The touch screen cell phone is fast becoming the norm within the cell phone industry. Consumers are increasingly concerned with "ease of use" and it is difficult to get much more "user friendly" than a mobile device that takes its commands by the touch of your index finger.
The Apple iPhone gets much of the credit these days for introducing the concept to millions of eager cell phone buyers, but the touch screen phone can be traced back many years before the iPhone was even conceived.
Indeed, the touch screen used in today's modern handsets has come along way since the development and practical use of the technology by Wacom, a Japanese company.
Originally, touch graphics "tablets" were used to support writing Japanese ideograms as a method for inputting text. The idea was for the tablet to measure pressure and direction of the stylus, "recording" this information in the form of text written onto the tablet screen. Wacom graphics tablets are notable for their use with a patented cordless, battery-free, and pressure-sensitive stylus (an on-screen writing pen).
The early 1990's began the era of the touch screen PDA, or personal digital assistant. As usual, Apple was the leader from the outset. The Apple Newton was introduced in 1992 and continued production for a full six years. Its limited battery power and inability to fit into a shirt pocket kept the Newton from being as popular as Apple had hoped with consumers.
The touch screen device that was a hit with the PDA buying public was the Palm Pilot, beginning its production in 1996. Data was inputted with the help of a small plastic stylus that detached from the side of PDA itself.
Although no cell phone capabilities were included with the Palm Pilot, it was the iPhone-like device of the day. Millions of consumers toted Palm Pilots in their pockets and purses, keeping track of daily schedules and events.
True and sensitive touch screen technology hit its stride with the rollout of the Apple iphone in January, 2007. Consumers finally got a taste of a cell phone that was truly sensitive to even the slightest touch of one finger. The Apple iPhone became an instant sensation and was even named Time magazine's Invention of the Year for 2007.
The iPhone raised the bar for screen cell phones, but other companies have been quick to respond and are beginning to introduce excellent touch screen handsets of their own.
Finnish handset maker Nokia has developed its first touch screen phone - the Nokia 5800 XPress Music Phone [http://www.nokia5800phone.com]. This unique handset not only features an onboard video camera but also unlimited downloads of music tracks included in its monthly subscription. Due out in early 2009, the Nokia 5800 has been hyped as the next iPhone killer. RIM, the maker of the Blackberry, is scheduled to roll out its Blackberry Storm in late 2008 with hopes to compete against Apple and Nokia for the huge touch screen market.
The age of the screen cell phone is alive and well in the 21st century. It won't be long before consumers wonder how in the world they ever got along without one.
