touchscreen monitor @ geeks

[ver0776]

http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=HTSU-840-WB

$174 for an 8" touchscreen is nice and I have been wanting to develop against one, but if this is one of those screens you HAVE to use the Stylus on, I'll pass. In my opinion, if you can't use your finger, it is not usable for as a home automation screen.

Any opinions on this screen before I buy one (or I buy a nice one from MP3Car.com)

Vaughn

 

[Chas821]

Vaughn,

Nice find! I'll call them when they open for business and see if I can't find out. If it will respond to a finger touch I'll probably buy two!
If I find out anything one way or another I'll post here.

Chuck

 

[smee]

There is also a 15" monitor (refurb), as was posted here:

Geeks touch screen monitors

 

[ver0776]

That 15" is even better! But the same question applies, can you use your finger?

Vaughn

 

[smee]

Neither of them show a stylus or say that they come with one.

I think it's safe to assume (but I don't actually know) that they don't need them.

The 15" refurb says "point of sale" - I've never seen someone working a cash-register display that required a stylus. Though who knows what it looks like after all those fingers touching it.

 

[gcimmino]

This page shows what appears to be the same item:

http://www.wegotdeals.com/productdetail.as...D=10516&RefID=F

and says in the list of items included:

Touch screen pen

 

[DavidL]

The odds are very good that it is a Passive (no requirement of an Active Pen). Active costs more, requires Windows Tablet OS, I have never seen Active on a standalone touch monitor, is much less common on anything that isn't an XPTablet PC.

I have a few of the 15's coming in this week. If it is Active, I will be sure to update but I have no fear.

Because the monitor comes with a "pen" doesn't mean it Requires a Pen. That is usually provided to get finer pointing on small objects for use on websites that weren't designed for a small form factor touchscreen. With applications like MainLobby, you can resize most everything so this isn't an issue.

What is very likely is that this uses a 4 or 5 wire resistive touchscreen as it's the cheapest around.

Sometimes a touchscreen will use capacitance, but never at point of sale as you cannot use a credit card to point and click (common in POS).

SAW is probably the best as it's clear glass (good visually) and you can use a credit card. Most expensive too.

 

[GadgetBoy]

Looks like a pretty good deal. Everytime I see one of these I say I'm gonna grab one and never do...

Procrastination... The silent killer...

GadgetBoy

 

[GadgetBoy]

The vicious cycle has been broken... Should have one in a few days.

 

[gcimmino]

Could the first person to get one in post their experience?

Is it really 800x600 native resolution?

How's the display look and the touchscreen work?

Thanks

 

[Chas821]

I'll be getting mine Friday. I'll probably be able to test it out over the weekend and report back then. (unless someone beats me to it )

Chuck

 

[ver0776]

Ok guys, where are the reviews? =)

I would like to buy one of these, but have been dissappointed many times by the cheap Geeks.com gear. I was looking forward to even a basic review of whether you are happy or not with these.

Thanks,
Vaughn

 

[DavidL]

Sorry Vaughn,
the touchscreens are finger touch resistive. Mine came in only VESA mount. Didn't realize that they were on wall only. Display quality is good. Plastic surround is in good shape. I have only taken it out of the box and lit it up to make sure it was functional, so don't have more in depth than this yet.

 

[gcimmino]

David, you got the 15" Planar 1503's? Is the signal back to the PC serial or usb? did it come with a cable? Thanks

 

[Chas821]

I received my 8" touchscreen last Monday and other than open it up and check that it actually powered up, I have not had the time (yet) to do further testing.

Here is what I found out so far:

The touchscreen appears to be finger activated as the included stylus is not an active device (just plain old plastic stick). On the touchscreen there are buttons for Power, Menu, REST (still haven't figured this one out) and Mode. The Mode button toggles through 4 different settings (VGA, Video1, Video2 and FM). Nothing more on this yet. The remaining modes apparently will not work without a supplied video signal. The back of the screen has connections for VGA and USB and Power(USB I believe for the touchscreen part as opposed to a serial connection). There are two short cords on the back which mate with included cords for the power, video, sound, and VGA connections. There are two cords supplied for power and video. One has stripped, tinned power leads for wiring to a car's 12V system. The other cord supplies power through a supplied 12V wallwart. These cords use (what appears to me at least) unique plugs that resemble PS2 type connectors. They are very robust and lock together pretty well via the surrounding rubber boots. There is another cord that converts the PS2-type connector to a standard SVGA connector.

It appears to have two integrated speakers (grills on the back but not yet proven) and has a standard telescoping antenna (presumably for radio) mounted on the top right corner. When completey collapsed, it does not get in the way and is unobtrusive.

Also in the box is a stand for the monitor which mounts on the back and is actually pretty stable. It allows for tilt and swivel and a small range of vertical adjustment. There is also a CD which presumably hold necessary drivers. It is obviously a copy (CDR) and totally unlabeled.

Now the bad part: Don't look for any help in the included manual. It's a REALLY bad translation of another language and has really nothing useful other than describing some functions in really bad English. Not helpful at all. I guess somethings I'll have to figure out myself.

I should have more after this weekend.

Chuck