Friday, April 4, 2008
The Many Uses of Touch Screen Monitors
The iPhone introduced by Apple, Inc., uses touchscreen technology allowing the user to easily and quickly manipulate data. The iPod touch was introduced shortly thereafter which utilizes the same technology. Touch screen monitors have been available for quite sometime, but only recently have they become popular due to Apple's intuitive design and attention to detail in their operating system. Due to this explosion in touch screen handhelds, many people wonder if they have the same experience on their computer like an iPhone or iPod touch and what purposes touch screen monitors have.
Touch screen monitors can be used for many useful purposes. There is a huge variety of sizes and types available today. Most modern monitors will work with Windows XP and Vista with appropriate drivers to enable the computer in interpreting touching a monitor as mouse movements. They can also work with other operating systems like Macintosh and Linux as long as the manufacturer provides necessary drivers.
One popular use of touchscreen monitors is what's called a "carputer" (a mesh of car and computer). These devices are installed in cars to enhance the multimedia experience and provide additional functionality that an ordinary car stereo wouldn't be able to provide. Watching movies, viewing music albums, or surfing the internet easily becomes a possibility with a touch screen monitor installed in place of a car stereo.
Another way touch screen monitors are used is with the retail or food industry. Having a touchscreen to quickly take orders, receive payments, or view merchandise not only saves valuable desk space, but provides an intuitive interface for employees and customers. Recently flat panel touchscreen monitors have replaced CRT or larger displays saving even more space.
Touchscreen monitors do have their limitations. The contrast on these monitors is not as good as their regular monitor counterpart. This is because of the various touch sensors that need to be included in a touch screen monitor to simulate a mouse. Another setback is the cost. Touch screen monitors generally cost quite bit more than regular monitors because of the additional built-in sensors.
Even with these minor setbacks, touch screen monitors are becoming popular with consumers. As the demand increases, the cost will go down and the technology will improve to the point where every monitor could be a touch screen.
Devin Collier is a product manager as SewellDirect.com for touch screen monitors He also has a technology blog about computers, software, and printers.
