We've all seen LCD touch screens at work around us. Anyone that's ever used their credit or debit card to make a purchase at the grocery store has to swipe their card through a reader and then use a pen to select and sign the signature line on a touch screen. Versions that are more sophisticated can be found in Photo Centers that allow consumers to print their own pictures or create Christmas cards from disks or memory cards found in your local Longs or Target stores. However, the LCD touch screen is beginning to make inroads into other areas, as well.

One of the first companies consumers think of when the "touch screen" is mentioned is Apple. Their familiar items such as the apple ipod touch and the apple iphone use a touch screen to allow the user to navigate without the need for buttons or trackballs. This is not the limit of their uses, though. The home computer market is now seeing a number of computers available with LCD touch screen functionality.

How does an LCD touch screen work? In essence, it is no different than using a mouse or the touch pad on your laptop, though touching your monitor screen may seem counterintuitive to many consumers (after all, don't we go to great lengths to keep our fingerprints off them?). Touch screen monitors essentially look like regular lcd monitors but are equipped with additional features. Basically, a touch screen is actually just another piece of hardware. A thin film of touch sensitive lamination (clear) is placed over the computer monitor; this is then wired into the computer. The pressure from your finger is transformed into an electric signal, which is then sent to the CPU.

There are two main types of touch screen monitors on the market today: add on systems and built in systems. Built in systems come ready to use in the box, just plug them in and go; though you will most likely need to install the software drivers first, if your system was not designed to use a touch screen. Add on systems are installed by the consumer over their existing computer monitor and then plugged into an accessory outlet on the computer. Once again, device drivers are required to tell the computer how to recognize the signals.

Touch screen monitors like the ipod touch and iphone will be affordable for the average consumer while POS (point of sale) touch screen monitors will be geared more towards businesses. And how can we forget to mention the glamorous touch screen displays as seen on CNN and ESPN? Yes, those are very large touch screen monitors. I’m sure you saw one in use during this year’s election when CNN used it to track the Democratic and Republican States. These gigantic displays just mentioned will only be affordable, and needed, by a few.

There are a number of popular manufacturers creating these devices today. Some of the most popular are Planar, GVision, Megavision, NEC and HP. Do your research, regardless of the brand that you choose, though. User forums and reviews can give you the information you need to make a good purchase in a device that will perform well for years to come. If you are a small business to medium sized business, make sure you check for discounts.