INPUT DEVICES

An input device helps you to enter data (text, images and sounds) and instructions into the
computer. There are lots of input devices but the most common are keyboards, mouse, pointing
devices, scanners, speech recognition devices.
Text input devices:
Keyboards – keyboards are used to enter data by typing it in manually. Most desktop and
notebook computers come with a standard keyboard, which uses the QWERTY keyboard layout.
There are other keyboard layouts like the Dvorak keyboard which is designed to reduce the
distance your fingers travel for most keystrokes, increasing typing speed. To increase portability,
recent development efforts have focused on reducing the size and weight of keyboards. The
virtual laser keyboard is about the size of a cellular phone. It projects the image of keyboard on
any surface and sensors detect the motion of your fingers as you type on a desk. There are also
gaming keyboards for hardcore gamers that are optimized for playing specific video games.
Mice and other pointing devices – We are mostly familiar with the optical mouse. The optical
mouse uses an internal sensor or laser to detect the mouse’s movement. The sensor sends signals to
the computer, telling it where to move the pointer on the screen. You may be also familiar with a
mouse that has a roller ball on the bottom, which moves when you drag the mouse across a mouse
pad.

Now days we also get wireless keyboards and wireless mice, both optical and trackball.
Notebooks are very popular with the young generation on the go. Notebooks do not come
with mice. Instead, they have integrated pointing devices such as a touchpad. A touchpad is a
small, touch sensitive area at the base of the keyboard. To use touchpad you simply move your
finger across the pad.
There are other types of input devices like the digital pen. The EPOS Digital Pen works in
conjunction with a flash drive ( a portable electronic storage device that connects to a port on a
computer). You can write with the pen on any conventional paper, and your writing is captured
and then wirelessly transmitted and stored in the flash drive. When the flash drive is connected to a
computer, you can use software to translate your writing into digital text.
Image input devices:
Digital cameras, camcorders, and webcams are the most common devices for capturing
pictures and video. Digital cameras and camcorders can be used to capture images in remote areas
and later downloaded to a computer. Webcams are small cameras on top of your computer monitor
or are built into your notebook computer. It helps in videoconferencing or to call with video
phones.
Sound input devices:
A microphone is a device that helps you to capture sound waves and transfer them to
digital format on your computer. Close-talk microphones which are usually attached to a headset
are useful in situations such as using speech- recognition software, videoconferencing, or making
telephone calls. Handheld microphones are convenient for recording podcasts. Clip on
microphones are useful when you are presenting at a meeting.
Other input devices: Bar code scanners read bar codes. Bar codes are made up of bars of
different widths and spacing that convey alphabetic and numeric information about products or
addresses. The bar code scanners are accurate, fast and inexpensive which has made it popular at
supermarket checkout counters, where the billing employee uses them to read the bar code labels
on cans, boxes and bags. These supermarket scanners are connected to a computer that registers
the name and price of the product at the counter. The information collected by the computer and
scanner helps not only in billing but also to keep track of the inventory in the store. This provides
instant feedback to the managers about what products are selling and which are not and the effect
of various discounts and rebates.
Cyberware’s whole body scanner is another input device that can scan an entire human
body in 17 seconds. This high resolution 3D color model that it creates can be used for perfectly
tailored clothes or for special effect in the movies.