DISCOVERING COMPUTERS
Digital Technology, Data, and Devices
Chapter 3
Input, Output and Storage
Objectives Overview (1 of 2)
• Differentiate among various types of keyboards:
standard, compact, on-screen, virtual, ergonomic,
gaming, and wireless
• Describe characteristics of various pointing devices:
mouse, touchpad, and trackball
• Describe various uses of touch screens
• Describe various types of pen input: stylus, digital pen,
and graphics tablet
• Describe various uses of motion input, voice input, and
video input
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Objectives Overview (2 of 2)
• Differentiate among various scanners and reading
devices
• Explain the characteristics of various displays
• Summarize the various types of printers
• Identify the purpose and features of speakers,
headphones and earbuds, data projectors, interactive
whiteboards, and force-feedback game controllers and
tactile output
• Identify various assistive technology input and output
methods
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What Is Input? (1 of 2)
• Input is any data and instructions entered into the
memory of a computer
Figure 7-1 Users can enter data and instructions into computers and
mobile devices in a variety of ways.
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What Is Input? (2 of 2)
Commonly used input methods include:
• Keyboard
• Pointing devices / mouse
• Touch screens
• Pen input / stylus
• Motion input
• Voice input
• Video input
• Scanners and reading devices
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Keyboards (1 of 4)
• A keyboard is an input device that contains keys you
press to enter data and instructions into a computer or
mobile device
Figure 7-2 On a standard keyboard, you type using keys in the typing
area and on the numeric keypad. Some of the keys on standard
keyboards differ, depending on the operating system (OS) with which
they are designed to work.
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Keyboards (2 of 4)
Nearly ALL keyboards have…
• Typing area
• Function keys (F1, F2, F3….)
• Toggle key (Caps Lock, Num Lock, etc)
• Navigation keys (arrow key)
• Media control buttons
• Internet control buttons
• Other special keys
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Keyboards (3 of 4)
• There are a variety of keyboard options for mobile
computers and devices
Figure 7-3 User have a variety of keyboard options for mobile
computers and devices.
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Keyboards (4 of 4)
• An ergonomic keyboard has a design that reduces
the chance of repetitive strain injuries (RSIs) of wrist
and hand
• Ergonomics incorporates comfort, efficiency, and
safety in the design of the workplace
Figure 7-4 An ergonomic keyboard.
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Pointing Devices (1 of 3)
• A pointer is a small symbol on the screen whose location
and shape change as a user moves a pointing device
• A mouse is a pointing device that fits under the palm of
your hand comfortably
– Optical mouse, laser mouse, and touch mouse
Figure 7-5 An optical mouse has buttons. A touch mouse often has
no buttons
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Pointing Devices (2 of 3)
• Touchpad
– A touchpad is a small, flat, rectangular pointing
device that is sensitive to pressure and motion
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Pointing Devices (3 of 3)
• Trackball
– A trackball is a stationary pointing device with a ball
on its top or side
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Touch Screens
• A touch screen is a touch-sensitive display
Figure 7-8 You use your thumb or finger to rotate or press buttons
on a touch-sensitive pad, which commonly is found on portable
media players.
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Pen Input (1 of 2)
• With pen input, you touch a stylus / digital pen on
a flat surface to write, draw, or make selections
Figure 7-9 You use a stylus to write, draw, or make selections on a
touch screen that supports pen input.
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Pen Input (2 of 2)
• A graphics tablet, also called a digitizer, is an
electronic plastic board that detects and converts
movements of a stylus / digital pen into signals that
are sent to the computer
Figure 7-11 Architects use a graphics tablet to create blueprints.
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Motion, Voice, and Video Input (1 of 8)
• With motion input, sometimes called gesture
recognition, users can guide on-screen elements using
air gestures
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TAP Wearable Keyboard & Mouse
https://youtu.be/8za_4g5zCOM
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Motion, Voice, and Video Input (2 of 8)
• Voice input is the process of entering input by
speaking into a microphone
• Voice recognition, also called speech recognition, is
the computer or mobile device’s capability of
distinguishing spoken words
• SIRI : apple computer
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Motion, Voice, and Video Input (3 of 8)
Figure 7-12 With Siri, you can speak instructions and commands to
the smartphone and its apps. As shown here, the user asks Siri about
the weather, to which Siri replies by speaking a message and
displaying the forecast.
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Motion, Voice, and Video Input (4 of 8)
• Audio input is the process of entering any sound into
the computer such as speech, music, and sound
effects
• Music production software allows users to record,
compose, mix, and edit music and sounds
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Motion, Voice, and Video Input (5 of 8)
Figure 7-13 This sound engineer uses a computer to mix music.
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Motion, Voice, and Video Input (6 of 8)
• Video input is the process of capturing full-
motion images and storing them on a computer
or mobile device’s storage medium
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Motion, Voice, and Video Input (7 of 8)
A webcam is a type of DV camera that enables a user to:
• Capture video and still images
• Send email messages with video attachments
• Broadcast live images or video over the Internet
• Conduct videoconferences
• Make video calls
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Motion, Voice, and Video Input (8 of 8)
• A videoconference is a meeting between two or
more geographically separated people
Figure 7-14 To save on travel expenses, many large businesses
use videoconferencing.
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Scanners and Reading Devices (1 of 10)
• A scanner is a light-sensing input device that reads
printed text and graphics and then translates the
results into a form the computer can process
– A flatbed scanner works in a manner similar to a copy
machine except it creates a file of the document in
memory instead of a paper copy
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Scanners and Reading Devices (2 of 10)
Figure 7-16 This figure shows how a flatbed scanner works.
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Scanners and Reading Devices (3 of 10)
• An optical reader is a device that uses a light source to
read characters, marks, and codes and then converts
them into digital data that a computer can process
– Optical character recognition (OCR)
Scan the car plate
– Optical mark recognition (OMR)
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Scanners and Reading Devices (4 of 10)
• A bar code reader, also called a bar code scanner
uses laser beams to read bar codes
Figure 7-17 A bar code reader uses laser beams to read bar codes
on products such as clothing, shown here.
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Scanners and Reading Devices (5 of 10)
• A QR code stores information in both a vertical and
horizontal direction
Figure 7-18 This customer pays her bills by scanning an on-screen
QR code.
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Scanners and Reading Devices (6 of 10)
• RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) uses radio
signals to communicate with a tag placed in or attached
to an object
• An RFID reader reads information on the tag via radio
waves
• RFID can track:
– Tracking times of runners in a marathon
– Tracking location of people and other items
– Checking lift tickets of skiers
– Gauging temperature and pressure of tires on a vehicle
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Scanners and Reading Devices (7 of 10)
– Checking out library books
– Managing purchases
– Tracking payment as vehicles pass through booths on tollway
systems
Magstripe readers read the magnetic stripe on the back of
cards such as:
– Credit cards
– Entertainment cards
– Bank cards
– Identification cards
– Other similar cards
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Scanners and Reading Devices (8 of 10)
Figure 7-20 A magstripe reader reads information encoded on the
stripe on the back of a credit card.
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Scanners and Reading Devices (9 of 10)
• MICR (Magnetic Ink Character Recognition) devices read
text printed with magnetized ink
• An MICR reader converts MICR characters into a form the
computer can process
• Banking industry uses MICR for check (cheque) processing
Figure 7-21 The MICR characters preprinted on the check represent the bank routing number,
customer account number, and check number. The amount of the check in the lower-right
corner is added after the check is cashed.
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Scanners and Reading Devices (10 of 10)
• A data collection device obtains data directly at the location
where the transaction or event takes place
Figure 7-22 An employee in a warehouse uses this data collection device
to scan items, which wirelessly transmits information about the scanned
item to the store’s inventory system.
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What Is Output?
• Output is data that has been processed into a useful form
Figure 7-23 Four types of output are text, graphics, audio, and video.
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Displays (1 of 5)
• A display visually conveys text, graphics, and video
information
• A monitor is a display that is packaged as a separate
peripheral device
– LCD monitor
– LED monitor
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Displays (2 of 5)
Figure 7-24 A variety of displays.
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Displays (3 of 5)
• The quality of a display depends primarily on its:
1) Resolution
2) Response time
3) Brightness
4) Dot pitch
5) Contrast ratio
• Today’s monitors use a digital signal to produce a
picture
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Displays (4 of 5)
• To display the highest quality images, the monitor
should plug in a:
– A DVI port
– An HDMI port
– A Display Port
• Home users sometimes use a digital television (DTV)
as a display
• HDTV is the most advanced form of digital television
• A Smart TV is an Internet-enabled HDTV
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Displays (5 of 5)
Figure 7-25 Smart TVs enable you to connect to the Internet
and/or watch television shows.
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Printers (1 of 13)
• A printer is an output device that produces text and graphics on a
physical medium
• Before purchasing a printer, ask yourself a series of questions
Figure 7-26 Questions to consider before purchasing a printer. 7-41
Printers (2 of 13)
• A nonimpact printer forms characters and graphics on
a piece of paper without actually contacting the paper
– Ink-jet printers
– Photo printers
– Laser printers
– All-in-one printers
– 3-D printers
– Thermal printers
– Mobile printers
– Label printers
– Plotters
– Large-format printers
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Printers (3 of 13)
• An ink-jet printer forms characters and graphics by
spraying tiny drops of liquid ink onto a piece of paper
– Color or black-and-white
– Speed is measured by the number of pages per minute
(ppm) it can print
Figure 7-27 Ink-jet printers are a popular type of color printer used at home
and in the office.
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Printers (4 of 13)
• A photo printer is a color printer that produces lab-
quality photos
– Many use ink-jet technology
Figure 7-29 A photo printer.
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Printers (5 of 13)
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Printers (6 of 13)
Figure 7-29 A photo printer.
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Printers (7 of 13)
• An all-in-one printer is a single device that prints,
scans, copies, and in some cases, faxes
– Also called a multifunction printer
Figure 7-32 An all-in-one printer.
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Printers (8 of 13)
• A 3-D printer uses a process called additive
manufacturing to create an object by adding material
to a three-dimensional object, one horizontal layer at a
time
Figure 7-33 A 3-D printer creates a rib cage from the digital model.
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Printers (9 of 13)
• A thermal printer generates images by pushing
electrically heated pins against the heat-sensitive
paper
• Dye-sublimation printer
Figure 7-34 A dye-sublimation printer.
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Printers (10 of 13)
• A mobile printer is a small, lightweight, battery-
powered printer that allows a mobile user to print from
a mobile device
Figure 7-35 A mobile printer is small enough to fit in a backpack.
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Printers (11 of 13)
• A label printer is a small printer that prints on an
adhesive-type material that can be placed on a variety
of items
Figure 7-36 A label printer.
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Printers (12 of 13)
• Plotters are used to produce high-quality drawings
• Large-format printers create photo-realistic quality
color prints
Figure 7-37 Graphic artists use large-format printers to print signs,
posters, and other professional quality displays.
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Printers (13 of 13)
• Impact printers form characters and graphics on a
piece of paper by striking a mechanism against an
inked ribbon that physically contacts the paper
Figure 7-38 An impact printer produces printed images when tiny pins
strike an inked ribbon.
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Other Output Devices (1 of 5)
• Many users attach surround sound speakers or
speaker systems to their computers, game consoles,
and mobile devices to generate higher-quality
sounds
Figure 7-39 Users often attach high-quality surround sound speaker systems to
their computers, game consoles, and mobile devices.
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Other Output Devices (2 of 5)
• Headphones are speakers that cover or are placed
outside of the ear
• Earbuds (also called earphones) rest inside the ear
canal
Figure 7-40 In a crowded environment where speakers are not practical,
users can wear headphones to hear audio output.
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Other Output Devices (3 of 5)
• A data projector is a device that projects the text
and images displaying on a computer or mobile
device screen on a larger screen so that an audience
can see the image clearly
Figure 7-41 A data projector projects an image from a computer or mobile
device screen on a larger screen so that an audience easily can see the
image.
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Other Output Devices (4 of 5)
• An interactive whiteboard is a touch-sensitive
device, resembling a dry-erase board, that displays
the image on a connected computer screen
Figure 7-42 Teachers and students can write directly on an interactive
whiteboard, or they can write on a slate that communicates wirelessly with the
whiteboard.
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Other Output Devices (5 of 5)
• Joysticks, wheels, gamepads, and motion-sensing
game controllers can be considered output devices
when they include force feedback
– Technology that sends resistance to the device in
response to actions of the user
Figure 7-43 Gaming devices often use force feedback, giving the user a
realistic experience.
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Assistive Technology Input and Output
(1 of 2)
Figure 7-44 A camera/receiver mounted on the monitor tracks the position
of the head-mounted pointer, which is the reflective material on the brim of
the hat. As the user moves her head, the pointer on the screen also moves.
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Assistive Technology Input and Output
(2 of 2)
Figure 7-45 A Braille printer.
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STORAGE DEVICES
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Summary
• Variety of options for input, output and storage
• Several assistive technology options for input and
output
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