Understanding Mobile Touch Phone Technology

By Author: Lucy Carter
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Part of the new smartphone generation, touch screen technology has been in development as early as the 1940's. It has only fairly recently evolved in the mobile phone industry to launch the first handsets in 2007 which allow users to multitask and navigate their devices easier than ever before.

The following guide will outline the key facts about touch phones, so you can decide whether they're the right option for your needs.

How Touch Phones Work

Touch screen mobile phones use two main types of technologies:

Capacitive

These touch phones work by detecting changes in the air's electrostatic field and sending this signal to a controller panel which consists of an insulating glass coated with a conductor for interpretation. The basis of this technology is that the human body has an electrical charge, and the fingers create the needed electrostatic friction to initiate an electrical receiver as you touch the screen.

Resistive

This type of device has several thin layers of panel, including two metallic conductors, separated by a small gap. When an object touches the smartphone screen, ...
... the two metallic parts connect and create a change in the electrical current. These changes are registered by a controller and are then interpreted as your data input. Resistive mobiles allow you to use any object for inputting data, unlike capacitive phones which require the natural electrostatic charge of your body to register touch.

Pros and Cons

Advantages

Touch phones allows for a sleek, smooth and compact design. Instead of using a traditional keypad to select functionalities or input data, with this technology you simply touch the virtual buttons on the central screen. Not only is this a stylish way of using your mobile, it allows for a more seamless interaction. They also tend to have a bigger screen for easy access to the growing range of multi-media applications on offer with mobile devices. Because they do away with keypads, there is added space to access and view photographs, TV programmes, video clips, and even films. When it comes to writing texts and emails, once users get used to touch screen phones they find it revolutionises the speed at which they can type compared to pressing a traditional keypad. Gone are the days of laboriously pressing buttons which represent more than three different characters - touch screens let you multi-task and get the most out of your phone with instinctive, rapid movements.

Disadvantages

Initially users made the complaint that touch screen phones are too sensitive, because often without even fully touching the screen an application can be activated. Some people simply find it difficult to text without the feel of their finger physically pushing a button. Certain mobile manufacturers are already addressing this by developing 'haptic feedback' technology, which gives the physical impression of depressing a button on the virtual touch screen. While this has not yet been perfected; many touch phones give you the option of activating a mild vibration every time you press a function. All in all however, most users say once they get the hang of using the touch screens the sensitivity becomes second nature.

Touch screen technology developments

The incredible increase in touch screen mobile popularity will give rise to more companies developing their own versions, which will in turn allow for additional enhanced features. With strong competition in the industry marketplace, we will not only see improvements, but a drop in prices. Mobile technology is developing at a rapid speed - the latest touch phone software uses motion sensor technology when you play certain games. What this means is that by tilting and turning the handset as you play, you feel as if you're integrated with the actions of the game. Another interesting development unveiled in February 2009 at the Mobile World Congress is an ultra eco-friendly touch screen mobile powered by solar cells and made using plastic recycled from water bottles.

Conclusion

In a nutshell, touch phone technology is rapidly becoming the absolute norm in mobile handsets. This type of virtual interface allows you to glide through your applications and actions with a tactile ease that will soon make traditional keypads seem like dinosaurs. We can also expect more and more appliances to use touch screen technology - quite simply, it is affirmed by many as the undeniable way of the future in terms of making interaction with devices seamless.
Barry Knightly owns a touch phone retail and repair outlet.