What's the difference between Resistive and Capacitive Touch Screen?

[TheNerdAL]

Can anyone tell me the difference? :( Thanks!

[trivialpackets]

Capacitive touch screens + gloves don't mix.

http://quezi.com/3994

[standingwave]

Can anyone tell me the difference? :( Thanks!Resistive touch screen is a layers of resistive material that when touched makes contact with a conductive layer. By measuring the voltage at that point, the x-y position can be determined. Therefore it can used with gloves or even a stylus.

Capacitive touch makes use of the human body's capacitance effect to determine the xy location. One major drawback is no gloves or styli. Well, perhaps a special stylus.

[Intel91]

As previously mentioned the means of operation are very different, as is the outcome. The outcome of resistive touch screens is the recognition of any single point, finger to pen to popcorn, on a matrix. But it is just that, one single point. Capacitive touchscreens are multi-gesture, in that they recognize only capacitance, but multiple points of capacitance, whether finger(s) or a capacitive stylus (designed to simulate a human finger, simply explained).

However, capacitive touchscreens are cut a bit short in many explanations, more recent technologies in software/hardware make resistive touchscreens completely obsolete and unnecessary. I won't go into technological details, but new capacitive sensors have the ability to tell exactly what is a hand/stylus/air/other interference and ignore/confirm these elements to produce exactly the affect desired by the user. For example, ignoring your hand, even if it is touching the screen, in favor of a stylus (with a greater capacitance), then being able to switch back without a change in hardware or apparent settings/environment.

So, there you are.

[Ginsu543]

So my Palm TX has a resistive touch screen, while my iPhone 3GS has a capacitive one?

[davparker]

One major flaw with the capacitive touch screen is that they do not work with prosthetic hands, or gloved hands. This is not a limitation of the resistive touch screen. This lack of accessibility is a big obstacle imposed by capacitive touch screens.

[Islington]

Pros and Cons on each; see chart:

http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/features/item/Resistive_vs_Capacitive_the_invisible_tech_war_in_ which_both_opponents_can_win.php

[Austin25]

So my Palm TX has a resistive touch screen, while my iPhone 3GS has a capacitive one?
Quite.