HOW IPHONE TOUCH SCREENS WORK

Ever wondered how your simple finger tips work magic at an iPHONE??? If you thought it was THE HIDDEN POWER WITHIN;you weren't wrong. Electronic devices can use lots of different methods to detect a person's input on a touch-screen. Most of them use sensors and circuitry to monitor changes in a particular state. Many, including the iPhone, monitor changes in electrical current. Others monitor changes in the reflection of waves. These can be sound waves or beams of near-infrared. A few systems use transducers to measure changes in vibration caused when your finger hits the screen's surface or cameras to monitor changes in light and shadow.

The basic idea is pretty simple -- when you place your finger or a stylus on the screen, it changes the state that the device is monitoring. In screens that rely on sound or light waves, your finger physically blocks or reflects some of the waves. Capacitive touch-screens use a layer of capacitive material to hold an electrical charge; touching the screen changes the amount of charge at a specific point of contact. In resistive screens, the pressure from your finger causes conductive and resistive layers of circuitry to touch each other, changing the circuits' resistance.

Most of the time, these systems are good at detecting the location of exactly one touch. If you try to touch the screen in several places at once, the results can be erratic. Some screens simply disregard all touches after the first one. Others can detect simultaneous touches, but their software can't calculate the location of each one accurately. There are several reasons for this, including:

• Many systems detect changes along an axis or in a specific direction instead of at each point on the screen.
• Some screens rely on system-wide averages to determine touch locations.

Some systems take measurements by first establishing a baseline. When you touch the screen, you create a new baseline. Adding another touch causes the system to take a measurement using the wrong baseline as a starting point. (Courtesy: howstuffworks.com)

Another Iphone Next gen concept...

I drooled at the idea of an iPhone Pro with slide keyboard and big camera, but let's face it: It's probably never going to happen. So—using logic—what will the next iPhone look like?

Probably something like this: A flatter, even more tapered and slender version of the current one. After all, if you have a winning formula, why radically change it?

Hassaan says that he would be disappointed if it ends being something like this, just a version of the current model. I'm going to be pessimist and expect just an evolution of the current design. The market keeps growing with what they have now, so it won't make sense for them to go through a radical design change just yet. And besides this point, there are at least three generations of smooth evolution and tweaks in Apple hardware designs until something completely new comes along (witness the iMacs, for example.)

Not that it really matters: As long as they include a bigger camera sensor while reducing the thickness to iPod touch levels, I'd be happy. But who knows, perhaps there will be a radical departure. What do you think? Do you have any original idea? write in the comment section... (Image Courtesy by Dotdash)

TV for iphone...

Long rumored and eagerly awaited, DirecTV has finally posted their free iPhone app for finding and recording content. The DirecTV app [App Store link] has been pretty hard to find. It didn't come up in an iTunes search last night and this morning, but that may have been fixed. Locating programming is much faster and friendlier than using the iPhone friendly web page that had been the way to look at the DirecTV schedule. The new app allows you to search for any shows up to 14 days in advance. You can browse the DirecTV schedule by date and time or by channel. You can select from multiple DVRs if you have them, and you can record a single episode of a program or a series. The app runs on either the iPhone or iPod touch with version 2.2.1 software or above. You can search the schedule even if you're not a DirecTV subscriber, but if you want to trigger recordings you must use your DirecTV password. I set up a few tests and all the recording worked, one DVR request was made 2 minutes before the program started and the data made it to the DVR via satellite in time to catch the show. I liked the old web-based method, but this is light years better. You get good program descriptions and ratings when available, and speed over the 3G network or even EDGE was quite usable.

Never get lost.... World Tracker

The folks at TrackingTheWorld have already proven themselves to be pretty capable at tracking letters using GPS, but they've now moved up to some considerably more demanding tasks with their new WorldTracker Enduro device, which promises to track anything it's paired with through frigid temperatures, sweltering heat, and other harsh conditions. Of course, it'll also do that with all the accuracy you'd expect, with it making use of both standard GPS and aGPS to avoid any dropouts, and employing a a full range of cellular connectivity options to ensure that it always stays in touch. Better still, you can also pair it with an optional 8-cell lithium ion battery (pictured above), which not only provides some added protection, but lets the tracker operate for up to six months on a single charge. As with the letter tracker, however, this one apparently won't be available to the general public, but those with a fleet behind 'em can get in touch with TrackingTheWorld to talk pricing.