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Annoyances of a Glass Touch Screen
I would love it if my Samsung Galaxy S2 and iPad had smear-free touch screens. My iPad is great. I use it daily and it makes it so easy to work from anywhere. But one of the biggest annoyances I experience is seeing my fingerprints smeared all over the screen. It becomes a huge distraction when I’m trying to work, or when I’m playing a fun game. It doesn’t matter how clean a person you are, your skin naturally has oils that are left behind when touching things, especially glass. Technology has given us some really cool devices that are capable of doing many wonderful things. But why can’t technology prevent finger smudges?
[Read also: How to Properly Clean Your Gadgets]
Advancement in Smear-Free Touch Screens Technology
A Japanese company, Toray Industries, has created an ingenious new coating that significantly reduces the annoyance of finger smudge marks on device screens caused by oils. The coating has two important characteristics that work together to make smudges less noticeable.
First, the coating is oil repellant. It allows less than 50 percent of oil and grease from your fingers to build up on the screen. That alone represents a significant advancement in smear-free touch screens.
The second characteristic featured in the coating is a wrinkled structure which makes any smudges that are on the screen barely visible. Your eye is not able to see the wrinkles in the coating because they are so tiny. Both technologies work together in the same coating to make smudge marks almost invisible.
I’m very excited about the new technology and hope to see it soon. I look forward to the day when I can work, even in brightly lit areas without having to clean my screen with a microfiber cloth every few minutes. And let’s be honest, it is embarrassing when handing an iPad to friends for them to look at something and all they see is fingerprints. Toray Industries is working with current tablet and smartphone makers to incorporate the coating into the manufacturing process. If Toray can accomplish this, then sooner, rather than later, we should see truly smear-free touch screens.
[Read also: Should I Use A Screen Protector On My Smartphone, Or Not?]
Do you find oily touch screens annoying? Would you like to see this technology on our future touch screen gadgets? Please share your thoughts in the comments.
This is a great idea — it’s my greatest fear using my touch screen — that somehow gunk from my hands will render my screen useless. But until this technology becomes commonplace, one way to fight smeared screens is with a transparent screen cover. That way, your finger oils are blocked from entering the screen.
Yea I’m using one of those transparent screen covers, or screen protector that’s what we called it here on my S2. It has a matte finish which is quite effective in preventing finger prints. The downside is that it reduces the clarity of the screen for quite a bit.
Wow amazing feature of what you have introduced here in your blog. I think it is not only you that will be excited to see and use this Smear-Free Touch Screens Technology. Also, I am excited to use it and be amazed on its effective function,. Thank you for sharing this useful information Peter Lee. I have enjoyed and excited reading it . Keep up your good work.
You’re welcome Jean!
I’m already used to cleaning my tablet’s touch screen every once in a while and yes I agree with you Peter that sometimes its very annoying. Looks like it’s time to say bye bye to finger prints and oily screen eh.. Nice find Peter.
I have seen oil smudge marks particularly common on smartphones because our face tends to get oily pretty quick. When one talks over the phone, the phone gets in contact with the face and the oil just stick on the touch screen. I don’t know why some people just don’t clean it and just let the oil stays on the touch screen… Gross!
Very clever stuff, if they have that patented, I think they are going to make an absolute fortune from it! Good find Peter, I love reading stories like this, right at the cutting edge of new technology 🙂
Touch screen gadgets makers should seriously consider incorporating this technology into the manufacturing process. I’m sure it would be a highly welcome change to all the touch screen gadget users!
I guess we will be seeing this technology on touchscreen devices in the near future. Isn’t it that Ipad has an oleophobic coating that prevents fingerprints?
Yes in fact it is Mia! But frankly speaking it doesn’t do a good job. My iPad2 is full of finger prints all over!
I can relate to touch screen computer monitors a little more than phones. I did use a touch screen computer monitor awhile back to take a test if I remember right. The thing was dirty and a little on the disgusting side. So much that I had to go wash my hands afterwards. If touch screen phones are like that they really should work on improving them along with computer screens. Especially in a public or shared environment.
Yea I agree! Reminds me of banks ATMs. I would choose the one that still uses keypad if I see those touchscreen ATMs are full of oily and disgusting finger prints from ‘don’t know who’!
This is really irritating that our finger prints will be on the screen and it will interrupt any thing we want to do on our tablets and touch screens.This is awesome information that this can be prevented.Thanks for sharing
Such a nice design innovation! It would be really nice to see it for example on the next gen iPhone….
Yea me too Sam. Just hope our future touchscreen gadgets will have this technology on them.