i had stylus with psions and several palms and palm clones. over 10 years of use and never lost a single stylus. make a standard stylus and it becomes easy to keep a spare in your bag.
I'll match your anecdote with mine - I lost the stylus several times (and even once the PalmIIe that some kind lady from France mailed back to me in the US after my trip - something that I would never have expected).
I hate the stylus. When I'm using it, I feel I need to "work" with it. The finger is natural and playful. Humans have been using their fingers to paint and draw long before they used brushes or pens.
A stylus is a powerful tool. To require it is folly. You have to create a platform that either ecompasses both inputs or chooses one. Simplicity would dictate the latter, and the finger is just more human.
and there we run into the problem of one size fits all design. you hate the stylus and i prefer them. it comes down to what you are using your mobile tech for.
with the psions keyboards i could get 30-40 wpm typing. with a stylus i was down to around 20wpm. typing on touch screens is a chore and stuggles approach 20wpm.
but with stylus i also had the option of doodling info on screen. at higher resolution than a finger can achieve. i could get signatures, scribble a hasty note in freehand.
i don't think it should be a requirement but rather an option. but without the option i would lose interest towards a device that has a stylus option. but even then i prefer a keyboard more and currently use a samsung galaxy pro.
I hate the stylus. When I'm using it, I feel I need to "work" with it. The finger is natural and playful. Humans have been using their fingers to paint and draw long before they used brushes or pens.
A stylus is a powerful tool. To require it is folly. You have to create a platform that either ecompasses both inputs or chooses one. Simplicity would dictate the latter, and the finger is just more human.