How to Use an iPhone Touch Screen

The iPhone has an industry-best (and largest) 3.5-inch scratch-resistant touch screen with a resolution of 480x320 pixels which provides sharp, beautiful images. The iPhone’s screen uses the patented multi-touch interface. This is a gesture-based method used to navigate within the iPhone and its apps. The process involves a capacitive panel that identifies a touch using electrical signals between the screen and the skin. This allows the iPhone to sense touches (one or several simultaneously) on its screen and translate that information into movement. What you see is typing on a virtual keyboard, scrolling through web pages, pinching to zoom in or out of an image or flicking through multiple screens. This also means that you must use your bare hands. The display can’t sense a stylus or a gloved finger because they either don’t have or interfere with the transmission of the electrical current between your finger and the screen.

Using this hot interface makes flipping through photos, moving around web pages, selecting options and even typing into a series of elegant gestures. No more arguing with your phone’s keypad as you try to type a text message using individual buttons that represents three or more different characters. The whole process becomes instinctive. This tactile technology can be a little daunting to a user who is accustomed to using physical buttons, keyboards and trackballs to navigate, however with a little practice, most anyone will soon become adept at maneuvering through the information on the screen with just a touch. Navigating with Apple’s patented multitouch interface requires that you know a few key terms and actions.

Scrolling/dragging:

This heavily-used action is employed in moving an image or web page around within the screen. You simply place your finger on the screen and lightly drag it around until you’re happy with what is displayed.

Flicking:

As the name implies, flicking is a quick fingertip action. You’ll use this most when moving between screens such as on the main app pages.

Swiping:

Swiping is very similar to flicking and is used to edit lists (depending on how the developer has used the capability.) Lightly wipe a finger to the left across an item and a red button or box with the word “Delete” in it will appear. Tap the button or box and delete the selection. This is especially good for deleting one or two items. If you’ve got several things to get rid of, you’re probably better off using the “Edit” button which allows you to select multiple items.

Tapping:

A single or double tap of a finger on the touch screen will select an item or activate an app. This action has many uses. In Safari a double-tap will zoom into a portion of the page. Another double-tap will zoom out to full screen view. If you happen to tap on an image within a column of text, you will zoom into the picture and the system will fill the screen with the image. If, however you tap on the surrounding text the system won’t zoom in quite so tightly.

Pinching:

Another method of zooming in and out is the unique gesture of “pinching”. This is used most with images and requires two fingers. You can also use this while browsing Safari for finer zooming control. Placing both fingers on the screen and drawing them toward each other will zoom out from the image while moving the fingers away from each other will enlarge the image.

Accelerometer:

The iPhone utilizes a 3-axis accelerometer that controls the orientation of the display so when the phone is held upright it displays in portrait mode; when it’s tilted to either side, the screen image rotates to landscape mode. Both viewing aspects have advantages that make it easier to view a web page, see a photo in its proper aspect ratio or play and control games.

Once you’ve become comfortable with the new interface, returning to a physical keyboard and trackball will feel clunky and restrictive.