This document discusses pressure sensitive touchscreens on Android devices. It explains that resistive touchscreens can detect pressure but capacitive touchscreens generally cannot without special pens. The document demonstrates drawing apps on a Samsung Galaxy Note and Nexus to show pressure detection. It outlines the Android touch APIs for handling pressure input since API level 9 and providing tool information. It concludes that a pen provides better pressure input than touch but an improved SDK could make the experience even better.

1. Android does pressure!
(a look into problems I discovered when writing pressure sensitive applications)

2. actual situation
resitive touchscreens
(e.g. ViewSonic Viewpad, Jay-tech, ...)

3. actual situation
resitive touchscreens capacative touchscreens
(e.g. ViewSonic Viewpad, Jay-tech, ...) (e.g. Samsung Galaxy Nexus)

4. actual situation
resitive touchscreens capacative touchscreens
(e.g. ViewSonic Viewpad, Jay-tech, ...) (e.g. Samsung Galaxy Nexus)
capacative touchscreens with capacitive pens
(e.g. Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1)

5. actual situation
resitive touchscreens capacative touchscreens
(e.g. ViewSonic Viewpad, Jay-tech, ...) (e.g. Samsung Galaxy Nexus)
capacative touchscreens with
capacative touchscreens with capacitive pens
pressure sensitive pens
(e.g. Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1)
(e.g. Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1)

6. Android touch APIs
Ordinary touch events since API level 1
Getting touch directly dispatched on Views
Some APIs can decide if then take the touch or not!
Pressure available since Android API level 9 (2.3, 2.3.1, 2.3.2,
Gingerbread!)

7. Demo
own drawing demo
(drawn on a Samsung Galaxy
Note with S-Pen)

8. Demo
own drawing demo
(drawn on a Samsung Galaxy Nexus)

9. Android pressure APIs
public boolean onTouchEvent (final MotionEvent event)
MotionEvent
android.view.MotionEvent
general touch (since API level 1) and multi touch methods (since API level
5), pressure data (since API level 5, enhanced since API level 9)
android.view.MotionEvent.PointerCoords
information regarding the drawing tool (since API level 9)
android.view.MotionEvent.PointerProperties
information regarding the drawing tool (since API level 14)

10. Demo
a view into code

11. Conclusion
a pen works
better and ist
more detailed

12. Conclusion
but it can
even be
better

13. Conclusion
with the
right SDK

14. Download
http://innovator.samsungmobile.com

15. Simple JAR file (Demo)