Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Touch Screens

In today’s day and age the general public is highly reliant on technology. This dependency is not only because of the luxury aspect but also because of the efficiency of certain applications. Having applications that lessen the work load of individuals is a recent trend that has inspired everyone in the United States to do less and still accomplish the same. A technology that is growing at the same rate of popularity as innovativeness is touch screens. The ability to substitute numerical commands with a flick of a wrist and a tap of the finger has allowed the general public as well as many corporations to benefit greatly.

An example of how touch screens have increased the efficiency of individuals is though touch screens on the most common electronic device, cell phones. In fact it was Samsung’s very own Omnia II device that set the New Guinness World Record for Fastest Texting Ever by five seconds. In a mere 35.54 seconds Franklin Page wrote a whole paragraph on the razor-tooth piranhas. In accomplishing this Samsung as well as the newly developed technology of the touch screen are making a statement that pressing a button and entering commands is a thing of the past. Now users of touch screen phones such as the Omnia II and the iPhone can send texts and emails much more quick and efficient than before, enabling them to get into contact with more people in less time.

Now large corporations are using touch screen friendly applications so that people can accomplish tasks with fewer problems so that things can run more smoothly. From how we order food to how we travel, touch screens are slowly impacting our lives in greater ways than we can imagine. Now even getting a boarding pass for a flight require a person to use an interactive touch screen to scan one’s passport and get them to their proper terminal. This in itself eliminates the need for such a large amount of travel agents to help people find out where they need to go. Companies profit from this because they need less workers, there are less complaints, and that the customers are more satisfied because of the increased efficiency.

A huge reason why touch screen interfaces and interactions benefit the public is because it decreases room for error. An example of this is in ATM machines. The new “highly rugged, waterproof, scratch-resistant, and dust-proof” (Touch-Screen ATM) that have been installed into ATM machines require people to touch the option in which they want to select. Rather than reading fine print and hitting small buttons, the option itself is clickable allowing people to deposit and withdraw money at greater speeds.

Despite the large amount of benefits there are negatives to the reliance on touch screen applications. As touch screens are becoming more popular, skill sets such as typing on a keyboard and entering numerical commands to perform functions are becoming obsolete. This means that even though touch screens increase efficiency and make life easier it is still taking away from people’s intelligence to accomplish matters on their own. Being a huge topic of debate these days, these increased technologies may help us in the short-term but who knows what people will be able to do for themselves with all these new luxuries.

Works Cited
Hannaford, Kat. "Samsung Sets New Guinness World Record For Fastest Texting Ever, In A Commercial." Gizmodo, the Gadget Guide. Web. 11 Oct. 2011. .
Joseph, Chris. "Benefits of Touch Screen Technology EHow.com." EHow How to Videos, Articles & More - Discover the Expert in You. EHow.com. Web. 11 Oct. 2011. .
"Touch Screen Kiosks: Touch Screen Solutions for Airports Touch4." Touch Screen Kiosks with Advanced Touch Screen Software Touch4. Web. 11 Oct. 2011. .
Touchscreen ATM - Touch Screen ATM. Web. 11 Oct. 2011. .

1 comment:

  1. Technology adapts to the times. As years go by, the demands for newer, faster, and different products increase. One of the premiere features added to technological devices would be the touch screen. The first touch screen was a capacitive touch screen developed by E.A. Johnson at the Royal Radar Establishment, Malvern, UK. The touch screen has highly developed over the years and items now such as Verizon's Droid and Apple's iPad and iPhone are prime examples of devices with touch screens simply taking over.
    As Shan said, there are numerous benefits in possessing a touch screen device over a non-touch screen. For example, at public displays the people can find the information they need with easy access by navigating through presentations with a simple touch. At transportation stops, restaurants, or busy stores people can avoid heavy lines by creating their own orders instantly thus saving time for the customer and worker. Touch screens are highly user-friendly therefore people can learn operations much more quickly. Furthermore, say if you were to have new employees come work for you and you needed them to understand the business and how it functions? A touch screen can provide all useful information with a simple flick of the finger. The ability to examine, minimize, maximize, and look into items is far more helpful for that of touch screens. A total of 101 million touch screen phones were shipped out in the first quarter of 2011 alone thus proving people desire the benefits of having a screen that one can interact with.
    However, there are also some negatives with the popular touch screens. Unlike many people I would actually prefer a phone without a touch screen. I have the iPhone and it is surely a unique phone, but there are certain things I just do not like. I find the typing on touch screens to be quite hard and slower than that of non-touch screens. Also, a lot of times touch-screens dial someone by mistake which is commonly known as the "butt-dial" in our day and age. I am glad I grew up without a cellphone because it allowed me to practice with devices and gain a sense of accomplishment rather than having everything be set for me already like the smart phones and touch screen devices do for people.
    Touch screens are a prime example of technology evolving but are people's intelligence evolving too or actually lessening due to its easy accessibility?

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