Programming for Touch Screens?

I was given a project today to develop an application for a touch screen moinitor. They also gave me a choice to develop this application in either java or vb. For testing purposes they told me to put in a request for a touch screen monitor. My questions are

1)what type of monitor would be could for testing touch screen software? Can't be handheld.

2)Are the events for a mouse click the same as the events for someone touching the screen?

3) Does anyone here at ao have experience in programming touch screens or actually has a touch screen that they can reccomend?

Also I have a feeling I am going to go with java on this project but if all goes to hell it will be done in vb. I've done some research on the touch screen monitors but if anyone else can send some links or good reference my way I would appreciate it.

Hi! at last i can contribute something worthwhile..:)

anyhow, i just came off a project for building touchscreen kiosks..so here goes... :

Q1)We used Samsung syncmaster 19" touchscreens backed by ELO software.. they are heavy buggers, but can withstand ALOT of abuse (we had run-ins with Macflurry's, rice, tomato sauce, and a coke or two)... if what you're after is elegant n sleek then you might wanna check out Slim Masters ... they are like the dog's bollocks of touch screens...
You can get an add on touch kit that you just add on to your current monitor like one of those anti-glare/anti-radiation/bullcrap screens as well but thats not half as fun...and its cheating...:)

heres elo
touch kit and some slim touchers..

Google "touch screen monitors" and you should be set....for price (but go with the samsung...)

Q2)the monitors we used were pretty much the same as your average 19 inch job, however they do weigh nearly 20 kg...they come with CD's with all the appropriate software you can use on 'em.. its basically just config stuff... the cool thing is .. it works just like a mouse except you touch the screen instead.. you can set the config to single or double click per touch.. in the config menu, you can select exactly what you want to occur per touch... so long story cut short, YUP its pretty much like a mouse...

Q3)because of the way the touch screen works, you dont really have to program it... when we started the system we needed some heavy duty graphics... and honestly out of about 200 pages of information, we only used VB for the menu ( and that seemed pointles afterwards too) for the rest we used Flash 5.0 n Director and a bit of dreamweaver... thats right!! webpage tools!!! going with VB is the hard way round once you get your hands on these fun things it is actually quite a pleasant experience...

Hope that answers your q's feel free to pm me if ya need any more help... and when you do get a touchscreen, go get commando's 2 coz you literally touch those hitler loving nazis and they die..:) fun fun fun....

good luck

There are a couple of types of touch screens, each with diffrent advandages/disadvantages...
Here's a page that describes them: http://www.norteng.com/TCHSELGD.HTM
Some types are better at some applications (uses) than others...

Ammo

Hey looks like this has been fully answered..but i'll throw in my two cents, well cuz i like to.

My roommate has an 8.4" Sharp touchscreen in his car. All the programs for it are dos based and were custom written by him using Turing. I don't know if you've ever even heard of Turing, but it's a great language, and rather basic. All he did was use the mouse co-ordinate commands for when the mouse is clicked on each button, and when he uses the touch screen it acts as if the mouse were clicked... It even has a serial connection.