I was then the MD of the company, ACS Data Limited in Manchester UK, that developed it, due to my belief in making products more user friendly than qwerty or ABC keyboards/button operated devices.

It was the first fully DOS compatible, battery powered device with and “UNBREAKABLE” resistive TouchScreen over a 640 by 320 VGA LCD.

Epson and other Japanese companies had previously (1985/6) created “touch segment (5×14)” devices running the CP/M operating system (on the back of which I formed ACS Data).

Additionally, at the request of a very large oil and gas company in the UK, we also pioneered signature capture for the purposes of evidential standard proof of delivery (of tanker loads of fuel).
The devices like Palm came “way after”!

I am proud to have been at the forefront of the technology and application development but now personally, happily and easily, use capacitive, BREAKABLE, touch screen devices for both personal phone and “reader”, with multi touch capability, wonderful! I just try not to drop them!!!!!!!

The whole reason for my developing TouchPC was because I was considered computer illiterate but had experience as both a farmer and police office where mobile data recording was critical but difficult on wet windy days!!!! TouchPC soon took care of those problems. The products are still supplied under the name of TouchStar Technologies limited, Manchester, England.

I am happily retired!

I can’t tell you how many times I had “fix” my damn Palm to get it to sync properly. How many times I made backups to make sure it didn’t lose all my contacts. Again.

I was so frustrated with mp3s on the market before iPod came out. They were dim, cludgy, and more often than not, didn’t have enough storage capacity. Navigating through menus on a 1 or 2 line screen sucked more than donkey balls.

I had my Motorola clamshell phone for over 5 years. FIVE. Why? Because the choices on the market sucked. There was nothing out there that motivated me, as a consumer, to purchase anything else. I’d still have phone, and iPod on the bus. Two things.

And then the iPhone came out. 2 things in one. Solve.

Didn’t need a stylus for the trackpad, or the screen. Solve. Didn’t need special software – already had iTunes – to do all syncing. Solve.

Who the frak is saying Apple invented all this? Because I don’t hear that. I either hear Apple saying “hey, we think this is the best way it’s been done” OR I hear sheeples saying “omg Apple this and Apple that” and if you’re listening to the sheep, then I suggest paying less attention to them.

Apple’s been first to market a couple times, has invented a few things, but what it shines at, scores at, and beats the pants off anyone else at, is doing it better, more seamless system support, and making it f’in’ gorgeous.

You can’t claim to have done that, I can’t, and neither can Microsoft, Nokia, Sprint, Verizon, Dell, Sony, et al.

The last time Sony kicked butt was with the Walkman. That was it. That was a thing of beauty. Everyone had one. Was it because they were the first CD player on the market? No. It was because they made them tougher (waterproof too!), easier, and more beautiful than everyone else.

I don’t know of any other company besides Apple that consistently brings things out of the gate that if it doesn’t change the game, it certainly influences it to the degree the market has to pay attention.