RIM patents new type of touchscreen

Andrew Williams

RIM has filed for a patent outlining a new type of touchscreen that implements both resistive and capacitive screens

Published on Aug 7, 2009

BlackBerry manufacturer RIM has patented a new type of touchscreen that combines capacitive and resistive technologies to gain the advantages of both.

We’re big fans of capacitive touchscreens here at Know Your Mobile. They’re more sensitive and respond to lighter touches than their resistive counterparts. However, resistive screens are both cheaper and more accurate. While using both isn’t exactly going to keep costs down, having a more accurate capacitive touchscreen sounds like a stellar idea.

At present, RIM hasn’t told us of any plans to actually use the dual-touchscreen technology in any particular upcoming handsets, but we imagine it’d only make it onto high-end models thanks to the added cost involved. For now, we’ll have to carry on languishing on the capacitive bandwagon.