the Stylus and want just use your fingers, e.g. when I used the N800 as GPS and I was driving. But also trying to write when sitting in a train didn’t always succeed.
This last issue about occasional having problems using a pen is also the reason why I started to realize that there could be advantages in using an electronic device compared to a pen and some paper.
And so now what do I have to say more: it’s not only the iPod Touch and the iPhone but many many more devices that now just use fingers on a screen as input method.
A very popular group of devices that would not exist without this input method are the GPS/navigation systems.
As I mentioned earlier I once used the Nokia N800 to do this job for me, but then I switched to the iPod Touch and then the iPhone, both versions without GPS. So I had to get a separate GPS system which I really preferred (because some things are better when they’re not all integrated into one device). For this I compared many GPS systems and finally decided to get a TomTom GO 720 (I mostly like the way the maps are drawn and the easy touch screen menus).