Multi-touch techniques
Despite increased consumer awareness of the "touch interface" courtesy of an expanding selection of touch-enabled consumer devices, the intricacies and varieties of touch technologies is a topic not fully understood by the gesture touch community. Courtesy of the product positioning of dozens of touch technology manufacturers, the filtering of bloggers and the responses posted by the larger touch community, mixed messages exist about how certain technologies work and what the true touch capabilities are for each technology. To help create a basis for technology comparisons, below is a discussion of the various applicable touch input terms and the touch technologies that reliably recognize these input categories:
Dual touch
Dual touch or two touch refers to a touch system that can detect and resolve two discrete, simultaneous touch events. The best demonstration of dual touch capability is to draw two parallel lines on the screen at the same time. Dual touch systems can also support gesturing.
Multi-touch
Multi-touch refers to a touch system's ability to simultaneously detect and resolve a minimum of 3+ touch points. All 3 or more touches are detected and fully resolved resulting in a dramatically improved touch experience. Multi-touch is considered by many to become a widely-used interface mainly because of the speed, efficiency and intuitiveness of the technology.
Partners
