Touch International launches curved, resistive touchscreens

Trier, Germany and Austin, Texas - Touch International announced April 18 the immediate availability of curved, resistive touchscreens targeted as alternative drop-in replacements to customers currently using competitive products.

By Control Engineering Staff April 22, 2002

Trier, Germany and Austin, Texas – Touch International announced April 18 the immediate availability of curved, resistive touchscreens targeted as alternative drop-in replacements to customers currently using competitive products.

Spherical Touchscreen Product (STP) will be available in sizes 14- to 25-in., with current availability on 15″ and 17″ sizes. Touch International is offering a limited-time, introductory $99 special on any quantity order of 15″ STP sensors.

Touch International CEO, Michael Woolstrum sees market opportunity for curved touchscreens, citing two price-driven factors that are compounding the price gap between CRTs and LCD monitors, rising LCD prices and overseas LCD tariffs.

Mr. Woolstrum continued, “Although, North America represents a large share of the CRT market, specifically for POS and kiosk applications. LCD tariffs in countries such as Brazil, India, and China also influence significant market opportunity, where CRT consumption heavily dominates LCD purchases due to the fifty percent cost differential.”

Display Search reported that panel price increases were expected to continue through most of 2002. Display Search also cited a supply shortage due to marked increased fab utilization as the driving factor for LCD price increases (Display Search, news release, November 20,2001).

Reflex International , a value-added reseller for point of sale and kiosk terminals, is among the first of Touch International’s new spherical touchscreen customers. Michael Parrish, president of Reflex International, commented, “Many Companies have discounted Spherical Touch Products (STP) as they migrate to LCD Solutions. This is probably inevitable, but moving from one technology to another always requires a transitional period – Liquid Crystal, even with lower cost “Flat” Glass overlays are still much more expensive than a Touch International (STP) Product combined with a conventional CRT.

STP is targeted for OEMs and systems integrators who currently have curved touchscreens designed into one or more of their product offerings. STP is compatible with any 5-wire resistive competitor product and is offered with options for USB, Serial (RS232), or PS/2 connectors.

Available in 15- and 17-in. sizes, features include choice of anti-glare or polished, touch response accuracy of 98.5 percent or better, and controllers to support such popular operating systems as Windows, DOS, Linux, Mac, and OS/2.

Control Engineering Daily News DeskGary A. Mintchell, senior editor gmintchell@cahners.com