Touchscreen Touchscreen Touchscreen!
By Ben Robinson on Sunday, January 11th, 2009 at 6:35 AM PST In Ideas and rants, Technologies
Yep, that seems to be the battlecry of the Mobile handset vendors at the moment. Each is realising it in slightly different ways – be it capacitive, or some kind of force feedback – but none of the majors is without at least one touchscreen device in it’s range!
Take Nokia (NYSE: NOK) for example – I was emailed this week to ask if I wanted to review their Tube/5800 device, which is the first true touchscreen (mass-market) device of theirs. It does look like a big stride forward, and from what indicative reviews I’ve seen on the web, it is getting a thumbs-up.
On a different note altogether, I read something on Reuters about Stevie Wonder saying that touchscreen disadvantages those sight-impaired people – which is a fair enough comment – his point being that a generation of tech advances won’t be available to the blind.
Also at CES, there are plenty of devices hitting the (web) news that in one way or another use touch(screen) technology – the plethora of new products coming out this year has been impressive, to say the least.
So overall then, Touchscreen tech is hitting the news, and there is a lot of new gadget goodness which is relying on it. My question is where that tech might evolve to, and then, who is going to be leading the charge with it? So far I’d argue Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) have led, but are we going to see a new contender take over the mantle and do something truly phenomenal with a touchscreen – I wouldn’t bet against that happening……
Like Microsoft? Like Nokia? Like Rimm? Like who exactly are you thinking about pray tell? All are lamo.
Blowing own trumpet, I posted on this recently:
http://www.allaboutiphone.net/2009/01/2009-the-year-of-touchscreen/
Up until CES, I would have said Apple is leading in terms of innovative touchscreen user interface. And now? Palm have shown that others can innovate very well in this area. 2009 is going to be a very interesting year for mobile design.
There have been touchscreen phones for a decade. And even phones with portrait slider keyboards.
The difference now is in the software, more than in the hardware. The UIs are more finger-friendly.
So it’s more like it’s the year of the touchscreen UI.
The Palm Pre seems to be that worthy successor to the throne. Its an incredibly powerful, beautiful, and intuitive OS.
But of course everyone prefers it to come from a fruit, even if palm is better.
Indeed it is the UI that is making 2008-2009 a breakout year for touchscreens. But, capacitance technology is also helping drive touchscreen adoption.