In case you haven't noticed lately, touch-screen phones are in! We're not just talking smart phones like the iPhone either. These touch-screen cellular devices have even narrowed down to the home-style handsets for landlines. Samsung seems to be the father of this generation of touch-screen technology. They have most recently come out with the Samsung Omnia from Verizon Wireless, the Samsung Eternity from AT&T, and the Samsung Memoir from T-Mobile. All of these Samsung touch-screen phones come with Samsung's TouchWiz interface. LG is no slouch either in the touch-screen department. They've just released the LG Versa from Verizon Wireless, which is the first touch-screen handset that comes with optional external modules. But after some comparison shopping it becomes clear that not all touch-screens are created equal. Some won’t work if you have gloves on and some are slow to respond. Touch-screens perform differently from phone to phone because various technologies.
Resistive Touch-screens
The most common type of touchscreen, featured on the LG Dare, Samsung Instinct, HTC Touch Diamond and many other phones, uses “resistive” technology. Resistive screens are comprised of several layers. The top layer, usually a clear polyester film, is flexible. When a finger presses down, the top layer comes in contact with a lower glass layer. The voltage is measured and the location of the press is computed. The downsides to resistive screens include less-than-perfect transparency, scratch-prone surfaces and components that wear out and break over time.
Capacitive Touch-screens
Apple’s iPhone, the G1 and BlackBerry Storm all use the more sophisticated “capacitive” technology. Capacitive touchscreens work well with crystal-clear glass as the touch surface. A circuit board sensor beneath the glass registers changes in electrical capacitance, or charge, when activated by a finger’s electrical charge. The differences between using a phone with capacitive and resistive screens can be striking: the iPhone’s bright, bold display makes the LG Dare or Samsung Instinct seem dim in comparison. The only downside to capacitive touch-screen phones is that a bare finger is required for operation since the body’s electricity is blocked by gloves.
The blog post has an excellent and informative product review. I like how there is a break down between the two touch screens. The Resistive which needs to be depressed and the Capacitive which reads bioelectric currents. It could benefit from an example of the technologies evolution. The resistive touch-screen alone has had quite a few previous variations alone. The capacitive touch-screen is new, but is it the future or just a speed bump. The touch screen itself has made controls for things like apps much easier. Now there is an application for everything. Without the touch screen for an easy form of control its unlikely most of the modern apps would even be considered. The touch screen is an innovation that has opened the road for the creation of many fun little things.
ReplyDeleteThis post was very eduactional for me. I was unaware of the fact that there are more than one type of touch screens available. I am obsessed with this kind of technology for cell phones, and i hope to soon purchase the Samsung Memoir from T-Mobile.I still remember what my very first cell phone looked like and the "applications" it came with. "snake" was the coolest game to play at the time, not to mention huge antennas and buttons! It blows my mind to think of what will come next!
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