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Questions to Ask When Buying a Touch Screen Monitor

Introduction

In recent years, touch screen monitors have become more prevalent than ever. They have always been popular for point of sale computers and specialized workstations, but now are also more widely used with desktops and laptops for general office tasks. Microsoft® Windows® 8 furthers this trend by being much more touch-compatible than any other Windows operating system ever before. However, shopping for a touch screen monitor for a desktop or laptop computer will require you to a bit more selective than shopping for a non-touchscreen monitor.

As with shopping for a conventional monitor, some core considerations include: resolution, price, size, and panel type. The resolution of a monitor will determine the how much detail it is able to display, and you should aim for a 1920 × 1080 monitor if your budget allows. You should also consider what type of panel technology a touch screen monitor uses, as it can affect color accuracy, response time, and viewing angles.

The most common panel technologies for touchscreen monitors are: twisted nematic (TN), vertical alignment (VA), and in-plane-switching (IPS). Twisted nematic (TN) is the most common LCD monitor panel technology due to its low cost but has narrower viewing angles and less color accuracy than other panel technologies. VA and IPS panels offer superior viewing angles and color accuracy, but are more expensive. If you expect that the touch screen monitor will be used by a single user looking at it straight on, then a TN panel will be just fine. However, if it is going to be constantly viewed from the sides then you will need to look for a VA or IPS display.

When shopping for a non-touchscreen monitor, the importance of the stand is often downplayed and the focus is more on the display. For touch screen monitors though, the stand plays a central role. Because users will be touching the monitor with varying amounts of force, the stand will need to be sturdy enough to hold the monitor in place. Also, it needs to offer a large amount of adjustability for customizable ergonomics.

A touch screen monitor relies on its stand being both adjustable and also sturdy.
If your organization plans to use a touchscreen monitor with Windows 8, one of the most important considerations will be Windows 8 certification. Why does it matter? Because Windows 8 allows for greater touch input than any other desktop operating system before it and some inputs will require hardware functionality that not all touch screen monitors are capable of. Only touch screen monitors that meet Microsoft’s stringent hardware requirements are certified.

A touch screen monitor that is not Windows 8 certified will not be able to take full advantage of Windows 8’s touch-input features. For instance, a touch screen monitor with a large bezel surrounding the screen will not meet Windows 8 certification requirements because the bezel may interfere with edge to edge swiping motions. There are also more obscure requirements such as a touch screen monitor’s digitizer being human interface device (HID) complaint, which ensures that no software drivers are needed for the touchscreen functionality to work.

Touch screen monitors are more popular than ever, and new operating systems continue to integrate touch functionality into their designs. So if you are shopping for a touch screen monitor, not only should you consider the basic criteria such as resolution, price, size but also additional criteria such as panel type, and adjustability.

By NeweggBusiness Staff