Touchscreen controls

Electronic Products Word of the Week: Touchscreen Controls

What are touchscreen controls?

A touchscreen is an electronic visual display capable of detecting the location of a finger, hand, or stylus touching it within the display area. They are most often used in devices like smartphones, tablet computes, all-in-one computers, and game consoles.

Places where touchscreen controls are most often used include hospitals, construction sites, museums, malls, and schools.

A touchscreen control allows the user to interact directly with the items on display, as opposed to using a mouse or touchpad. That being the case, a touchscreen control essentially removes the need for any sort of intermediate device (other than a stylus).

There are several different types of touchscreen controls, including capacitive, 4-wire, resistive, and more.

Touchscreen controls have gained greater acceptance in recent years due to the sudden increase in popularity of touch-based information appliances. As a result, most display and chip manufacturers now recognize touchscreens as the preferred user interface component, and have since begun to integrate touchscreen controls into the fundamental design of their products.

Articles about touchscreen controls:

• Make your house smarter and safer

• Touch controller targets 12-in. screens

• How to fix a scratched touchscreen

More articles on touchscreen controls ■