Touch Screens

Meaning; A touch screen is an input/output device that allows the user to interact directly with a computer or device by touching the display screen using a finger, stylus, or special pen.

Types of Touch Screen Technologies

1. Resistive Touch Screen → Works by pressure; affordable but less sensitive.
2. Capacitive Touch Screen → Uses electrical signals; highly responsive (used in smartphones).
3. Infrared Touch Screen → Uses light beams; durable and highly accurate.
4. Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) → Uses sound waves; highly sensitive but expensive.

Facts about Touch Screens

• First touch screen → Developed by A. Johnson in 1965 (UK).
• Widely used in ATMs, smartphones, POS machines, education kiosks, and agriculture extension services.
• By 2025, almost 90% of mobile devices worldwide will use capacitive touchscreens.

Micro-Computers

Meaning

• A micro-computer is a small, relatively inexpensive computer with a microprocessor as its central processing unit (CPU).
• They are designed for individual use and are commonly known as personal computers (PCs).

Types of Micro-Computers

1. Desktop Computers → Fixed location, powerful, widely used in offices, labs, and universities.
2. Laptop / Notebook Computers → Portable, battery-operated, used by students, researchers, and extension workers.
3. Tablet Computers → Lightweight with touch screen interface.
4. Smartphones → Advanced micro-computers used for internet, apps, ICT in agriculture.

Facts about Micro-Computers

• The first micro-computer (Altair 8800) was released in 1975 by Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems (MITS).
• IBM introduced its first Personal Computer (IBM PC) in 1981, making micro-computers popular worldwide.
• Today’s smartphones are more powerful than the Apollo 11 computer that landed humans on the moon in 1969.