TechBlog from Sewell

I admit, those of us heavily into computer technology don’t get out of the office enough and work out. Thankfully, touch screen monitors provide some type of exercise and help build muscles in our forearms and shoulders.

 Part of the reason why touch screens haven’t replaced mice is because humans aren’t designed to hold their arms in front of them for extended periods of time. Using a touch screen monitor also requires making small repetitive motions over and over again. Thrdr typed of usage have been referred to as developing “gorilla arm”.  Over extended periods of using touch screen monitors as primary devices, most people go back to using a mouse after a few days.

 Microsoft and Apple have found ways to overcome this problem. First, Apple introduced an intuitive interface for the iPhone and iPod touch devices that have a touch screen, but it is much smaller and easier to manipulate than prior small devices using touch screens. Cell phones are used much less than regular computers, and the iPhone or iPod touch can easily be placed in the most comfortable position for its user.  Next, Microsoft developed “surface” which is an uber expensive coffee table with a screen that employs touch screen technology. Using this table is easier than a conventional touch screen monitor because it is positioned on the floor allowing the user to keep their arms downward instead of extending them outward.

 With these advances, touch screen monitors have their place in homes and businesses. Applications and situations that require short visits or quick viewing are ideal for touch screens. They save space and can easily be put in malls, stores, restaurants and more.  A touch screen monitor can be added to most modern systems and applications are also increasingly being developed to use touch technology. 

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 21st, 2008 at 11:20 am and is filed under Input devices. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.