Touch Screens

I just saw this today surfing on engadget. It's a demostration of using a touch screen intregrated laptop to play Supreme Commander.

Touch Screen with Supreme Commander.

How awesome is this!?!? I always wonder when was touch screen going to be used for gaming. It's brillaint! I bet that iPhone users play with their device nearly everyday whenever they have the chance. So why can't we place it on our computers?

(Tom Cruise in Minority Report, 2002)

The intergration of the touch screen systems to computers, has started many many years ago (more than 25 years!). The invention of very first 'touch screens' was back in 1971 by Dr Sam Hurst (founder of Elographics), that was 29 years ago! The touch screen system wasn't entirely a touch screen we now know, it was more of a sensor (quite massive). It was only until 1974s, Dr Sam Hurst created a transparent touch screen system. This raised one main question for me, Why did the touch screens not catch on until now?(http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bltouch.htm, by Mary Bellis)

(Image from Elographics, http://www.elotouch.com/AboutElo/History/default.asp.)

I believe, there were couple of reasons why there was no hype in touch screen systems. Personal Computers only just started, so thinking of commericalizing touch screens for day to day basis would be hard. The price to create and sell the device to the gernal public would be extremely high. Especially Dr Sam Hurst just invented it and started the Elographics company. CPUs' processing speed were extremely slow. So any programs created to process the touch screen data into the data would require too much power.

What about 10-20 years ago? Why nothing happen with touch screens until now? It was simple, no one bothered to make it for commerical purposes. Nor anyone bother to pay for the money to research in to improve the technology. Back 10 years ago, most of the touch screens, I have seen was paid and used for tourist or medical purposes. Even at times, the touch systems I've seen used from non government organization, had only a small handful of them installed around the area. Of course it wasn't

Now that Apple created the iPhone, every mobile manufacturing company decides to cahse up and create their own. I am not saying that Apple made the first touch screen phone, but it is the only brand that has successfully caught the world's attention. Of course, Apple was aided by its own branding and popularity from the Macintosh and iPod. Applying touch screens to the general public, only started as a marketing strategy about 5-10 years ago. A point, I must also point out about the major difference with the sales in Apple's touch technology with the others. Apple's product is much quicker and accurate than the most of the smartphone. Some smartphones' touch screens, doesnt seem to respond or have the smooth flow between your fingers and the phone's screen.

I hope because Touch screens system nowadays gotten alot better. It has a higher durability, faster processing speed, and accurate readings. I really do hope touch screens becomes the next new interface between user and computers. It brings fantasies from sci-fi movies another step closer. So then gaming and operating the computers would be alot more fun and efficient at the same time. Soon I really hope that computers wouldn't need keyboards or mouse anymore. It would just be a big screen that you just type, point and click with your fingers. =)