Atmel Introduces Low Power Touch Screen Displays For Smart Devices

Touchscreen displays have been one of the most heavily produced items in the last several years, appearing on countless devices, many of which have very constrained form factors and battery life. Naturally, these devices continue to evolve like everything in the technology industry, and Atmel is doing its part to push this technology forward by introducing six new ultra low power displays in the maXTouch U series.

These new displays target a wide range of devices from smartwatches to small PCs, ranging from 1.2 inches up to 10.1 inches in size. Though they are part of the same series, outside of multi-touch support, most features of the displays vary from model to model. This is likely a result of Atmel's attempts to keep the silicon chips used in the display as small as possible, optimizing the feature set for each target application.

The two stars in the lineup are the 6-inch mXT640U and the 1.2-inch MXT144U. The mXT640 is likely the most feature-complete model, with moisture resistance, 25 mm hover detection, 1 mm passive stylus support, and very thin stack support. While the mXT144U has fewer features, the display's primary feature is use of the company's proprietary picoPower technology, which enables a deep sleep mode that only consumes 10 µW of power.

"Atmel's industry-leading maXTouch U series provides all the necessary building blocks including ultra-low power and smaller form factors to enable our OEMs to differentiate their designs," said Binay Bajaj, Sr. Director of Touch Marketing, Atmel Corporation. "Our expertise in ultra-low power MCUs and innovative touch engineering have allowed us to bring a superior series of devices to market that is truly an innovative collection to drive next-generation touchscreens."

Currently, there is no word on when these displays will enter the market inside of smart devices.

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