Comparing touchscreens - Capacitive V Resistive

There are two main types of touchscreens used in mobile phones

They are: Capacitive and Resistive.

Capacitive (wikipedia)
Capacitive screens detect a single point of contact between two layers when they are pressed together.

Resistive (wikipedia)
Resistive screens detect electric fields (such as the one in a human body) coming into contact with the electircal current passing through the screen.



Why might you be interested?

• Resistive screens work best when used with a stylus.
• Capacitive screens work with a finger.
• Capacitive screens don't have to have contact made to detect input.
  
• Capacitive screens are commonly acknolwedged to be easier to use and more intuitive.
  
• Windows Mobile only officially supports resistive screens. While there have been examples of Windows Mobile running on a device with a capacitive screen, such devices are not available and are unlikely to be so in the foreseeable future.
  

Finger frustration, not finger fun!