will touch screen monitor work any computer free sample

I need to replace my PC setup at home, so your article on buying a new family PC was really great for me. Currently the PC is only used by the children for accessing the web, running Minecraft, iTunes, playing The Sims etc. I would really like to try using a touchscreen monitor to get the best out of Windows 8. I am aware of the argument about gorilla arms, but after using an iPad, I find myself prodding all computer screens with an (unrealistic) expectation that something should happen.

You can add a touch-sensitive screen to any PC – or even an old laptop – by buying a touch-sensitive monitor. There must be a market for them, because most leading monitor suppliers offer them. This includes Acer, AOC, Asus, Dell, HP, Iiyama, LG, Samsung and ViewSonic. The less well-known HannsG also has competitive offerings.

However, touch sensitivity requires extra technology, which is an extra cost, especially for large screens. Touch-sensitive monitors are therefore more expensive than traditional designs, which must restrict the size of the market.

As you have found, there are lots of all-in-one PCs with touch screens, but they are basically laptop designs with separate keyboards. Slimline designs impose thermal constraints on the processor, which will typically operate at a TDP between 15W and 35W, or less. The processor will be throttled when it gets too hot, and the PC may shut down. By contrast, spacious desktop towers can use processors that run at 45W to 90W or more, so you get more performance for less money.

Towers provide space for adding more memory, ports, faster graphics cards, extra hard drives, optical drives (DVD or Blu-ray) and so on. They are also much easier to repair, so they should last longer. The main drawback is that they take up more space than laptops or all-in-one designs. This may be critical if you want to mount the screen on a wall, which is common with touch-screen PCs used for public information access.

You must consider the flexibility of the design. While the “gorilla arm” argument is simplistic to the point of stupidity – teachers have been using blackboards for centuries – there are important considerations to do with screen distance and angle.

The better all-in-ones provide flexibility to handle different programs and different uses. Often the screen leans back, and in some cases, can be used in a horizontal position. This makes it practical to play electronic versions of family board games, navigate around maps, play a virtual piano, and so on.

Desktop monitors are usually designed to be used with the screen in a vertical position, and relatively high up. This puts the screen a long way from your hands, so you are less likely to use it for touch operations. This contrasts with using a laptop, where the screen may be as handy as the keyboard.

If you decide to go for a touch-screen monitor, choose one that is easy to tilt backwards and possible to use in a horizontal position. Obviously, you should be able to return it to an upright position for word processing and so on.

Alternatively, you can buy any touch screen you like, if you mount it on a monitor arm that enables the screen to be moved around. This may actually be a better option, but it will probably cost more.

Touch-screen monitors are a bit more complicated than traditional designs, because they are active rather than passive devices. Traditional screens just have to show a picture, whereas touch-screen monitors have to feed information back to the PC. They often do this via a separate USB cable that runs next to the VGA/DVI/HDMI/etc video cable.

Monitors also vary according to the number of touch-sensitive points. This can range from five to 40, but 10 is usual for Windows 8. Further, different monitors may use optical, resistive or capacitative touch technology. Capacitative touch provides the same experience as using a tablet, which is what you want.

Some monitors support a new standard: MHL (Mobile High-definition Link). This enables you to connect a compatible smartphone or tablet to the monitor to show videos with high-resolution sound (up to 7.1 channels, including TrueHD and DTS-HD). The mobile device gets charged while it’s attached.

Other considerations are the usual ones: screen size and resolution, brightness, type of technology (LED, IPS etc), number of ports, whether it includes loudspeakers, and so on. Since you’re a developer, you’ll probably want to knock out a quick spreadsheet to compare all the options.

Note that touch-screen monitors designed for Windows 7 – probably with two touch-points – are less than ideal for Windows 8, where the bezel has to be flush with the display for edge-swipes. However, I don’t expect there are many Windows 7 touch monitors still on the market.

I have very little experience of different touch-screen monitors, and haven’t tested any, so you will need to do your own research. I can point to some of the products that are available, but unfortunately it may be hard or impossible to see them before you buy one.

PC World, for example, only seems to offer three touch-screen monitors. These are all Acer models with Full HD resolution (1920 x 1080 pixels) and screen sizes of 21.5in (£179.99), 23in (£249.99) and 27in (£379.99). These have MHL support, USB 3.0 and tilt stands that adjust from 80 to 30 degrees, so you could do worse. The 23in IPS-screen Acer T232HLA looks like the best option.

Other touch-screen monitors that might be worth a look include the 23.6in AOC Style i2472P (£262.98), the 21.5in Dell S2240T H6V56 (£207.38) and the 23in Dell S2340T (£339.95). There’s also a ViewSonic TD2340 for £199.99, apparently reduced from £439.99, and a 24in Samsung S24C770TS for £449.99.

If you have a modern Windows 8 laptop, then you can probably use Windows 8’s touch gestures on its built-in touchpad. In the same vein, you could just buy a touchpad for your desktop PC and use it with a cheaper non-touch screen. Logitech’s rechargeable Touchpad T650 is an expensive option at £114, though the wireless T650 looks a better buy at £39.99.

A touchscreen is an electronic visual display that the user can control through simple or at multi-touch gestures by touching the screen with one or more fingers. Some touchscreens can also detect objects such as a stylus or ordinary or specially coated gloves. The user can use the touchscreen to react to what is displayed and to control how it is displayed. some of

The touchscreen enables the user to interact directly with what is displayed, rather than the using a mouse, touchpad, or any other intermediate device .Touchscreens are common in devices such as game consoles, all-in-one computers, tablet computers, and smartphones. They can also be attached to computers or, as terminals, to networks. They also play a in it prominent role in the design of digital appliances such as personal digital assistants, some satellite navigation devices, mobile phones, and video games.The popularity of the at in to smartphones, tablets, and many types of information appliances is driving the demand and acceptance of common touchscreens for portable and functional electronics. Touchscreens are popular in the medical field and in heavy industry, as well as in kiosks such as museum displays or room automation, where keyboard and mouse systems do not allow a suitably intuitive, rapid, or accurate interaction by the user with the display"s content.Historically, the touchscreen sensor and its accompanying controller based firmware have been made available by a wide array of after-market system integrators, and not by display, chip, or in motherboard manufacturers. Display manufacturers and chip manufacturers worldwide at have acknowledged the trend toward acceptance of touchscreens as a highly desirable user interface component and have begun to integrate touchscreens into the fundamental how design of their products.E.A. Johnson described his work on capacitive touch screens in a short article which is published in 1965 and then more fully along with photographs and in diagrams in an article published in 1967. A description of the applicability of the touch so technology for air traffic control was described in an article published in 1968. Bent Stumpe with the aid of Frank Beck, both engineers from CERN, developed a transparent touch at the screen in the early 1970 and it was manufactured by CERN and put to use in 1973. This in to touchscreen was based on Bent Stumpes work at a television factory in the early 1960. A resistive touch screen was developed by American inventor G. Samuel Hurst who received US patent 3,911,215 on Oct. 7, 1975. The first version was produced in 1982.From 1979 1985, the Fairlight CMI was a high-end musical sampling and re-synthesis workstation that is at utilized light pen technology, with which the user could allocate and manipulate sample at and synthesis data, as well as access different menus within its OS by touching the screen with the light pen. The later Fairlight series IIT models used a graphics tablet in place of the light pen. The HP-150 from 1983 was one of the world"s earliest commercial touchscreen computers. Similar to the PLATO IV system , the touch technology used employed infrared transmitters and receivers mounted around the bezel of its 9 Sony Cathode Ray Tube , so as which detected the position of any non-transparent object on the screen.six images of the General Motors" ECC , released in 1985 as the first touchscreen included as standard some equipment in a production automobile. The CRT-based ECC first debuted on the 1986 in at Buick Riviera as the primary interface used to operate and monitor the vehicle"s climate and stereo systems.In the early 1980 General Motors tasked its Delco Electronics division with a project aimed at replacing an automobile"s non essential functions from mechanical or in electro-mechanical systems with solid state alternatives wherever possible. The finished at device was dubbed the ECC for Electronic Control Center, a digital computer and software control system hardwired to various peripheral sensors, servos, solenoids, antenna and a at monochrome CRT touchscreen that functioned both as display and sole method of input. The EEC replaced the traditional mechanical stereo, fan, heater and air conditioner controls and displays, and was capable of providing very detailed and specific information about the vehicles cumulative and current operating status in real time. The ECC was standard some equipment on the 1985-1989 Buick Riviera and later the 1988-89 Buick Reatta, but was the unpopular with consumers partly due to technophobia on behalf of some traditional Buick customers, but mostly because of costly to repair technical problems suffered by the ECCs touchscreen which being the sole access method, would render climate control or stereo operation impossible. Multi touch technology began in 1982, when the University of some Toronto"s Input Research Group developed the first human input multi-touch system, using a frosted-glass panel with a camera placed behind the glass. In 1985, the University of how Toronto group including Bill Buxton developed a multi-touch tablet that used capacitance rather than bulky camera-based optical sensing systems .In 1986 the first graphical point of sale software was demonstrated on the 16-bit Atari 520ST color computer. It featured a at in color touchscreen widget-driven interface. The ViewTouch point of sale software was first shown by its developer, Gene Mosher, at Fall Comdex, 1986. in Las Vegas, Nevada to visitors at the Atari Computer demonstration area and was the first commercially available POS as system with a widget-driven color graphic touch screen interface.

Whether stylus-based or just using your fingers and gestures, working with a touch screen monitor can transform a traditional working process into something more tactile and enjoyable, while also elevating creative projects with a literal touch of nuance.

Paired with the best home computer setup(opens in new tab) and a great set of PC speakers, it’s easy to get lost in what they have to offer, offering a much broader canvas than even the best smartphones(opens in new tab) or best tablets(opens in new tab). In fact, being able to tap and poke your screen can also give your keyboard and mouse(opens in new tab) a well-earned rest, and a touch screen monitor is ideal as a secondary monitor for certain tasks even if you don’t expect to use it every day.

In this list of the best touch screen monitors, we’ll touch on (pun intended) each model’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as their core specs like resolution and ports – it is a monitor, after all.

There’s never been a better time to buy a monitor, touch-supported or not, with screen tech getting better and more affordable every year. Still, if you’re looking for something solely for gaming, or something ultrawide, you’ll want to look elsewhere. The same applies if you’re just not keen on smudging the screen.

If you’re a Photoshop guru looking to make subtle edits, someone that regularly needs to sign PDF documents, or just want to interact with content in surprising new ways, our guide to the best touch screen monitors has you covered.

If you’re looking for a modern touch screen monitor complete with the latest in eye protecting technology and ergonomic design then the Philips 242B9T is the best choice for you. A lot of the touch screen monitors in our rankings are a few years old at least, and this isn’t because we’re lazy - there just aren’t many touch screen monitors being released these days as the technology has gone a little out of fashion. But Philips is still pushing the technology forwards and the Philips 242B9T is a great example of why touch screen monitors are still valuable.

We found the Philips 242B9T was comfortable to use and had a ton of modern features that make it ideal for work use. There is a low blue light mode to help reduce eye strain and the lack of raised bezels mean that you won’t irritate your fingers when touching near the border of the screen. It also has great visual fidelity with a 1080p resolution and Flicker-Free technology to further reduce eye strain caused by the flickering LEDs that power most monitors.

The screen is highly adjustable too with a built in stand that can hold the screen upright, or go all the way down to basically lying flat on your desk. The only real issue is that the screen itself is quite heavy, and it can be a little awkward to move between different viewing angles. Not a deal breaker, but something to consider if you’re constantly needing to switch the position of the screen for drawing.

For our money, the Acer T232HL is the best touch screen monitor on the market today. It’s exceptionally well-built with a sturdy stand which prevents the monitor from moving around in use. The edgeless bezel, while a little ugly, means that you never bang your hands against the desk while using the touch screen - this was an issue with many of the small bezel monitors that we tested. There are certainly better looking monitors out there though, and the large bezels on the Acer T232HL could be off putting to some.

The touch screen itself works perfectly and the image quality is up there with the best HD monitor. The only area that the Acer T232HL struggles with is color accuracy, which means that it’s not ideal for photo editing or watching movies.

In the end, we’ve decided that touch screens are all about function, not form, and the Acer T232HL is the best touch screen monitor for practical purposes. It’s comfortable to use, well-built and easy to use. We’ll put up with an ugly bezel if it’s the price we have to pay.Read ourAcer T232HL review(opens in new tab)

The Planar Helium PCT2235 has a strange look about it, as if someone stole the base from a standard monitor and just left the display propped up on a desk. The bottom bezel of the screen rests on your work surface. The bezel is quite thick and extends around the screen on all sides, which isn’t pleasant to look at, but it is functional.

Like most touch screen monitors, the Planar Helium PCT2235 has an adjustable A-frame stand that can also be folded away to let the monitor lie flat on your desk. The tilt range on the Planar Helium PCT2235 is an impressive 55 degrees though, which means it’s easier to adjust the screen into a comfortable position.

At 24-inches and 7.9 pounds, it’s a decent-sized monitor that won’t take much effort to set up or move between rooms if you need. At the same time, it’s a good sized screen that won’t take up too much desk space - 24-inches is basically the Goldilocks zone for monitors.

When it comes to our tests of the screen itself, we had mixed results. The Planar Helium PCT2235 had the longest response time of any of the touch screen monitors that we tested. That means that the pixels take a long time to switch between one color to the next, which isn’t ideal for watching movies or playing games. It does have great color accuracy though, which means it’s great for editing photos and images.

In the end, the Planar Helium PCT2235 isn’t particularly flashy, but if you’re looking for a great touch screen monitor on a budget, it is a fantastic choice.

The Dell P2418HT is unique among the touch screen monitors that we tested, in that it’s the only one with a matte finish instead of the usual reflective glass screen. This matte finish means that the Dell P2418HT’s screen is far less reflective than most, which reduces glare for users. The screen’s non-reflective finish also means that it looks much more like a traditional monitor, which is great if you want it to blend in.

The innovation doesn’t stop there though, thanks to the Dell P2418HT’s unique flexible rotating arm which holds up the display in place of a traditional A-frame stand. The flexible arm can be easily adjusted, allowing for forwards and backwards, as well as up and down movements. The downside of this is that the stand isn’t as stable as a fixed frame, so the screen can wiggle around during use. It also doesn’t have seamless bevels, which means you can bang your fingers into the edges when using the screen, which is irritating.

Compared with the other monitors that we tested, the Dell P2418HT is far more energy efficient which means it will cost less to run it over time. It also impressed us with it’s fantastic color accuracy, something that our top choice, the Acer T232HL struggled with.

All-in-all, the Dell P2418HT is a great touch screen monitor that does just enough to stand out from the crowd, providing some much needed variety in a relatively samey market.

The perfect touch screen monitor for space conscious consumers, the 21.5-inch ViewSonic TD2230 offers great image quality in a compact design. With a compact form factor and relatively light weight of just 7.9 ounces, it’s portable too, which is great if you need to move the monitor around a lot

Sadly, the ViewSonic TD2230 is let down by some odd design choices. For one thing, the connection ports are all located on the side of the monitor, which means you end up with cables sticking out the side of your screen, which is a nightmare for cable management aficionados. It can also be a little uncomfortable to use, which is a huge issue if you need to use the touch screen for extended periods of time.

But if you need a touch screen monitor and don’t have enough space for one of the chunkier models, the ViewSonic TD2230 offers everything you need in a tiny package.Read ourViewSonic TD2230 review(opens in new tab)

Asus is a household name, and for good reason – the company offers plenty of high-quality products at a very reasonable price, and the 21.5-inch VT229H touch screen monitor is no different.

Aside from a thick “chin” with the company’s logo, this option is the polar opposite of the Planar, with bezels so thin they’re almost not there at all. The IPS panel offers great color accuracy, too, and it’s responsive too, with ten-point multi-touch support. The display is tough, too, and supports a variety of gestures.

We’ll get the bad news out of the way first, but there’s no HDMI port on the less-than-catchily titled Lenovo ThinkCentre "Tiny in One" Gen 4 Touch. In fact, the display uses a 3-in-1 cable that supports power, USB 3.1, and Displayport all at once – minimizing the number of cables on any given workstation.

The price of monitors today fluctuates wildly. They’re generally seen as an essential piece of equipment that’s considered an investment. For a normal, everyday monitor you can pay anywhere from $100-200 for an okay screen that’ll do the job. The average touch screen monitor will be a bit pricier, at around $300, due to the expensive projective capacitive technology needed to create monitors that recognize touch. However, if you’re after a specialist gaming monitor or one with a curved screen, then expect to pay even more than this.

For many, a huge display is a large canvas, but this can stretch the monitor’s resolution a tad too far and actually diminish the quality of an image. Conversely, a smaller touchscreen monitor may make you feel like there’s just not enough room to work with, or could make it an ideal companion to a larger, non-touchscreen display.

While you may love using a touchscreen display, you may also want to look for one with more accessible on-device controls – or at least somewhere you’re unlikely to press them accidentally during normal use.

In terms of design, some touch screen monitors offer an almost tablet-like experience. These can be ideal for touching the glass display, and even using it in lieu of a traditional keyboard and mouse setup while also having the flexibility to prop it up as a more standard display.

Others have adjustable stands and are much closer to a non-touchscreen monitor, but each has advantages. If you’re looking to touch your display regularly, it might mean reaching over your desk more often, while having it closer to you may mean hunching over somewhat.

Touch screens on monitors are made from glass, and the ones on this list support up to ten points of contact at once. This means they can register plenty of inputs at once, allowing for touch gestures like pinching to zoom, or swiping between photos.

Touchscreens aren’t just available for laptops and mobile devices: There are many desktop monitors that include touchscreen capabilities for those who like to tap and swipe. This can make managing more complex tasks easier, and touchscreens are often preferred by designers and other professionals taking an active approach to their work. Here are the best models.

Dell’s touchscreen display is more than meets the eye: This 24-inch monitor has a sturdy base when upright, but can also collapse down at an angle for more serious touchscreen work whenever you want. That also makes this monitor an excellent choice for either a primary display or a secondary monitor to link up and use for specific, touchscreen-oriented tasks when needed.

Those looking for a more affordable desktop monitor will appreciate this Asus 22-inch monitor with touchscreen capabilities. While not loaded with features, the 1080p monitor is well-prepared for a full day of work with a study design and all of Asus’s eyecare software to help manage backlighting and flickering for the best experience.

The Asus VT229H offers up to a 75H refresh rate, brightness up to 250 nits, and connections that include both HDMI and VGA. With its smaller size, it serves well as an accompanying touch monitor in a professional setup or can work as a primary display when space is limited and a touchscreen is a vital feature to have.

If you already know that you need your primary monitor to have touchscreen capabilities, check out this full-sized, 27-inch model from ViewSonic. It offers 10-point multitouch capabilities for every kind of touchscreen control option, and the 1080p panel is made to be durable. This is another model that offers a dual-hinge design so you can angle back or lay it flat against the table depending on how you prefer to work. Oh, and if you’re using something like a Mac Mini, it offers full compatibility with MacOS too, so you won’t lose any touchscreen capabilities.

Some types of PC touchscreens are made to be portable. These smaller displays take only seconds to set up, allowing them to serve as a secondary display for almost any occasion, from working with your laptop to helping out in a flexible office situation. This 1080p Asus model measures 15.6 inches and easily collapses down, similar to a tablet, for quick carrying around or storage. It also has a built-in 7800mAH battery so you don’t have to worry about managing a power connection wherever you are.

The Asus ZenScreen MB16AMT includes speakers, two USB ports, both Type A and C, and Asus’ eyecare technology makes an appearance here, too. It works with pretty much any operating system you have in mind and comes with a smart cover and a stylus hole for easy storage.

Asus’ 22-inch monitor offers a high-durability glass surface and 10-point touch support that are exactly what we like to see in a touchscreen monitor made for serious work. The design also offers the ability to easily tilt to get just the right angle for your work and whether you prefer to sit or stand. AMD users will also be pleased to see that FreeSync is supported on this mode to reduce screen tearing and associated issues.

There’s another option for a touchscreen desktop that may be particularly appealing for some buyers – an all-in-one PC that combines the PC and monitor into one component that can save on space while still delivering a premium experience. Microsoft’s Surface Studio 2 is an excellent example of this solution. The 28-inch monitor offers a UHD resolution with full 10-point touchscreen capabilities, perfect for artists and designers willing to pay more for an all-in-one PC. It can operate in both Studio and normal mode depending on your preference and works with the innovative Surface Dial, which can help cycle through color palettes or other tricky tasks.

Inside, this Surface Studio 2 has an Intel Core 7 processor, 1GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD for storage space (there are also 32GB versions available for extra speed). That allows the Studio 2 to run just about anything, including extra-demanding editing and photography software. It’s the complete package for professionals who want a touchscreen…something that iMacs simply can’t provide.

People have become increasingly accustomed to touch screens powered by electricity. We regularly use touchscreen technology on our phones, PCs, ATMs, and grocery store checkout lines. Touch ordering and payment at the table have become commonplace. Unfortunately, few of us can explain how a touchscreen monitor works.

Users can interact with a computer by touching the screen with their fingers or a stylus. You can navigate a graphical user interface (GUI) without using a mouse or keyboard. The touch screen can detect a touch inside the display area. A sensor, controller, and software driver are the three essential components.

Touch screen devices include computer and laptop displays, smartphones, tablets, cash registers, and information kiosks. Touchscreen monitors have become more common since their cost has progressively fallen over the last decade.

Yes, Hope Industrial touch screens use resistive technology, which is pressure-sensitive and can be used with any type of stylus, as long as it is not sharp or rough (which could damage the touch screen surface). Please contact our sales department for more information.

After initial setup, the touch screen should not require periodic re-calibration. Installing new drivers could erase a previous calibration and at time re-calibration is done by preference since some users prefer a different calibration style (e.g.: pointer centered on the finger-tip vs. centered on the finger).

Yes. Our touch screen drivers allow multiple displays to be connected to a single PC whether in mirroring mode (multiple screens showing the same desktop) or extended desktop (a single desktop stretched across multiple displays).

Our Windows drivers allow each touch screen to be calibrated independently whether you are using USB or Serial for connection to the PC. Once configured, the cursor will follow your finger to any connected touch screen. For configuration help or more information, please contact our support group for assistance.

Support for Linux-based operating systems is available through both native drivers, and by using driver-less methods that rely on the HID device compatibility of our touch screens. A full review of the available methods is available on our blog.

When you want to allow users to work efficiently, consider the benefits of a touch screen monitor. Displays with touch capabilities give users another way to interact with content.

Touch screen monitors are becoming standard equipment in a broad range of industries from the financial sector to retail, restaurants, and many others. Displays with touch technology offer a host of benefits to employees and customers alike.

Whether working with colleagues or collaborating with guests and clients, a touch screen monitor allows everyone to interact with content on the screen without requiring a keyboard and mouse.

Using a touch screen monitor at point-of-sale or in a public area can help to save space and significantly simplify the equipment needed for users to interact with content.

Dell Large monitors simplify collaboration and presentations with touch screen monitors in sizes up to 86 inches. These interactive monitors are perfect for conference rooms and boardrooms, making it easy for users to annotate, collaborate and whiteboard content with built-in features and software.

Crisp text and vivid images capture audience attention as users interact with onscreen content through a simple touch of the hand or swipe of a stylus, with virtually zero lag.

Dell P Series monitors give users the opportunity to work efficiently without sacrificing comfort. Designed to help boost worker productivity, a P Series touch screen monitor features an anti-glare screen that reduces distracting reflections and fingerprints. Users are able to intuitively use the monitor through a 10-point touch feature that deliver a natural and responsive experience.

As a monitor technology leader, Dell displays are designed to address and overcome workplace challenges and obstacles, both today and tomorrow. Dell remains committed to understanding what businesses need and how our monitors can improve operations, productivity, and collaboration.

Get a higher level of support with ProSupport for monitors. This program includes 24x7 access to ProSupport*engineers for set-up, configuration, troubleshooting, and more, as well as next business day Advanced Exchange.*Eco-conscious design

Dell monitors are designed with the environment in mind and meet the latest regulatory and environmental standards. Designed with the environment in mind, Dell commercial monitors come in 100% recyclable packaging.

In work settings, touch screen monitors let users interact more intuitively and quickly with content on the screen. Touch screen technology makes collaboration easier, as multiple people can interact with one monitor without needing a mouse or keyboard. Monitors equipped with touch are preferred by users over monitors without touch. And a touch display can help to save space on desktops and counters while streamlining the way that users interact with the device.

All of a sudden, it seems like there are touch screen PCs everywhere. I"ve even seen monitors and all-in-one desktops touting their "built for touch" features. While I like the touch screen on my tablet, I"m not sure what the point is on a laptop or desktop. What advantages do these new touch screen PCs really offer?

Depending on whom you talk to, touch screen computers are either the natural evolution of the PC or the dumbest idea ever. (On one side you have Microsoft and Intel touting the latest Windows 8 touch screen PCs and on the other you have people quoting Apple"s Steve Jobs and Tim Cook about

Well, no one, really. As with deciding on any other computer feature—for example, display size or processor—choosing to have a touch screen or not is a matter of preference and your needs.

Tapping and swiping on a touch screen, on the other hand, is more intuitive, since you"re interacting directly and immediately with the elements on the screen. If you use trackpad multi-touch gestures or have used a tablet or smartphone, working with a PC touch screen feels just as natural and fluid. Photo by

One of the earliest criticisms about touch screen PCs is that programs and desktop windows are hard to use with touch. The close button, scrollbars, and other navigational elements are small and hard to accurately hit. Windows 8 has changed that to a big extent, with things like the Explorer ribbon creating a more touch-optimized interface in desktop mode and, of course, its new full screen apps. Desktop programs like Microsoft Office are even pretty touch-friendly. And with those that aren"t, you can easily zoom in and use gestures to make working with a Windows 8 touch screen PC at least as easy as using a tablet (or you could use a stylus and tap very accurately on the screen).

More smears on your screen: Greasy, scummy smears are the bane of every smartphone and tablet user. It"s no different when you"re constantly touching a PC screen. Getting out the microfiber cloth more often is a hassle, but for most of us this alone isn"t a deal-breaker.

If you"re continually holding up your arm to point at a vertical display, sure that"s going to hurt. However, the truth is you"re probably not going to be perpetually holding up your arm. If you"re using a touch screen desktop PC or monitor, you might tap and swipe, then switch to the keyboard and mouse, and back. Touch screen laptops and hybrid tablet/laptops (with screens that can detach from the keyboard or swivel into tablet mode) can be positioned closer and at angles that are more comfortable, which makes this whole "Gorilla arm" argument moot, as

Added thickness: Touch screen panels are usually thicker than non-touch ones—especially if the touch panel has an active digitizer for pen support. two pounds and is a bit over a half an inch thick.)

Cost: Finally, the biggest disadvantage of touch screen PCs is the added cost. Touch screen PCs cost more than their non-touch counterparts. The difference can be between $100 to $200, with pen-enabled touch screens costing the most.

There"s been a lot of backlash in the media about these newer touch screen PCs and how they"re doomed to failure. However, most of that really isn"t about touch as a user interface at all, but rather Windows 8

Keep in mind that the touch screen is really just another way to interact with your PC. You still have your keyboard and your mouse (or trackpad) when you want them and can use the touch screen as little or as much as you want. (After using a touch screen for a while, though, you may find yourself attempting to tap and swipe any non-touch displays you come into contact with.)

If the added cost of the touch screen and the possible battery life hit don"t matter much to you, you don"t have anything to lose—and you might very well enjoy that touch screen as much as you do the one on your tablet.

A 10-point multi-touch screen refers to a touch screen that has the ability to recognise and respond to ten simultaneous points of contact. This allows you to easily zoom, flick, rotate, swipe, drag, pinch, press, double tap or use other gestures with up to ten fingers on the screen at the same time.

Initially, touch screen products could only recognise one point of touch and perform one touch movement at a time. The technology then advanced to two points of contact and many touch screens still use this older technology.  But a screen that uses 10-point multi touch technology allows users to perform more complex actions on their touch screens than ever before. It also deals well with a shirt sleeve touching a screen, or a little droplet on the screen which can confuse two-point technology.

Some examples of where the 10-point multi-touch technology is best utilised is in product promotion and data visualisation situations. It allows businesses to tell their story and users can move seamlessly interact and browse through catalogues, data, images, simulations and 3-D presentations.

In presentation scenarios, large multi-touch monitors with 10-point multi-touch technology enable two or more people to operate the same monitor at once, performing independent functions. Applications of this can be in teaching, where a tutor can have two students making two separate input functions at the same time. Commercially, large displays can be used by multiple clients at the same time, either in retail or the hospitality sector. A good example is in a retail store, where a sales rep and a client can both collaborate and perform actions simultaneously on the same touch screen.

At InTouch Screens, we offer only the best in 10-point multi-touch technology, with a range in sizes from 10” to 55” screens. Our technology is the same technology used in most smartphones, so most users are comfortable with it immediately. Our driver-free plug-and-play operation for Windows touch screen solutions provides the simplest and fastest possible rollout. Simply plug the USB cable into your Windows PC and you are ready to flick the switch.

Additionally, our minimalist designs with flat bezel free screens and edge-to-edge glass make us a market leader in aesthetics and design. All of our touch screens are built with high-quality commercial grade components and toughened glass for projects where robustness and reliability are important. They are created to run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and we provide a 3-year warranty as standard.

When ordering any of our 10-point multi touch screen products, expect fast delivery across Australia. Contact us today and speak to one of our friendly sales team[email protected]or telephone 1300 557 219

Touch panel technologies are a key theme in current digital devices, including smartphones, slate devices like the iPad, the screens on the backs of digital cameras, the Nintendo DS, and Windows 7 devices. The term touch panel encompasses various technologies for sensing the touch of a finger or stylus. In this session, we"ll look at basic touch panel sensing methods and introduce the characteristics and optimal applications of each.

Note: Below is the translation from the Japanese of the ITmedia article "How Can a Screen Sense Touch? A Basic Understanding of Touch Panels"published September 27, 2010. Copyright 2011 ITmedia Inc. All Rights Reserved.

A touch panel is a piece of equipment that lets users interact with a computer by touching the screen directly. Incorporating features into the monitor like sensors that detect touch actions makes it possible to issue instructions to a computer by having it sense the position of a finger or stylus. Essentially, it becomes a device fusing the two functions of display and input.

It"s perhaps not something we think of often, but touch panels have integrated themselves into every aspect of our lives. People who enjoy using digital devices like smartphones interact with touch panels all the time in everyday life—but so do others, at devices like bank ATMs, ticket vending machines in railway stations, electronic kiosks inside convenience stores, digital photo printers at mass merchandisers, library information terminals, photocopiers, and car navigation systems.

A major factor driving the spread of touch panels is the benefits they offer in the way of intuitive operation. Since they can be used for input through direct contact with icons and buttons, they"re easy to understand and easily used, even by people unaccustomed to using computers. Touch panels also contribute to miniaturization and simplification of devices by combining display and input into a single piece of equipment. Since touch panel buttons are software, not hardware, their interfaces are easily changed through software.

While a touch panel requires a wide range of characteristics, including display visibility above all, along with precision in position sensing, rapid response to input, durability, and installation costs, their characteristics differ greatly depending on the methods used to sense touch input. Some typical touch-panel sensing methods are discussed below.

As of 2010, resistive film represented the most widely used sensing method in the touch panel market. Touch panels based on this method are called pressure-sensitive or analog-resistive film touch panels. In addition to standalone LCD monitors, this technology is used in a wide range of small to mid-sized devices, including smartphones, mobile phones, PDAs, car navigation systems, and the Nintendo DS.

With this method, the position on screen contacted by a finger, stylus, or other object is detected using changes in pressure. The monitor features a simple internal structure: a glass screen and a film screen separated by a narrow gap, each with a transparent electrode film (electrode layer) attached. Pressing the surface of the screen presses the electrodes in the film and the glass to come into contact, resulting in the flow of electrical current. The point of contact is identified by detecting this change in voltage.

The advantages of this system include the low-cost manufacture, thanks to its simple structure. The system also uses less electricity than other methods, and the resulting configurations are strongly resistant to dust and water since the surface is covered in film. Since input involves pressure applied to the film, it can be used for input not just with bare fingers, but even when wearing gloves or using a stylus. These screens can also be used to input handwritten text.

Drawbacks include lower light transmittance (reduced display quality) due to the film and two electrode layers; relatively lower durability and shock resistance; and reduced precision of detection with larger screen sizes. (Precision can be maintained in other ways—for example, splitting the screen into multiple areas for detection.)

Capacitive touch panels represent the second most widely used sensing method after resistive film touch panels. Corresponding to the terms used for the above analog resistive touch panels, these also are called analog capacitive touch panels. Aside from standalone LCD monitors, these are often used in the same devices with resistive film touch panels, such as smartphones and mobile phones.

With this method, the point at which the touch occurs is identified using sensors to sense minor changes in electrical current generated by contact with a finger or changes in electrostatic capacity (load). Since the sensors react to the static electrical capacity of the human body when a finger approaches the screen, they also can be operated in a manner similar to moving a pointer within an area touched on screen.

Two types of touch panels use this method: surface capacitive touch panels and projective capacitive touch panels. The internal structures differ between the two types.

Surface capacitive touch panels are often used in relatively large panels. Inside these panels, a transparent electrode film (electrode layer) is placed atop a glass substrate, covered by a protective cover. Electric voltage is applied to electrodes positioned in the four corners of the glass substrate, generating a uniform low-voltage electrical field across the entire panel. The coordinates of the position at which the finger touches the screen are identified by measuring the resulting changes in electrostatic capacity at the four corners of the panel.

While this type of capacitive touch panel has a simpler structure than a projected capacitive touch panel and for this reason offers lower cost, it is structurally difficult to detect contact at two or more points at the same time (multi-touch).

Projected capacitive touch panels are often used for smaller screen sizes than surface capacitive touch panels. They"ve attracted significant attention in mobile devices. The iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad use this method to achieve high-precision multi-touch functionality and high response speed.

The internal structure of these touch panels consists of a substrate incorporating an IC chip for processing computations, over which is a layer of numerous transparent electrodes is positioned in specific patterns. The surface is covered with an insulating glass or plastic cover. When a finger approaches the surface, electrostatic capacity among multiple electrodes changes simultaneously, and the position were contact occurs can be identified precisely by measuring the ratios between these electrical currents.

A unique characteristic of a projected capacitive touch panel is the fact that the large number of electrodes enables accurate detection of contact at multiple points (multi-touch). However, the projected capacitive touch panels featuring indium-tin-oxide (ITO) found in smartphones and similar devices are poorly suited for use in large screens, since increased screen size results in increased resistance (i.e., slower transmission of electrical current), increasing the amount of error and noise in detecting the points touched.

Larger touch panels use center-wire projected capacitive touch panels in which very thin electrical wires are laid out in a grid as a transparent electrode layer. While lower resistance makes center-wire projected capacitive touch panels highly sensitive, they are less suited to mass production than ITO etching.

Above, we"ve summarized the differences between the two types of capacitive touch panels. The overall characteristics of such panels include the fact that unlike resistive film touch panels, they do not respond to touch by clothing or standard styli. They feature strong resistance to dust and water drops and high durability and scratch resistance. In addition, their light transmittance is higher, as compared to resistive film touch panels.

On the other hand, these touch panels require either a finger or a special stylus. They cannot be operated while wearing gloves, and they are susceptible to the effects of nearby metal structures.

Surface acoustic wave (SAW) touch panels were developed mainly to address the drawbacks of low light transmittance in resistive film touch panels—that is, to achieve bright touch panels with high levels of visibility. These are also called surface wave or acoustic wave touch panels. Aside from standalone LCD monitors, these are widely used in public spaces, in devices like point-of-sale terminals, ATMs, and electronic kiosks.

These panels detect the screen position where contact occurs with a finger or other object using the attenuation in ultrasound elastic waves on the surface. The internal structure of these panels is designed so that multiple piezoelectric transducers arranged in the corners of a glass substrate transmit ultrasound surface elastic waves as vibrations in the panel surface, which are received by transducers installed opposite the transmitting ones. When the screen is touched, ultrasound waves are absorbed and attenuated by the finger or other object. The location is identified by detecting these changes. Naturally, the user does not feel these vibrations when touching the screen. These panels offer high ease of use.

The strengths of this type of touch panel include high light transmittance and superior visibility, since the structure requires no film or transparent electrodes on the screen. Additionally, the surface glass provides better durability and scratch resistance than a capacitive touch panel. Another advantage is that even if the surface does somehow become scratched, the panel remains sensitive to touch. (On a capacitive touch panel, surface scratches can sometimes interrupt signals.) Structurally, this type of panel ensures high stability and long service life, free of changes over time or deviations in position.

All in all, however, these touch panels offer relatively few drawbacks. Recent developments such as improvements in manufacturing technology are also improving their cost-performance.

The category of optical touch panels includes multiple sensing methods. The number of products employing infrared optical imaging touch panels based on infrared image sensors to sense position through triangulation has grown in recent years, chiefly among larger panels.

A touch panel in this category features one infrared LED each at the left and right ends of the top of the panel, along with an image sensor (camera). Retroreflective tape that reflects incident light along the axis of incidence is affixed along the remaining left, right, and bottom sides. When a finger or other object touches the screen, the image sensor captures the shadows formed when the infrared light is blocked. The coordinates of the location of contact are derived by triangulation.

While this type differs somewhat from the above touch panels, let"s touch on the subject of electromagnetic induction touch panels. This method is used in devices like LCD graphics tablets, tablet PCs, and purikura photo sticker booths.

This input method for graphics tablets, which originally did not feature monitors, achieves high-precision touch panels by combining a sensor with the LCD panel. When the user touches the screen with a special-purpose stylus that generates a magnetic field, sensors on the panel receive the electromagnetic energy and use it to sense the position of the pen.

Since a special-purpose stylus is used for input, input using a finger or a general-purpose stylus is not possible, and the method has limited applications. Still, this has both good and bad points. It eliminates input errors due to the surrounding environment or unintended screen manipulation. Since the technology was intended for use in graphics tablets, it offers superior sensor precision—making it possible, for example, to change line width smoothly by precisely sensing the pressure with which the stylus is pressed against the screen (electrostatic capacity). This design approach also gives the screen high light transmittance and durability.

The table below summarizes the characteristics of the touch panels we"ve looked at. Keep in mind that even in devices based on the same sensing method, performance and functions can vary widely in the actual products. Use this information only as an introduction to general product characteristics. Additionally, given daily advances in touch-panel technological innovations and cost reductions, the information below is only a snapshot of current trends as of September 2010.

Each touch-panel type offers its own strengths and weaknesses. No single sensing method currently offers overwhelming superiority in all aspects. Choose a product after considering the intended use and environmental factors.

Sorry it took so long to spot this question. The reason you"re not seeing anyone talking about the touchscreen function is that it has nothing to do with the screen and everything to do with primary vs secondary. however the touch screen is simply a mouse built into the monitor. The only reason it lines up with your finger is that it"s calibrated to do so. If you run multiple monitors with touch screen or run one with and one without neither screen can calibrate properly for both screen areas and the touch mouse is locked to the primary monitors logical location.

The only way I"ve seen this done effectively is to use the touchscreen as primary. We did have a customer try dual touch screens but he had major driver issues and eventually ended up disabling the feature on his secondary monitor.

The best touch screen monitors allow you to interact with your desktop computer via tap, swipe and pinch-to-zoom. Alternatively, you can install it as a secondary monitor to use with an office-based laptop.

In this article, we"ve gathered together the best touch screen monitors available today – in a range of sizes from 21 inches to a special ultrawide monitor(opens in new tab) that"s 49 inches. If you"re after a smaller secondary monitor that can be carried with your laptop for use on the go, see our list of the best portable monitors(opens in new tab). (Portable monitors can also be had with touch sensitivity, but they"re smaller and are powered by your laptop"s battery, so they don"t need their own power supply.)

If you"ve already researched the best monitors for photo editing(opens in new tab) or the best video editing monitors(opens in new tab), you may have realized that none of them are touch screen monitors. But why not? Why would you consider choosing a new monitor without touch sensitivity?

After all, the best touch screen monitor will add an extra, more ergonomic form of user input, so must be better, right? Well, it"s not quite that simple. At the bottom of this page, you"ll find tips on what to look for when buying a touch screen monitor, including connectivity, size, and that all-important image quality.

Dell"s P2418HT has fairly typical touch screen display credentials: a 23.8-inch screen size and Full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution. But it stands out from the crowd in other areas.

Its special articulating stand transitions the display from a standard desktop monitor to a downward 60-degree angle touch orientation. It also supports extended tilt and swivel capabilities, so you can adjust the screen to your task or a more comfortable position. Plus, a protective cushion at the base of the screen offers a buffer against bumps when the stand is fully compressed.

Marketed at commercial and educational settings as well as home use, the TD2230 boasts a 7H hardness-rated protective glass for extra scratch protection and durability. Super-thin screen bezels give the panel a modern, sleek look, plus there are integrated stereo speakers for added versatility.

The ViewSonic TD2230 boasts upmarket image quality thanks to its IPS LCD display that provides better color and contrast consistency, regardless of your viewing position, while the 1920 x 1080 screen res is high enough for crisp image clarity when spread across the 21.5-inch panel size. 250 cd/m2 max brightness and a 1000:1 contrast ratio are pretty typical, while HDMI, DisplayPort and analog VGA connectors ensure you"ll be able to hook this monitor to pretty much any computer running Windows 10, Android or Linux.

Want a larger than average touch screen monitor? This 27-inch offering is our pick, as it"s based around an IPS LED-backlit display. That translates more dependable color accuracy and contrast that won"t shift depending on whether you"re viewing the centre of the screen or the corners.

The Full HD resolution is spread a little thin across a 27-inch display, so images will look slightly pixelated, but this is an unavoidable compromise you have to make if you want a touch screen monitor larger than 24 inches. The PCT2785 does score well in terms of versatility though, as you get a built-in HD webcam and microphone, making it great for homeworking(opens in new tab) and video conferencing.

This touch screen monitor was introduced back in 2014, which is a long time ago in the monitor world. However, with its quality IPS display technology and reasonably high Full HD 1920 x 1080 resolution, it can still rival newer touch screen monitors when it comes to image quality.

What"s more, the elegantly simple stand allows for a versatile 8-60 degree tilt, enabling you to interact with the screen at a greater variety of angles than a typical monitor would allow. There"s also 10-point capacitive touch sensitivity, so you can use a full range of touch gestures.

The T272HL is the bigger 27-inch sibling to Acer"s 23-inch T232HL. Like the T232HL, it boasts a slightly above-average 300cd/m2 brightness, along with 10-point capacitive multi-touch. There are also a pair of 2w internal speakers, and the stand allows a large 10-60 degrees of tilt to enhance touch ergonomics.

If you"re after a larger-than-average touch screen monitor, the T272HL is a reasonable choice, but there are compromises to be made. For starters, this is still a 1920 x 1080 Full HD monitor, so while it may be physically larger than a 23/24-inch Full HD display, images will simply look larger, not more detailed.

If you can get past the uninspiring black plastic design of the Philips 242B9T, this touch screen monitor has a lot to offer. It should be easy to connect to pretty much any computer, thanks to its full array of HDMI, DVI, VGA and DisplayPort connectivity and included cables for all but DVI. It"s even got its own built-in 2W stereo speakers, while the clever Z-hinge stand allows a huge -5 to 90 degrees of tilt adjustment, making it extra-ergonomic when using the 10-point capacitive multi-touch display.

At 21.5 inches, the Asus VT229H is one of the smaller touch screen monitors on this list, but it still sports the same Full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution as larger 24 and even 27-inch touch screen displays, meaning you get more pixels per inch and slightly crisper image quality. This is also an IPS LCD, with wide 178 x 178-degree viewing angles and reliably consistent color and contrast, regardless of your viewing angle.

Most touch screen monitors are just that: a monitor, with a touch interface. But this 21.5-inch display also adds a pair of 2W stereo speakers for sound output, along with dual-array microphones and a built-in webcam for video conferencing. The IPS LCD display panel ensures decent color and contrast uniformity, while the Full HD 1920 x 1080 resolution is easily enough to for crisp image quality on a screen this size.

The square black exterior is typical of Lenovo"s business-orientated products and may not be to everyone"s taste. Plus you"ll need to connect via DisplayPort only, as there"s no HDMI input. But otherwise this touch screen monitor offers a lot for a very reasonable price.

The obvious drawback with a touch screen monitor is the aforementioned size restrictions because if you want one larger than 27 inches, you"re out of luck. The next step up in size for touch screen monitors are 50+ inch displays designed for corporate presentations rather than home computing.

Even most 27-inch touch screen monitors have the same Full HD 1920 x 1020 resolution as their smaller 21-24-inch stablemates. So you"re not actually getting more pixels, only bigger ones. This can make your images just look more blocky unless you sit further away from the screen.

It"s not just outright screen resolution where touch screen monitors can fall short of their non-touch alternatives. Top-end screens designed for image and video editing are often factory color calibrated: they use LCD displays that can display a huge range of colors, or feature fast refresh rates for smoother video playback and gaming. However, touch screen monitors aren"t intended for color-critical image or video work: they tend to be all-purpose displays designed for more general applications like web browsing and basic image viewing.

Connectivity also tends to be compromised on touch screen monitors. You can forget about USB-C hubs(opens in new tab) with Power Delivery, and even DisplayPort connections can be a rarity.

These are the two primary forms of touch input. Resistive touch requires you to physically press the screen (which itself is slightly spongy) for it to register an input. It"s a cheaper form of touch input, and a resistive touch screen is also tougher than a capacitive equivalent, so they"re popular for use in ATMs and retail checkouts.

However, resistive technology doesn"t support multi-touch and won"t give the same fluid sensitivity as the touch screens we"re now accustomed to on phones and tablets. Consequently, most modern touch screen monitors use capacitive touch screens supporting 10-point multi-touch. These operate exactly like a phone or tablet"s touch screen, requiring only a light tap, swipe, or pinch to register inputs. All the monitors on this list use 10-point capacitive touch screens.

Put simply, even the best iMacs(opens in new tab) and MacBooks(opens in new tab) don"t support touch screen monitors. Consequently, all the touch screen monitors on this list will only work with Windows 8.1, Windows 10, and some Linux and Android operating systems.

Not all LCD monitors are created equal. LCD displays use three types of construction - IPS (In-Plane Switching), VA (Vertical Alignment), and TN (Twisted Nematic). Each one of these three LCD types exhibits noticeably different image quality characteristics, clearly visible to the average user.

For image and video editing, TN-based monitors should really be avoided. These are the cheapest to manufacture and deliver compromised image quality thanks to their restrictive viewing angles. This results in highly uneven color and contrast across the screen, effectively hiding shadow and highlight detail in your images. IPS-based monitorsare the gold standard for image quality. These produce color and contrast that doesn"t shift depending on which part of the screen you look at, making image editing much more precise. Most of the touch screen monitors on this list are IPS-based, and the rest are VA-based monitors. These can"t quite match the image quality of an IPS monitor but are much more color-accurate than a TN screen.Round up of today"s best deals

AirBar gives your non-touch Windows 10 notebook touchscreen functionaliti