Interview: Synaptics Talks Capacitive Touchscreens
Touchscreen technology is here to stay. Whether it be smartphones, mobile devices or - increasingly with the introduction of Windows 7 - laptops, the ability to put fingers onto a screen and interact directly represents a wonderful addition to the way we live and work.
With this in mind I sat down for a chat with Dr. Andrew Hsu, Synaptics' strategic and technical marketing manager. For those unfamiliar with Synpatics, it is a California based company with a long history in building touchpads and capacitive touchscreens for major brands in the electronics industry. Its touchpads have appeared in laptops from the likes of Asus, Acer, Dell, HP, Sony, Toshiba, Gateway, IBM, Lenovo, LG, Samsung, Packard Bell and more. It's interface technology is in the Apple iPod and iPod mini, Creative ZEN line and Microsoft's second generation Zunes. Chances are, you're probably navigating this article right now using something made by Synaptics.
Synaptics has a long and established history in touchpads, but it is touchscreen technology - capacitive in particular - which is now on everyone's lips. Why do you think this is?
"I think 2006 was a big year in development. People don't realise this but the first capacitive touchscreen phone to market wasn't the iPhone, it was in the LG Prada which we provided. Obviously then came the iPhone in the middle of the year though and it spun the industry around. [Apple] had a very clever campaign, it didn't emphasize the technology, it just showed users the benefits. Since then it has taken quite a bit of time for handset competitors to understand this tech because it relies not just on the type of screen but in developing a dedicated UI as well. If just one part, any part, is suboptimal the product reflects poorly and we have seen this a lot up to now."
Click to read the full article
With this in mind I sat down for a chat with Dr. Andrew Hsu, Synaptics' strategic and technical marketing manager. For those unfamiliar with Synpatics, it is a California based company with a long history in building touchpads and capacitive touchscreens for major brands in the electronics industry. Its touchpads have appeared in laptops from the likes of Asus, Acer, Dell, HP, Sony, Toshiba, Gateway, IBM, Lenovo, LG, Samsung, Packard Bell and more. It's interface technology is in the Apple iPod and iPod mini, Creative ZEN line and Microsoft's second generation Zunes. Chances are, you're probably navigating this article right now using something made by Synaptics.
Synaptics has a long and established history in touchpads, but it is touchscreen technology - capacitive in particular - which is now on everyone's lips. Why do you think this is?
"I think 2006 was a big year in development. People don't realise this but the first capacitive touchscreen phone to market wasn't the iPhone, it was in the LG Prada which we provided. Obviously then came the iPhone in the middle of the year though and it spun the industry around. [Apple] had a very clever campaign, it didn't emphasize the technology, it just showed users the benefits. Since then it has taken quite a bit of time for handset competitors to understand this tech because it relies not just on the type of screen but in developing a dedicated UI as well. If just one part, any part, is suboptimal the product reflects poorly and we have seen this a lot up to now."
Click to read the full article
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