Comments on: Is Touch Evil?

By: Pony99CA

Pony99CA — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 21:59:25 +0000

@Leonard Low:

Thanks for that info about medical professionals. That makes a lot of sense, especially in hospitals where they do wash their hands regularly and/or wear gloves.

However, for normal users that may not wash their hands or disinfect their devices regularly, I wonder if there’s much of a difference.

@Daniel:

I also wondered how many people actually share devices, but I know it does happen. I’ve heard stories about exes locking the owner out of the device after being loaned the phone to make a call or people accidentally wiping the device thinking they were only getting rid of their personal call information so the owner wouldn’t see it. I’ve loaned my Pocket PC to my daughter for drawing (when she was younger) or playing games, too.

I wouldn’t loan my phone to a stranger, but maybe younger people like Zack think nothing of it. (That might be an interesting topic for a poll….)

Steve

By: Daniel

Daniel — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 10:13:34 +0000

Screen smudges I can agree with (they do usually provide a handy little cloth) but the rest is nonsense. First of all few touch devices are shared. So you are only touching your own germs, if you are worried then wash your hands when you go to the toilet. Secondly maturity of software can only be achieved by the using it and people who want to wait until multi-touch becomes “mature” can watch in a couple of months as we play with the new latest technology while they try and get use to something that will be second nature to the rest of us.

By: Leonard Low

Leonard Low — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 21:26:40 +0000

Zack should have done his research before making silly claims. The fact is, medical professionals and lab technicians *prefer* touch-screen or flat panel devices for some of the most sensitive and sterile environments.

Why is that? You ask. Simple: touch screen and flat panel devices do not have the cracks and crevices between operating controls that keyboards, buttons, or other mechanical interfaces have. It is the cracks and crevices that can be the hiding place of all kinds of nasties, whereas a smooth touch screen can be wiped completely clean and will not trap liquid or solid wastes in places where they cannot be accessed.

By: Larry Wallace

Larry Wallace — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 21:04:34 +0000

Is Touch Evil? http://viigo.im/52q

By: doogald

doogald — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 17:22:45 +0000

It almost looks like he was on a deadline and could not figure out what to write about.

I’ve just gone back to read the rest of his blog entries. *ho-hum*

By: Julie

Julie — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 16:44:15 +0000

The guy who wrote that article is an idiot. People touch tables, phones, etc. Who cares? If you’re the type of person who’s that concerned about germs, just carry around some antibacterial lotion and wipey pads.

I’ve read that money is the most germ laden thing of all. I wonder if that guy has a problem with carrying and touching money on a regular basis.