This is some good advice.

I find that the mini-stylus that comes with most PDAs or Tablet PCs does not work so well.

I buy plastic mechanical pencils that feel good in my hand and have a decent size tip to use on the screen.

http://www.boxwave.com/ has some great screen covers for PDAs that are washable! I love mine. They protect the screen very well. I can't wait until they start selling the Tablet PC size version. They are not cheap (ClearTouch) but are so far worth every penny. I shudder to think how expensive the Tablet PC size version will be.