Before we delve into tips on using Flash with touch screens, you need some background on the types of touch screens available. After you know what is available, you will be able to take into consideration the following items:
Because there are many types and manufacturers of touch screens, you need to determine these items to make the right decision on the type of touch screen you will be using. The types available cover quite a range: standard indoor models, to outdoor models that can withstand precipitation and the elements, to heavy-duty models with security glass for limiting the viewable range to only a few degrees directly in front of the screen, thus preventing shoulder surfing of secure information. This appendix covers two basic types of kiosk that are within the reach of a developer on a budget who wants to experiment or delve into this market without too much capital outlay. There are many manufacturers of touch screens; the following list is not exhaustive, but covers many popular providers of touch-screen technology. Elo TouchSystems, Inc 6500 Kaiser Drive Fremont, CA 94555 800-356-8682 http://www.elotouch.com/ eloinfo@elotouch.com Troll Touch 25510 Avenue Stanford, Suite 106 Valencia, CA 91355-1131 661-257-1160 http://www.trolltouch.com info@trolltouch.com 3M Touch Systems 300 Griffin Brook Park Drive Methuen, MA 01844 978-659-9000 http://www.3m.com/us/electronics_mfg/touch_systems/index.jhtml touch@mmm.com DMC Co., Ltd. 508 Kamisakunobe Takatsu-ku, Kawasaki 213-0034, Japan +81-(0)44-866-2111 (Japanese) +81-(0)44-866-2118 (English) http://www.dmccoltd.com/ sales-e@dmccoltd.com Viewmagic Inc. 2917 Bayview Drive Fremont, CA 94538 510-226-6250 http://www.viewmagic.com/ info@viewmagic.com KDS Pixel Touch, Inc. 1957 Cedar Street Ontario, CA 91761 909-923-6124 http://www.pixeltouch.com/ sale@pixeltouch.com Touch Controls, Inc. 520 Industrial Way Fallbrook, CA 92028 800-848-4385 http://www.touchcontrols.com/ sales@touchcontrols.com Preh Electronics Inc. 590 Telser Road, Unit B Lake Zurich, Illinois 60047 847-438-4000 http://www.preh.com/ prehsales@preh.com KEYTEC, Inc. 1293 North Plano Road Richardson, TX 75081 800-624-4289 http://www.magictouch.com/ sales@magictouch.com Jayco mmi 1351 Pico Street Corona, CA 91719-3373 877-529-2648 http://www.jaycommi.com/clearswitch.html danstead@jaycopanels.com Intech Bearing, Inc. 1999 Tellepsen Street Houston, TX 77023 888-868-2439 http://www.ezscreen.com/ sales@ezscreen.com Touch Dynamic, Inc. 107 Trumbull Street, Ste B6 Elizabeth, NJ 07206 888-508-6824 http://www.touchdynamic.com/ support@touchdynamic.com The companies listed above offer a variety of touch-screen systems, typically based on four different types of screen technologies: capacitive, resistive, infrared, and SAW (surface acoustic wave). You would be wise to investigate each company to see what each offers and how their solutions can benefit your specific application. Depending on the model and whether it is used or new, the prices range as low as a few hundred dollars to several thousand. The approximate price range for a single desktop 15-inch LCD touch screen is $750 to $1,200. A CRT-based touch screen, depending on size, can be as low as a few hundred dollars for a 14-inch model with 15-inch models in the $600 range and up. 17-inch models start around $750 and go up from that price to nearly $1,400 for 21-inch models. You might be able to save on costs by considering a retro fit touch-screen kit for your existing monitor. All these prices are approximate and each manufacturer has its own specific models and features that can add or subtract from the base price of a touch screen. An example of this would be a desktop model versus a model specifically designed for installation into a kiosk enclosure, or mounted in or on a wall. Also many of the resellers provide discounts on quantity pricing; this can come into play as most kiosk applications are deployed in more than one location. |