Comments on: Touchscreens add nothing to laptop usefulness

By: JEQQ » Touchscreens add nothing to laptop usefulness (James Kendrick/jkOnTheRun)

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 20:25:31 +0000

[...] Kendrick / jkOnTheRun:Touchscreens add nothing to laptop usefulness — It’s time to get out my asbestos coveralls because the touchscreen [...]

By: Laptop gadgets

Laptop gadgets — Mon, 03 May 2010 09:51:35 +0000

I think Some gadgets are available in Market through with we can Turn our Common laptop into Screen Touch laptop.

By: Sara

Sara — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 02:11:33 +0000

I agree with you. I’m all for the touch interface; it’s more intuitive, natural, easy to use, and even faster than invariably scrolling with a trackpad to go from A to B (on the screen). With touch, one tap of my hand goes from the center of the screen to the far right corner, where my GNOME Menu is (I run Ubuntu Linux on my X61 Tablet). But I don’t have a trackpad on my tablet; blessedly, it has only the trackpoint, and I find the trackpoint, in laptop mode, to be more effective than touch. It doesn’t take my hands away from where they are–this is where I especially agree with you. I also agree of the potential usefulness of touch in a trackpad–it doesn’t make the screen dirty at the least, and the screen has all the benefits of a laptop screen without a touch digitizer. However, I have lived with the trackpad almost all of my nineteen years, but in the past few months of using the trackpoint, I’ve found the trackpoint to be infinitely superior. But I suppose that’s a different argument.

But I do want to see touch in more devices, and perhaps it’d just be better for everyone if every laptop and netbook had convertible tablet functionality, so a touch screen could be in every device… :)

By: Touch screens and laptop usefulness | MobilityUpdate.com

Touch screens and laptop usefulness | MobilityUpdate.com — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 12:22:51 +0000

[...] at jkontherun feels that the Notebooks with touchscreens don’t add much to their usefulness. Few [...]

By: Pete_L

Pete_L — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 09:07:45 +0000

Touchcreen laptops/netbooks? Not on my life. Can you imagine all those distracting greasy fingerprints?

Smartboard touchscreens… now that’s a real sensible use of touchscreen technology: ideal for teaching, large-format, back-projected touchscreens that have carefully thought out add-on tools for the Windows GUI.

By: I love, no I hate, no I love my touchscreen laptop. « Savanvleck’s Weblog

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 01:17:51 +0000

[...] Since I have a definite love/hate relationship with my touchscreen laptop, I was interested in jkOnTheRun » Blog Archive Touchscreens add nothing to laptop usefulness « this blog when I went to log on this [...]

By: borax99 (Alain C.)

borax99 (Alain C.) — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 20:17:43 +0000

I find I have to agree with James, and I have a fair bit of experience with touchscreens, from the original Newton and the Mp2K, through the Casio E100, then the P1610 and currently the HP TX 2508CA. When I do use the latter as a tablet, I almost exclusively use the active digitizer, which is way more precise and therefore easier to use.

Unfortunately, I have been *shocked* to discover that I am almost always using the HP in full-on laptop mode. I thought I was a dedicated Tableteer, but I have had to re-evaluate lately.

I think ultimately that (a) everyone is different and will find different ways to use different technologies and (b) for me, the most critical aspect of a Tablet/touch device is size & weight in hand. I find the HP is just too darned awkward to use as a tablet for extended periods of time. The ultimate device for me would be the size, shape and weight of the P1610 with an active digitizer, and preferably with a 1024×600 res. screen (tired eyes) …

Don’t get me wrong, the HP is a blast to use, and it is extremely unlikely that I would ever buy a laptop without tablet capabilities, it’s just that I now feel the price premium is a bit too steep (except for the HP models, which in spite of their obvious limitations, are a steal)…

Anyway, thanks for opening up this can of worms, James, thought-provoking and useful blogging as always !

By: Gavin Miller

Gavin Miller — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 10:11:24 +0000

@Preston

Is it a Tablet PC though? I agree with James that on a fixed screen laptop, touch is not really much use and awkward to use. Inking is very difficult for example.

A nice big multitouch touchpad is a better proposition.

@Gordon

I’m sure you’ll still be in the compo, opinions are allowed here! ;-)

By: bluespapa

bluespapa — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 05:05:27 +0000

I sometimes set up a Toshiba tablet or my Samsung Q1 to project in my classes, sometimes to mark things with a pen exclusively, sometimes with in laptop mode with the former, and with the latter I use a bluetooth keyboard and mouse.

Invariably I end up reaching for stylus to mark up something, and it’s bloody awkward in laptop mode, and doing so on the Q1 requires that I’ve set up the screen resolution so the flat screen matches the big screen. Bloody awkward, but useful, and better than I could have worked it with a mouse or touch pad.

Even so, I’d never buy a laptop that has touch without also having a way to work in slate mode.

By: Preston McAfee

Preston McAfee — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 04:45:19 +0000

I use the touchscreen for teaching. The great thing about a touchscreen is I can draw a diagram in real time, but unlike a chalkboard, I can have a blank graph to draw on, or I can annotate a list. But the really terrific thing is that I can then print the day’s slides with the in-class annotation and distribute to the students. It is like powerpoint combined with a chalkboard.

It is the only use I make of the touchscreen but it is enough to insure one of my laptops is a touchscreen.