INPUT / OUTPUT

Specific Learning Outcomes: At the end of the lesson, the student will be able to:
• Identify the keys and buttons commonly found on desktop computer keyboards, and describe how
keyboards for mobile computers and devices differ from desktop computer keyboards
• Describe different mouse types
• Describe various types of touch screens and explain how a touch-sensitive pad works
• Describe various types of pen input
• Explain other types of input, including various game controllers, other input for smart phones, how
resolution affects the quality of a picture captured on digital cameras, voice and video input,
scanners and reading devices, various biometric devices, and terminals
• Explain the characteristics of LCD monitors, LCD screens, and CRT monitors
• Summarize the various types of printers: ink-jet printers, photo printers, laser printers, multifunction
peripherals, thermal printers, mobile printers, and plotters and large-format printers 8 Identify the
purpose and features of speakers, headphones, and earbuds; data projectors; and interactive
whiteboards 9 Identify input and output options for physically challenged users

What Is Input?

Input is any data and instructions entered into the memory of a computer. People has a variety of
options for entering data and instructions into a computer. An input device is any hardware component that
allows users to enter data and instructions into a computer.
Keyboard and Pointing Devices

Two of the more widely used input devices are the keyboard and the mouse. Most computers
include a keyboard or keyboarding capabilities. The mouse is a pointing device because it allows a user
to control a pointer on the screen. In a graphical user interface, a pointer is a small symbol on the screen
whose location and shape change as a user moves a pointing device. A pointing device can select text,
graphics, and other objects; and click buttons, icons, links, and menu commands.

The Keyboard

Many people use a keyboard as one of their input devices. A keyboard is an input device that
contains keys users press to enter data and instructions into a computer.
All desktop computer keyboards have a typing area that includes the letters of the alphabet,
numbers, punctuation marks, and other basic keys. Many desktop computer keyboards also have a
numeric keypad on the right side of the keyboard.
Most of today’s desktop computer keyboards are enhanced keyboards. An enhanced keyboard
has 12 or more function keys along the top and a set of arrow and additional keys between the typing
area and the numeric keypad. Function keys are special keys programmed to issue commands to a
computer.
Keyboards with media control buttons allow you to control your media player program, access
the computer’s optical disc drive, and adjust speaker volume. Internet controls allow you to open an e-
mail program, start a Web browser, and search the Internet. Some keyboards include buttons and other
features specifically for users that enjoy playing games on the computer.
Desktop computer keyboards often attach via a cable to a USB port on the system unit. Some
keyboards, however, do not have any wires connecting the keyboard to the system unit. A wireless
keyboard, or cordless keyboard, is a battery-powered device that transmits data to the system unit
using wireless technology, such as radio waves (Bluetooth) or infrared light waves (IrDA).
Regardless of size, many keyboards have a rectangular shape with the keys aligned in straight,
horizontal rows. Users who spend a lot of time typing on these keyboards sometimes experience
repetitive strain injuries (RSI) of their wrists and hands. For this reason, some manufacturers offer
ergonomic keyboards, which have a design that reduces the chance of wrist and hand injuries. The
goal of ergonomics is to incorporate comfort, efficiency, and safety in the design of the
workplace. Employees can be injured or develop disorders of the muscles, nerves, tendons, ligaments,
and joints from working in an area that is not designed ergonomically.

Keyboards for Mobile Computers and Mobile Devices

On notebook and some handheld computers, smart phones, and other mobile devices, the
keyboard is built in the top of the system unit. To fit in these smaller computers and devices, the
keyboards usually are smaller and have fewer keys than desktop computer keyboards. A variety of
options are available for typing on a smart phone. Many can display an on-screen keyboard, where you
press the on-screen keys using a stylus or your finger. Some smart phones have one key for each letter
of the alphabet, often called a mini-keyboard. Other phones have keypads that contain fewer keys than
there are letters in the alphabet. For these phones, each key on the keypad represents multiple
characters, which are identified on the key.
Mouse

A mouse is a pointing device that fits comfortably under the palm of your hand. With a mouse,
users control the movement of the pointer. As you move a mouse, the pointer on the screen also moves.
Generally, you use the mouse to move the pointer on the screen to an object such as a button, a menu,
an icon, a link, or text. Then, you press a mouse button to perform a certain action associated with that
object.
Most desktop computer users today have some type of optical mouse, which uses devices that
emit and sense light to detect the mouse’s movement. Some use optical sensors, and others use a laser.
The latter, often referred to as a laser mouse, usually is more expensive than the former. The mobile
user who makes presentations may prefer a mouse that has additional buttons for running a slide show
and controlling media, similar to a remote control. An air mouse is a newer type of motion-sensing
mouse that, in addition to the typical buttons, allows you to control objects, media players, and slide
shows by moving the mouse in predetermined directions through the air. For example, raising the mouse
up might increase the volume on your media player.
A mouse connects to a computer in several ways. Many types connect with a cable that attaches
to a USB port or a mouse port on the system unit. A wireless mouse, or cordless mouse, is a battery-
powered device that transmits data using wireless technology, such as radio waves (Bluetooth) or
infrared light waves (IrDA).
Trackball

A trackball is a stationary pointing device with a ball on its top or side. To

move the pointer using a trackball, you rotate the ball with your thumb, fingers,
or the palm of your hand. In addition to the ball, a trackball usually has one or
more buttons that work just like mouse buttons.

Touchpad

A touchpad is a small, flat, rectangular pointing device that is

sensitive to pressure and motion. To move the pointer using a
touchpad, slide your fingertip across the surface of the pad. Some
touchpads have one or more buttons around the edge of the pad that
work like mouse buttons. On most touchpads, you also can tap the pad’s
surface to imitate mouse operations such as clicking. Touchpads are
found most often on notebook computers, including netbooks and
many Tablet PCs.

Pointing Stick

A pointing stick is a pressure-sensitive pointing device

shaped like a pencil eraser that is positioned between keys on a
keyboard. To move the pointer using a pointing stick, you push the
pointing stick with a finger. The pointer on the screen moves in the
direction you push the pointing stick. By pressing buttons below the
keyboard, users can click and perform other mouse-type operations
with a pointing stick.

Touch Screens and Touch-Sensitive Pads

A touch screen is a touch-sensitive display device. Touch screens that recognize multiple
points of contact at the same time are known as multi-touch. Users can interact with touch screens by
touching areas of the screen. Because touch screens require a lot of arm or hand movements, you do
not enter large amounts of data using a touch screen. Instead, users touch words, pictures, numbers,
letters, or locations identified on the screen. Some touch screens also respond to finger motions such as
sliding your finger to drag an object or pinching your fingers to zoom in or out. The latest version of the
Windows operating system provides increased support for computers with touch screens. Support for
touch screens makes it easier for users to interact with the operating system.
 With some smart phones, portable media players, and other mobile devices, you can touch the
screen to perform tasks such as dialing phone numbers, entering text, and making on-screen selections.
Some handheld game consoles also have touch screens. A kiosk, which is a freestanding computer,
usually includes a touch screen. A recently developed touch screen, called Microsoft Surface, is a 30-
inch tabletop display that allows one or more people to interact with the screen using their fingers or
hands. The Microsoft Surface display also allows devices that are not digital, such as an everyday
paintbrush, to be used as an input device.

Touch-Sensitive Pads

Portable media players that do not have touch screens typically have a
touch-sensitive pad, which is an input device that enables users to scroll
through and play music, view pictures, watch videos or movies, adjust volume,
and/or customize settings. Touch sensitive pads typically contain buttons and/or
wheels that are operated with a thumb or finger. For example, users rotate a Click
Wheel to browse through a portable media player’s song, picture, or movie lists
and press the Click Wheel’s buttons to play or pause media, display a menu, and
perform other actions.

Pen Input

With pen input, you touch a stylus or digital pen on a flat surface to write, draw, or make
selections. The flat surface may be a screen on a monitor or mobile device, a signature capture pad, or
a graphics tablet. A stylus is a small metal or plastic device that looks like a tiny ink pen but uses pressure
instead of ink. A digital pen, which is slightly larger than a stylus, typically provides more functionality
than a stylus, featuring electronic erasers and programmable buttons.
Most digital pens, often simply called pens, are pressure-sensitive. Some desktop and mobile
computers and nearly all mobile devices have touch screens that recognize pen input and thus include a
pressure-sensitive digital pen or stylus. To capture a handwritten signature, a user writes his or her name
on a signature capture pad with a stylus or pen that is attached to the device. Software then transmits
the signature via a cable connected to a USB or serial port on the computer. Signature capture pads often
include a magnetic stripe card reader and work with POS terminals.
To use pen input on a computer that does not have a touch screen, you can attach a graphics
tablet to the computer. A graphics tablet is a flat, rectangular, electronic, plastic board. Architects,
mapmakers, designers, artists, and home users create drawings and sketches by using a pressure-
sensitive pen on a graphics tablet.