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