Now that we have touchscreen phones, can touchscreen computers be far behind? Just think of the possibilities. How about drawing with your fingers, using finger-painting software? Or composing music with a multi-touch percussion centre? All these and more can happen with deft touches of the screen.
Research and innovations on touchscreen technologies have been taking place for many years and early this year, a touchscreen PC arrived on our shores – Hewlett Packard’s TouchSmart. Many other PC makers including Apple, Sony, Toshiba, Samsung and Lenovo are lining up similar offerings, thanks to a small but eager market of tech-savvy geeks ready to pay top money. So much so, even though these touchscreen PCs cost three times more than regular computers, computer makers are unfazed by prospects in the market place.
“In India, the average selling price of desktops is Rs 25,000 and notebooks, Rs 30,000. The lowest touchscreen enabled monitor would probably be Rs 60,000,” said Diptarup Chakraborti, principal research analyst at Gartner India, the global IT research firm. Actually, HP’s TouchSmart retails for Rs. 89,900-plus. “In that sense, vendors are addressing the top end of the market. As of now, it’s more of a talking point and not a volume driven industry,” he added.
Touchscreen technology — as users of iPhones or other touchscreen phones already know — is a new and delightful way to use the devices. This allow users to zoom in and out, flip images around and perform many tasks in the most natural way — using our fingers. Computer makers recognise that touchscreen is the future, though it is not likely that the keyboard and mouse are going away in a hurry. Still, in many situations, it may be preferable and certainly more convenient to use the natural input device, rather than carry along the accessories.
Predictably, companies like Microsoft have been at the forefront of advances in touchscreen technology. Two years ago, it unveiled a table-top device called Surface (see box), and now it is readying a latest version of its Windows operating system that will have touch technologies built-in. When Windows 7 is launched, it will mean that touch will be available on most PCs in the world and that users will no longer need special software to enjoy multi-touch capabilities. Microsoft officials say Windows 7, which will be launched worldwide on Oct 22, optimises the core experiences for touch, in particular the ones focused on web browsing, media playback or image management. Touch is designed to augment not replace the mouse and keyboard experience with Windows.
Even ahead of such improvements, many PC makers are lining up a range of touch computers. There’s Dell’s Studio One 19, an all-in-one entertainment PC which will go on sale later this month. It is being positioned as a shared living-room computer on which a family can view and move photos and manage music. Among other things, users can unleash their creativity with You Paint finger-painting software, create a musical masterpiece with the multi-touch percussion centre, or record videos and upload directly to YouTube, all at the touch of a finger.
ASUS, a pioneer in inexpensive computers, will join the bandwagon with its Eee Keyboard PC. Despite its name, it will boast a five-inch touchscreen. Also coming is an Eee Top PC, an all-in-one 15.6-inch fully interactive touchscreen computer. Given its reputation, ASUS will likely offer more affordable prices than some other bigger brands.
— kavitha@epmltd.com