Touch Screen | Using A Fingernail

Some of the most common problems with using a finger to operate a touch screen device is the lack of precision. To compensate without the use of a stylus, the forward tip of the fingernail is not an unusual solution given that the nail is of sufficient length. The keratin that the fingernail is made of mimics the hardness of a stylus that would normally come with touch screen devices.

Aside from offering more precise points of contact, it minimizes the amount of skin grease that would otherwise be smeared onto the screen. And because the fingernail sliding across the screen generates less friction than would the skin of a finger, drawing lines and dragging icons become much less frustrating.

The particular touch screen technology behind the device would determine whether this strategy is even an option. Capacitive touch screen systems would require the conductivity of a finger anyways so a stylus, or fingernail, would not work. Most personal touch screen devices like most smart phones and touch screen laptops on the other hand work with a stylus.