2. Identify the keys and buttons commonly found on desktop computer, keyboards, and describe how keyboards for mobile computers and devices differ from desktop computer devices.
3. Describe different mouse types and explain how to use a mouse.
Answers:
1. Input is any data or instructions entered into the memory of a computer. Two types of input are data and instructions. Data is a collection of unorganized items that can include words, numbers, pictures, sounds, and video. A computer processes data into information, which is organized, meaningful, and useful. Instructions can be in the form of programs, commands, or user responses. A program is a series of instructions that tells a computer how to perform the tasks necessary to process data into information. A command is an instruction given to a computer program. A user response is an instruction you issue to the computer by responding to a question posed by a computer program. Any hardware component that allows you to enter data, programs, commands, and user responses into a computer is an input device.
2. Desktop computer keyboards usually have from 101 to 105 keys, while keyboards for smaller computers contain fewer keys. All keyboards have a typing area used to type letters of the alphabet, numbers, punctuation marks, and other basic characters. Many desktop computer keyboards also have a numeric keypad designed to make it easier to enter numbers, function keys programmed to issue commands and accomplish certain tasks, arrow keys used to move the insertion point (a symbol on the screen that indicates where the next typed character will display), and toggle keys that can be switched between two different states. A standard computer keyboard sometimes is called a QWERTY keyboard because of the layout of its typing area. An enhanced keyboard has 12 function keys along the top row, 2 ctrl keys, 2 alt keys, and a set of arrow and additional keys between the typing area and the numeric keypad. Cordless keyboards transmit data via infrared light waves. Keyboards for notebook and handheld computers usually have smaller and fewer keys than desktop computers. A portable keyboard is a full-sized keyboard you can attach to and remove from a handheld computer. Some manufacturers have designed ergonomic keyboards to reduce the chance of workplace injuries. The goal of ergonomics is to incorporate comfort, efficiency, and safety into the design of workplace items.
3. A mechanical mouse has a rubber or metal ball on its underside. When the ball rolls in a certain direction, electronic circuits in the mouse translate the movement into signals that are sent to the computer. For better traction, you should place a mechanical mouse on a mouse pad. An optical mouse has no moving parts; instead it uses devices that emit and sense light to detect the mouse’s movement. An optical mouse can be used on nearly all surfaces, is more precise than a mechanical mouse, and does not require cleaning. A cordless mouse, or wireless mouse, is a battery powered device that transmits data using wireless technology, such as radio waves or infrared light waves. A cordless mouse uses technology very similar to that of a cordless keyboard.
As you move a mouse across a flat surface, the movement is translated into signals that are sent to the computer, and the pointer on the screen also moves. When you move the mouse to the right, the pointer moves to the right on the screen. For Windows users, the top of a mouse has at least two buttons and sometimes also a wheel. Generally, you use a mouse to move the pointer on the screen to an object and then press a button, or click, to perform a certain action on that object. Other operations you can perform using a mouse include right-click, double-click, drag, right-drag, rotate wheel, and press wheel button.
4. A graphics tablet (or digitizing tablet, graphics pad, drawing tablet[1]) is a computer input device that allows one to hand-draw images and graphics, similar to the way one draws images with a pencil and paper. These tablets may also be used to capture data or handwritten signatures.
A graphics tablet (also called pen pad or digitizer) consists of a flat surface upon which the user may "draw" an image using an attached stylus, a pen-like drawing apparatus. The image generally does not appear on the tablet itself but, rather, is displayed on the computer monitor. Some tablets however, come as a functioning secondary computer screen that you can interact with directly using the stylus.
Some tablets are intended as a general replacement for a mouse as the primary pointing and navigation device for desktop computers.
The first electronic handwriting tablet was the Telautograph, patented by Elisha Gray in 1888 [2]. Elisha Gray is best known as a contemporaneous inventor of the telephone to Alexander Graham Bell.
The first graphics tablet resembling contemporary tablets and used for handwriting recognition by a computer was the Styalator[3] in 1957. Better known (and often mis-stated as the first digitizer tablet) is the RAND Tablet[4] also known as the Grafacon (for Graphic Converter), introduced in 1964. The RAND Tablet employed a grid of wires under the surface of the pad that encoded horizontal and vertical coordinates in a small magnetic signal. The stylus would receive the magnetic signal, which could then be decoded back as coordinate information.
Other graphics tablets a commonly known as spark or acoustic tablets, used a stylus that generated clicks with a spark plug. The clicks were then triangulated by a series of microphones to locate the pen in space[5]. The system was fairly complex and expensive, and the sensors were susceptible to interference by external noise.
Digitizers were popularized in the mid 1970s and early 1980s by the commercial success of the ID (Intelligent Digitizer) and BitPad manufactured by the Summagraphics Corp. These digitizers were used as the input device for many high-end CAD (Computer Aided Design) systems as well as bundled with PC's and PC based CAD software like AutoCAD.
Summagraphics also made an OEM version of its BitPad which was sold by Apple Computer as the Apple Graphics Tablet accessory to their Apple II. These tablets used a magnetostriction technology which used wires made of a special alloy stretched over a solid substrate to accurately locate the tip of a stylus or the center of a digitizer cursor on the surface of the tablet. This technology also allowed Proximity or "Z" axis measurement.
There are essentially two types of mobile touch screen computers. The first type is the convertible laptop which is popular among the typical computer users and the second type is the slate PC. The slate PC is geared toward a specified function making it particularly useful for professions that require what the device offers over the other type of touch screen computer. The slate PC is a much simpler tablet style PC while the convertible laptop can take the form of a standard laptop or a tablet. The versatility of a convertible laptop makes it useful for typical computing purposes with the addition of having touch recognition.
The slate PC is a single piece where the screen makes up most of one of the large surfaces. This is in contrast to the convertible laptop with looks and functions much more like a standard laptop that opens and shuts. The slate PC is essentially a tablet with no keyboard or mouse pad but the option to use those peripherals is made possible through the USB connection. Otherwise the all user interface and command inputs are communicated to the computer entirely through the touch screen.
The light weight and improved portability of the slate PC over the convertible laptop is made possible by eliminating the keyboard and touch pad. They usually offer larger screen sizes as well so that it is more effective for creating hand written notes. The larger screen minimizes the distance between the margins of the screen which slows down note taking. For people who need to carry the tablet around and take notes while on their feet this is the perfect device for that job function.
The convertible touch screen laptops offer their own advantages and it is quite obvious what they are. These devices can transform from a standard laptop into a tablet. This is made possible by the design of the hinge which holds the screen and the rest of the computer together on a swivel allowing it to rotate 180 degrees and fold back over the keyboard screen side up. This makes it more effective when writing or drawing on the screen like a traditional notepad.
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