Touchscreen technology – something most gadget lovers take for granted in their everyday dealings with smartphones and tablets – didn’t achieve precision until the 1990s, but today, they are increasingly lighter, finer, and more adaptable. Innovative designers have developed an array of new screens capable of doing everything from bending to being projected onto any flat surface.
photo credit: Timothy Muza / Unsplash
If you are thinking of replacing your projector, tablet or laptop, ensure the item you purchase has at least one of these cool features.
Touchscreen Projectors For Schools
Most kids these days (at least those who use smartphones or tablets regularly) assume that all screens are touchscreens, so it is only logical that one focus for the touchscreen design sector is schools. Sony’s Xperia Touch is a cool gadget that any educational institution could benefit from, since it is essentially a projector that turns any surface into a touchscreen. Light, and portable, it melds televisions, tablets, and smart speakers in one single device. The Xperia has a power-packed speaker with Google Assistant support, so it can receive voice commands as well.
Minimalist Design
Touchscreens should be large enough to display all items and permit users to seamlessly navigate between different apps. A high-end touch screen laptop should contain a minimal bezel or frame in order to offer users an 84% (or higher) screen-to-body ratio while maintaining an ultra-thin structure and a light weight for easy transportation from meeting to meeting.
Renowned brands have developed large-size screens within devices weighing 3.22 pounds or less. The result is a marriage of design and functionality that is fast making this type of laptop the choice for savvy entrepreneurs and managers.
Spray-On Touchscreens
Carnegie Mellon University academics have devised a touchscreen that can be sprayed onto any surface. The spray, called Electrick, can be applied to anything from musical instruments to walls, steering wheels, and even food. All that is required is to apply electrically conductive materials such as paints, carbon-loaded films, or plastics to the surfaces intended to be used for projection. This technology has already been used to create an interactive smartphone case and a game controller that changes the position and combination of buttons depending on the game users wish to play on a given day.
Improving Durability
One of the most important developments when it comes to touchscreen tech is the development of extremely rugged screens which are capable of lasting through even the most extreme conditions.
One such touchscreen is called ULTRA Resistive by A D Metro. The screen incorporates a borosilicate glass surface that is far sturdier than the traditional polyethylene ones found in most commercial products. The screen is resistant to vandalism, scratches and cracking, and it can withstand being exposed to water and a long list of chemicals. It is meant for use in environments in which screens are at a greater risk of being exposed to contaminants; laboratories and factories are two settings that spring to mind.
Touchscreen Headphones
Touchscreens are increasingly making their presence felt in a wider range of gadgets. Debussy has developed a set of smart headphones that do not require connection to another device to work. The device is wireless and it boasts its own touchscreen displays that users can scroll through in order to access their favorite playlist or choose a custom cover that expresses their sense of style. The headphones, called Debussy Prelude, enable boast gesture control, standalone music searches, custom album art displays, and voice assistance commands.
More and more gadgets are incorporating touchscreen technology, which in turn has become increasingly sophisticated. Just a few innovations in this sector include minimalist design, sturdier screens, and spray-on functionalities.
Touchscreens are extending their reach beyond tablets and phones, appearing in fancy devices like headphones that are both fashionable and ultra-high-tech.
