14 DAY TRIAL // Even though multi-touch technology has evolved about as rapidly as any other IT industry segment, most implementations only manage to handle, at most, two distinct inputs. This limitation has, so far, outruled touch-based multi-user interactivity and has been unable to cope with those professional or prosumer (professional consumer) applications in need of a very fast response time. 3M's latest, 22-inch LCD display, the M2256PW, uses a multi-touch based on the 3M Projected Capacitive Technology that promises to meet these needs.
The 3M Multi-touch Developer Kit was first introduced in June 2009 at the SID Display Week. It was the first multi-touch hardware platform made available to software developers that was able to provide the possibility for true multi-touch and multi-user interactivity.
“Over the past six months software developers from around the world have been working with the 3M multi-touch platform to develop exciting concepts for multi-touch applications,” Chris Tsourides, business unit manager, 3M Touch Systems, says.“Consumers and prosumers have come to expect multi-touch functionality in their everyday electronic devices. The release of the M2256PW display provides a technological leap in multi-touch interactivity, surpassing traditional two-finger multi-touch by providing full, 10-finger multi-touch capability.”
The 3M Display M2256PW is an LCD with a maximum resolution of 1680x1050. The product makes use, besides the DVI and VGA connectivity, of audio input, USB and the serial dual-mode communication protocol. The monitor has a durable, anti-glare front surface and will provide the required high-speed, 10-finger touch capabilities to applications such as computer-aided design, digital signage, gaming, education and training, teleconferencing and security monitoring.
The new display is fully compatible with Windows 7 and, thus, requires no third-party touch drivers, although the company plans to make such software available for use with Windows XP and Vista. The LCD is being showcased at CES 2010, 3M booth # 20723. More information on the 3M Multi-Touch technology is available on the company's website.