Touch screen monitor

Portable electronic devices have been designed to perform a large variety of functions, including cellular phone, personal digital assistants (PDAs), video camcorders, digital cameras, and notebook computers. All of these

devices store information and perform tasks under direction of the user of the device, and therefore have a user interface. A typical user interface includes a means for displaying information, a means for inputting information and operation control, and often a means for playing sounds and audio signals. As the size of these communication devices decreases and as the number of functions increase, it has become increasingly important for a user to be able to enter commands and information into the communication device in an efficient manner. With a reduction in size of the device, a keypad input device must also be reduced in size, thereby decreasing the efficiency with which information can be input by reducing the number and size of the keys.

Furthermore, with a reduction in size of the device, the display size must also be reduced. Still furthermore, the use of a mouse with such devices is usually not possible since a mouse requires a flat clean surface to be properly used.

The touch screen display is an alternative to fixed buttons. Touch screens are more convenient than conventional computer screens because the user can directly point to an item of interest on the screen instead of having to use a mouse or other pointer. A touch screen allows the user of a terminal to enter a menu selection or data by placing a finger or other object at a location on the display screen that corresponds to the menu item, function or data numeral to be entered.

The touch screens are manufactured as separate devices and mechanically mated to the viewing surfaces of the displays. Touch screens can be activated by many different types of contacts, including by finger, pen, and stylus. The user touches different areas of the touch screen to activate different functions. Touch screens for computer input permit a user to write or draw information on a computer screen or select among various regions of a computer generated display, typically by the user's finger or by a free or tethered stylus.

The use of a touch screen input device that serves both as a display and as an input device for the communication device allows a larger display in that a large keypad is no longer required since many of the functions have been taken over by the use of the display screen as an input device.

The touch screen is made of transparent material. When the touch screen is placed over a video display device, images from the video display device are visible through the touch screen. A touch screen typically involves a cathode ray tube monitor (CRT) or liquid crystal display (LCD) monitor and a transparent touch-sensitive overlay that is attached to the front face of the monitor.

Comprehension questions:

1. What does a typical user interface include?

2. Why has it become increasingly important for a user to be able to en­ter commands and information into the communication device in an efficient manner?

3. What is an alternative to fixed buttons?

4. How can touch screens be activated?

5. What material is the touch screen made of?