Counterclockwise: the touchscreen evolution

30 December 2018
The earliest touchscreens you may remember are probably the resistive kind, but there were curious experiments along the way.

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  • AnonD-1046991
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  • 18 Jun 2022

Kingslayer, 01 Jan 2019Apple wasn't revolutionary with the touchscreen but it was ... moreThank you for researching these truthful comments, now I need to propagate internationally to see this.

    Anonymous, 02 Jan 2019But that was a feature phone. The 5800 and 5530 were ok wit... moreWell yeah I guess. Oh and nowadays it doesn't work anymore (it hasn't since 2016).

      • ?
      • Anonymous
      • vaS
      • 02 Jan 2019

      Macbeth, 31 Dec 2018I have terrible memories of resistive touchscreen (with a N... moreBut that was a feature phone. The 5800 and 5530 were ok with resistive screens, and the N900 was awesome. C2-02 didn't offer any touch experience, it didn't even have a real ARM 11 processor like the Symbian models had.

        • ?
        • Anonymous
        • vaS
        • 02 Jan 2019

        just me, 01 Jan 2019All the hating for resistive touchscreens. smh. Some people... moreResistive touch wasn't so bad, and for example the Nokia N900 had some really major advantages for power users at the time, it was all other phones that had dealbreaker disadvantages, resistive touch was a small price to pay for the awesomeness the N900 offered, even today its power user advantages hasn't been exceeded or duplicated.
        Lets be honest, at the time Android wasn't any good, and iPhones didn't exist due to the carrier-only policy Jobs enforced, just like Galaxy S and Note series don't exist today due to the region lock. 2009-2011, so easy victory for N900, capacitive touch didn't help the N9, still crap compared to N900, and it hasn't helped any other bad phones in history as well.

          Kingslayer, 01 Jan 2019Apple wasn't revolutionary with the touchscreen but it was ... moreThe Prada display did not support multitouch and the pinch gesture had the wow factor back in the day.

            • ?
            • Anonymous
            • 0wY
            • 01 Jan 2019

            Nokia was so close with their 7710 in 2004 that it must hurt - 3 years earlier than Apple with their first iPhone in 2007. It had touchscreen, gsm, bluetooth. Even the home screen icons are still the ones present to this day. But had no support for user programs (apps). Which is where Nokia slipped. But neither did the first iPhone for its 1st year until everyone convinced Jobs they would be everything.

              • j
              • just me
              • vxx
              • 01 Jan 2019

              All the hating for resistive touchscreens. smh. Some people (me) have really dry skin. You know what capacitative screens think of us? We don't exist.

              Sometimes when I swipe or tap, it reacts. Sometimes it doesn't even after three, four, five tries. Then I have to breathe on the finger tip to try to get some moisture on it, and then the screen finally reacts.

              You know what? Resistive works way better for me.

              You know what else? Old people often have dry skin. This is a problem the handset designers need to solve because it's going to affect more and more people in time.

                • b
                • bill jobs
                • krg
                • 01 Jan 2019

                Kingslayer, 01 Jan 2019Apple wasn't revolutionary with the touchscreen but it was ... moreand the wipping motion you do to pick up a call or unlock your phone, the neonode had it back in 2003

                  Apple wasn't revolutionary with the touchscreen but it was their software that was FIVE YEARS AHEAD of the game. Also, those gesture swipes that are now found on the iPhone X and Android Pie were already found on the MacBook's trackpad.

                  Original iPhone ads
                  https://youtu.be/z6PGRF0Wy_I

                  People easily forget how revolutionary pinching in/out your photos really was. You couldn't do that on resistive touchscreen as fluid as you could on that first iPhone.

                  LG Prada was the first capacitive touchscreen phone released but they just didn't have the software and UI to make it look fluid. I'm telling ya, iOS was at least five years ahead. It wasn't until 2013 five years after Android was released that the competition finally caught up and even surpassed iOS.

                  Gingerbread - Still an ugly duckling
                  Honeycomb - Nobody saw it unless on a tablet
                  Ice Cream Sandwich - Made Android prettier & fluid
                  Jelly Bean - Project Butter
                  KitKat - Project Svelte
                  Lollipop - Material Design
                  Marshmallow - Doze
                  Nougat - Split-view
                  Oreo - PiP
                  Pie - Swipe gestures

                  Pie is easily my favorite be Matias Duarte finally put a little bit of webOS onto Android. People forget webOS had some awkward gestures too like swiping up on the bottom to see your drawer. Same way as Pie. The current Pie gestures are still awkward for most people but it will only improve.

                  It's nice to feel nostalgic but I can NEVER go back using devices from the previous decade. One of my favorite gadgets ever is my Sony PSP (1001). Would I still use it today? Hell no! It was still on Wi-Fi "b" and didn't have a touchscreen like my PS Vita slim has.

                  My Vita also has Wi-Fi "n". As fast as iPhone 4 and faster than PS3's Wi-Fi "g". I can stream YouTube easily on it. We hit our smartphone maturation stage in the middle of this decade (2013-2014).

                  Last Samsung flagship to offer removable battery -
                  Note 4 (2014)

                  Last LG flagship to offer removable battery -
                  V20 (2016)

                  2016 was also a year they offered metal backs with most flagships. None of this all-glass nonsense. The iPhone 7 was the last iPhone to offer a metal back. And obviously the SE was the last to offer headphone jack and a physical home button. The V20 still offered FM radio.

                  2013-2016 was my favorite era although what makes it ironic for me is the Essential Phone released in 2017 and what I bought over four months ago is my favorite smartphone of all-time. It's just nice to have three 2016 smartphones in the G5, V20, and SE for headphone jack or removable battery and IR blaster.

                    I have terrible memories of resistive touchscreen (with a Nokia C2-02) :(

                      I just want to add that one of my favorite designs ever was from the glacial silver HTC One M7. For some odd reason, it got laggy and just plain bad after 18 months. It would even stop connection to my Wi-Fi. I had to be 5 feet away from it to connect. Got my first M7 in May 2013 and sold it by Feb 2015.

                      I bought another HTC One in March 2017. It was T-Mobile branded instead of the AT&T I had previously. It's physical shape was actually better than my previous one and the battery life held up better. But I tried using it as a daily driver and it was still laggy even after so many factory resets.

                      That's why never again with HTC. My Nexus One was also was laggy af when I first got it. Gingerbread just never had the smoothness of iOS4. I love HTC's design but their quality control is questionable. I always seem to have bad luck with Taiwanese OEMs. Even my experience with ASUS products have been terrible.

                      As much as I'm aware that some people hate LG, I actually prefer them much more than HTC. The old LG. Not the less innovative LG from 2017 & today. Hard to believe the LG V20 was the last great smartphone to offer removable battery.

                      HTC was one of the pioneers of touchscreen smartphones but never again with them.

                      My Favorite Phone Brands -
                      Google (Present)
                      LG (2013-2016)
                      Sony (2013-2014)
                      Nokia (2000-2008)
                      Motorola (2004-2006, 2013-2015)
                      Apple (2010-2016)

                      HTC's best years was from 2007-2014. Never the same again after the M8. Never cared for Apple copycat, Samsung. I honestly think Samsung peaked from 2010-2014. The curved displays was a cosmetic gimmick. I'm rooting for Essential but don't even know if they will survive anymore. I like Andy Rubin.

                      Only vanilla Android is what I prefer which is why the Pixel 3 is the only one that interests me. That and it's more one-sided friendly. I generally hate these surfboard phones we have today and don't buy Chinese like Huawei and Xiaomi anymore because I want the pure Android experience. Ages better in software. Nexus 5 six years later is a prime example.

                        Apple should get praised for changing the game nearly 12 years ago. People easily forget Android was geared to compete with BlackBerry. Apple should also get blamed for ruining the industry. No more removable battery, headphone jack, etc. They weren't the first to remove the jack but they had the biggest influence.

                        For some commenters consumed with NOSTALGIA, I simply can't go back using any of those phones from the 2000’s. Even the first iPhone became a pain to use by 2010. Only had 128 MB RAM! The ones I can use today is probably as far back as 2013-2014.

                        Typing from my 2013 Xiaomi Mi 3 right now and it can still get the job done. Snapdragon 800/801 were a great SoC and 2 GB RAM can still hold up today for most apps. I think 2013-2016 is when both OSes and their hardware really matured.

                        The oldest iPhone I can use today is probably a 5s. The oldest Android smartphone I can use today is a Note 3. Both released in 2013. I say 2017-2018 were some of the worst years for the industry. No wonder sales declined.

                        I even thought about getting an iPhone 4s just for kicks. Even buying another Nexus One. Loved both of their designs. Then I looked at my space gray iPhone SE with 2 GB RAM and went nah. Their cameras, SoC/GPU, and 512 MB RAM just won't hold up today.

                        The iPhone SE is the best iPhone ever made and the best compact smartphone ever made. The last iPhone to offer a physical button and headphone jack. If I didn't prefer Android over iOS, the SE would be my favorite phone ever. But alas, I prefer Android.

                        I do DoorDash and the iOS version is INFERIOR to Android's. Can't even set my schedule days in advance anymore. And crashes more. I'll stick with Android for life even with its flaws. I'm content with these five...

                        Essential Phone (matte back, small, underrated)
                        Apple iPhone SE (headphone jack, compact)
                        LG V20 (best all-around phone I have)
                        LG G5 (same as above)
                        Motorola Moto E4 (throwaway phone)

                        I look at all the 2018 flagships and nothing interests me except for maybe the black Pixel 3 for its size. I don't like large notches, lack of headphone jack, glass backs, high prices, etc.

                        The 2019 flagships needs to be revolutionary for me to even consider buying another phone. I'm good for the next 2-3+ years.

                          Under screen fps, pen and force touch are most popular lately, but real improvement is made by control using gestures. Imagine if used in 3D or away from screen in space around you. With input devices of pc's, consoles or vr increasing the next big thing may as well be absolute separation of control input and visual output.
                          There is just so much you can do with screens bigger than our hands even if foldable.
                          If you consider portability and speed in which you can use them, ar devices are just way better and in that evolution your screen and touch is separated... so much for evolution.

                            • ?
                            • Anonymous
                            • XNU
                            • 31 Dec 2018

                            OOKULL, 31 Dec 2018I still use Nokia N8 (and N7) for my secondary - work - pho... moreI compared them to the original iPhone which I think was launched three years before them(N8/C7). The touchscreen was a joke in the name of capacitive touchscreen. The back was conducting electricity while charging. Instead of redesigning apps they just turned S60 apps into touch ones and they were horrible and unintuitive.
                            I don't know how you are still using that phone. You must have pretty low standards or you are a Nokia fanboi. I can't use original iPhone today because it is several years behind the current phones.

                              Kingslayer, 31 Dec 2018I'm no Apple fan, but the original iPhone changed the game.... moreYep, they really changed the game for the better back then. Now, they're the trendsetters that's trying to change the smartphone world for the worse in my opinion, like as if they're on trenbalone

                                I'm no Apple fan, but the original iPhone changed the game. Resistive touch wasn't as fluid as capacitive. We wouldn't have Android today without the iPhone.

                                Multi-touch was incredible when I first saw it nearly 12 years ago. And I remember how awesome to scroll up and down with my contacts and songs. Way faster than the older iPods and phones with buttons.

                                The original iPhone is my 9th favorite smartphone of all-time. Love it or hate, they changed the game for the better. We also wouldn't have app stores without Apple.

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                                  • AnonD-731363
                                  • SH3
                                  • 31 Dec 2018

                                  Well this getting funny hope the companies will be more innovate next year and stop caring about stupid notches and others crap.

                                    • X
                                    • Xperia all the way
                                    • gNZ
                                    • 31 Dec 2018

                                    Apple did nothing but to use others tech and yet its on top.
                                    Oh the Irony.
                                    Stealing is the trick I guess.

                                      I still use Nokia N8 (and N7) for my secondary - work - phone.
                                      And they both working basically perfectly - minus battery change.
                                      So telling that they are useless is load of crap.
                                      User is supposed to change iPhone every few years - that is useless waste on money.
                                      Apple is patent troll - clear and simple.

                                      PS. My old and faithful DELL Axim v51x is still workiong.
                                      Playng sudoku with allmost every morning on the "can" LOL
                                      Fathom that people - FIFTEEN bloody years and still kicking ;)
                                      Minus custom FootballROM like 10 pluss years ago.

                                        Awesome job guys!

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