Touch panel device and portable information terminal including touch panel device

A portable information terminal comprising:

• a housing;
• a display device;
• an electrostatic capacitance type touch sensor in which a plurality of transparent electrode units are arranged in X and Y directions;
• a conductive layer that is connected to predetermined transparent electrode units among the plurality of transparent electrode units forming the electrostatic capacitance type touch sensor and that extends outward from an arrangement area of the plurality of transparent electrode units, wherein the conductive layer has a point of termination at an outer edge of a region formed by the plurality of transparent electrode units;
• and
• circuitry configured to
• detect a position at which an external conductor approaches the electronic capacitance type touch sensor and detect when the external conductor contacts a surface at a position which is above the conductive layer and which is external and not above the region formed by the plurality of transparent electrode units such that the contact that is not above the region formed by the plurality of transparent electrode units is still sensed as an electrostatic capacitance change at the X and Y coordinate point of the outer edge of the region formed by the plurality of transparent electrode units based on a capacitive coupling between the conductive layer and the outer edge and the region formed by the plurality of transparent electrode units, and
• execute a predetermined application program based on the detected position,
• wherein the electronic capacitance type touch sensor is configured to overlap the display device, and the display device includes an effective display area that is configured to be visible to a user through the housing, and the X and Y coordinate point of the outer edge of the region formed by the plurality of transparent electrode units is configured to be outside of a region of the electronic capacitance type touch sensor that overlaps the effective display area.