computer science

TouchWiz

TouchWiz is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand TouchWiz rather than just read about it. In short: TouchWiz is a discontinued user interface developed by Samsung Electronics with partners, featuring a full touch user interface. It is sometimes incorrectly referred to as an operating system.

Key takeaways

TouchWiz belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect TouchWiz to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of TouchWiz from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

TouchWiz is a discontinued user interface developed by Samsung Electronics with partners, featuring a full touch user interface. It is sometimes incorrectly referred to as an operating system. TouchWiz was used internally by Samsung for smartphones, feature phones, and tablet computers, and was not available for licensing by external parties. The Android version of TouchWiz also comes with the Samsung-made app store Galaxy Apps. It was replaced by Samsung Experience in 2017 with the release of Android 7.0 "Nougat". Samsung's approach to its TouchWiz UI was distinct from its Android version updates. While Android updates brought new features and improvements to the operating system, Samsung often customized its UI separately. This meant that even if two devices ran the same Android version, their TouchWiz UI could differ based on the device's release date and hardware capabilities. For example, the Galaxy S5, released with Android 4.4.2 KitKat, had a version of TouchWiz tailored to its hardware and design. When upgraded to Android Marshmallow, it retained an older version of TouchWiz UI with minor tweaks. On the other hand, the Galaxy S7, which launched with Android Marshmallow, featured a newer version of TouchWiz designed for its advanced hardware and features. Samsung's strategy was likely aimed at optimizing the user experience for each device rather than standardizing the UI across all models. This approach allowed them to differentiate their devices and ensure compatibility with specific hardware configurations. However, it also led to inconsistencies in the user experience across devices running the same Android version.

History

Overview The first, original edition of TouchWiz (version 1.0) was released in 2008. This 1.0 version was officially launched with the original Samsung Solstice in 2009.; although TouchWiz did first appear on the SGH-F480 Tocco in 2008. The last version of TouchWiz is TouchWiz Grace UX, which is on the Galaxy J1 mini prime LTE and the recalled Galaxy Note 7. TouchWiz Zero UX on the Galaxy J3 (2016) feature a more refined user interface as compared to the previous versions found on Samsung's older phones released prior to Galaxy S5's release. The status bar is now transparent during home screen mode in TouchWiz Nature UX 2.0 and TouchWiz Nature UX 2.5. In TouchWiz 4.0 on Galaxy S II and the Galaxy Note (both later updated to Nature UX), some of the features added include panning and tilt, which makes use of the accelerometer and gyroscope in the phone to detect motion. TouchWiz is used by Samsung's own proprietary operating systems, Bada and REX, as well as by phones based on the Android operating system prior to Android 7. It is also present in phones running the Tizen operating system. TouchWiz was succeeded by Samsung Experience in early 2017. TouchWiz was a central issue in the lawsuit Apple Inc. v. Samsung Electronics.

TouchWiz 1.0 This was the original edition of TouchWiz, released in 2008, with pre-introduction (trial) on the SGH-F480 (Tocco) phone. It was an evolution of the Croix user interface seen on the SGH-P520 (Armani) and SGH-F700 (Ultra Smart). TouchWiz version 1.0 was officially launched with the original SGH-A887 Solstice, a phone released on AT&T in the United States in 2009. Various versions of TouchWiz 1.0, with different features, were used on Solstice's siblings, such as the Eternity, Impression, Impact, and Highlight.

TouchWiz 2.0 This was the original second edition of TouchWiz, released in 2009. This version premiered with the Solstice 2 in 2010.

TouchWiz 3.0

Released in 2010, to support Android Eclair (2.1) and Android Froyo (2.2). This version premiered with the Galaxy S. A lite version of TouchWiz 3.0, with reduced features, was used on the Galaxy Proclaim.

TouchWiz 4.0 The second version of TouchWiz was released in 2011 to support Android Gingerbread and Android Honeycomb (2.3 - 3.2.6). The Galaxy S II was the first device preloaded with TouchWiz 4.0. This version includes better hardware acceleration than 3.0, as well as multiple touchscreen options involving multi-touch gestures and using the phone's accelerometer. One such feature allows users to place two fingers on the screen and tilt the device towards and away from themselves, to zoom in and out, respectively. "Panning" on TouchWiz 4.0 allows users to scroll through home screens by moving the device from side to side.

TouchWiz Nature UX The third version of TouchWiz was renamed to TouchWiz Nature UX. It was released in 2012 and supported Android Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0) and Android Jelly Bean (4.1). The Galaxy S III, Galaxy Star, and Galaxy Note 10.1 were the first devices preloaded with this version, although a "lite" version was used beforehand on the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0. The 2013 Galaxy S2 "Plus" variant featured this user interface as well. TouchWiz Nature UX contains more interactive elements than the previous version, such as a water ripple effect on the lock screen, and "smart stay", a feature that uses eye tracking technology to determine if the user is still watching the screen. Users are able to set custom vibration patterns for phone calls and notifications. The keyboard software is equipped with a clipboard manager. A multi-touch magnification feature and a picture-in-picture mode ("pop-up play") have also been added to the precluded video player, as well as panning and zooming motion gestures in the gallery software. To complement the TouchWiz interface, and as a response to Apple's Siri, this version introduced S Voice, Samsung's Virtual assistant. The colour palette of the user interface has been adapted to the colours of nature, prosplit-screenen (plants, forest, grass) and blue (ocean, sky), to visually represent the slogan “Inspired by Nature”, and this version of TouchWiz also utilized many colour gradients and skeuomorphic elements. Together, they share many aspects of the design language and aesthetic Frutiger Aero. Criticism has been aimed at the inability of the home screen and lock screen to work in horizontal display orientation.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

TouchWiz: A homescreen of TouchWiz Nature UX 2.0, on a Galaxy S4 — A homescreen of TouchWiz Nature UX 2.0, on a Galaxy S4

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with TouchWiz

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what TouchWiz claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to TouchWiz before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about TouchWiz ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of TouchWiz

In research: TouchWiz appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses TouchWiz in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: TouchWiz is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Android (operating system) software, Custom Android firmware, Mobile operating systems, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for TouchWiz outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study TouchWiz in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what TouchWiz means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain TouchWiz out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is TouchWiz in simple terms?

TouchWiz is a discontinued user interface developed by Samsung Electronics with partners, featuring a full touch user interface. It is sometimes incorrectly referred to as an operating system.

Why does TouchWiz matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study TouchWiz?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on TouchWiz.