Have to agree that a touch screen can be a bit of a mess at times.
I just got a N800 recently, and Keeping the screen clean has been a chore, especially as I don't like to use the stylus unless i really have to, and this is a backlit screen. On a e-inks screen, this amount of fingerprints would be maddening.
And back to the original article, I have to agree, how is pushing a button more work then flipping a page or even touching a touch screen. Its in fact more work, I've found on the n800 (using it as an example), to press on the screen, then to just press one of the hardware buttons.
Sheesh! the author need to get his head out of 2001! A Space oddessy and their data pads