a) Wrong, multi touch is very useful even for small devices. Eliminate all the needs for extra buttons and save space in device design.

b) True but capacitive do not require presure to register signal and there is a kind of capacitive that I read about sometimes ago had the touch and pressure sensitivity. Can't remember the link.

c) Capacitive is more secure when you put in your pocket and you do not need to worry about pressing buttons because it needs skin contact to register signal.

d) Wrong, Capacitive can produce very high resolution and currently the highest resolution device in the size of 3.5inches is capacitive (iphone 4), both capacitive and resistive resolution is no longer a gap. Indeed the Capacitive has evolved way beyond resistive screen technology. Eg: super Amoled Plus etc.

d) Now this one you're deadly wrong. Capacitive is required no need of hardware keyboard and at the same time it can be used without any extra keyboards. But Capacitive also can be used with keyboard. Take a look at HTC keyboard devices or Galaxy S Pro.
Keyboard is just an option toward mobile design and it doesn't relate to the screen technology the device is using. Only two things that capacitive can't do what the resistive can't do.

1- pressure point signal and it is sharp, requires no skin contact, any objects can be used. Must apply pressure to work.

2- Accuracy point of signal. But sometimes requires multiple press or click on smal object or links to make it registered. Loved by those who'd like to draw and to scratch their device's screen and on those small screen.


Capacitive has it flaw but the flaws are usually what the resistive do best anything else capacitive does better. Sensitivity may be bad for some but for me I find it nice and smooth to use. Those who'd find it over sensitive is because they are used to the resistive screen and usually like to rest their finger(s) on the screen when using the device (resistive habit). Those are very common

It's pointless to argue which is 'better', these are different technologies with different strengths and weaknesses.

@max: afaik iphone4's high res screen is not attributed to its input method. Afaik the capacitive/resistive sensor is a different layer tacked on to the display screen.

resistive for me as i have long nails

Resistive, specially due to the accuracy (i can easilly hit GUI elements only a few milimeters wide even with the "pad" of my fingers in my N900, while with capacitive somtimes even fat buttons more than a centimeter in size are hard to hit) and due not having to worry about which side of my finger i use (the other day playing with a friend's fruitphone it was quite annoying and awkward to have to think about the angle of my finger, you can get used to it, but it's an unecessary extra effort).

Being able to use nails really is a must for web browsing (so don't tell me UI just has to adapt, because right now full scale web sites still have much much more functionality).
Appart from that, I strongly believe that high quality capacitive > cheap resistive and vice versa, so in the end I just want a good screen.

so you think pressure is a week or - point of resistive?
but i feel this is a + point of resistive
it stops accidents clicks!!!!!
also

think same

i just wanted to put my two bobs in,

imagine you have to design an input method for portable, small devices.

first, you need to find out how people would use it, eg; how they interact with the device.

and there's only one thing that all our interactions have in common, and that's pressure.

not capacitance.

fundamentally capacitive is flawed, it only caught on because apple used it, and it became synonymous with "high quality" and "responsiveness". I'm not saying that the current resistive screens are the best, merely that pressure will, and will always be, the best way to register input from a human.

maybe capacitive is actually the best for input via fingers, but the number of times my mates stare with jealousy as i just casually use my pen/chopstick/toothbrush/whatever to do things, is proof enough.

technology is there to fit us, not to make us fit.

we are pressure-responsive beings, not capacitive ones.

Resistive!
Last year in March I bought a Xperia X10 and then in May bought a N900. Since then my Xperia X10 sit idle in my drawer and I use N900 everyday!

ya same i also have used Xperia x10 and now i have sold it!