Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Touch Screen - Its History and How It Works by Matthew McClifford

Touchscreen technology is one of the most heavily used technologies in todays modern setting. The advent and introduction of android phones and touchpad versions of Apples iPad and iPhone has developed a certain fondness of using modern touchscreen technology.
And while the people already know how touchscreens work there are only a few who actually know all the details about it and how it is actually created. To better utilize the power of touchscreen phones and media devices a short study on what the technology is would be a good idea. This will help you understand and utilize some simple troubleshooting methods as a band-aid treatment.


A touchscreen has been defined as an electronic visual display that works by applying pressure on one or more parts of the screen. There are several ways of using the touchpad on a consumer level. A lot of media devices being sold in stores right now that has touchscreen technology on it can either be used using the fingers. There are also some other PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) as well as video games and things like iPhones and the newly minted iPad.
The very first touchscreen was invented in 1965 by E.A. Johnson in the United Kingdom. It was first seen in 1972 as one of the elements for the PLATO (Programmed Logic for Automated Teaching Operations) project. Through the years people have found several uses for touchscreen technology which includes ATMs, PDAs and even portable video game consoles such as the Sega Game Gear.
The technology behind the touchscreen devices have made significant changes and encountered evolution since the inception of the technology. Some of these technologies include resistive touchscreen technology where the signals are recognized by the system after feeling some form of resistance on the screen. Surface capacitant touchscreen technology is a system wherein one of the two insulators has been left uncoated with conductive layer. The current is then transmitted to the phone or other media device and transformed into an actual output on the phone or device.
The construction of the touchscreen can be simplified and will mainly use these elements for the constructions. These four elements can be seen as the following.
* Backside adhesive layer where the glass is mounted
* Glass layer that has been given a transparent metallic coating to facilitate conductivity
* Adhesive spacer
* A top glass layer with metallic coating for conductivity
While there are a lot of good things about the new and latest gadgets and devices that have embraced touchscreen technology there are also some problems that might arise from using the touchscreen equipment too much.
To prolong the life of your touchscreen phones or media devices it would a good idea to buy or invest in high quality screen protectors. There are several electronic stores that sells good quality screen protectors for various products such as iPhones and iPads, PDAs and other types of media devices and smartphones. Screen protectors are also great in protecting your phone or your device from scratches that might occur while using it.

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