Computers Are Your Future

Twelfth Edition

Chapter 3: Input/Output and Storage

• Input device
o Hardware that gives users the ability to enter data and
instructions into the computer’s random access memory
(RAM)
 Input Devices:
Giving Commands
• Input device (con’t.)
o Keyboard
• Most common input device—enables data and instruction
entry through the use of a variety of keys
o Enhanced keyboards—additional keys, such as media control
buttons to adjust speaker volume, or Internet control buttons
that open e-mail, a browser, or a search window with a single
keystroke
 Input Devices:
Giving Commands
 Input Devices:
Giving Commands
• Key matrix
o Grid of circuits located under the keys

• Character map
o Chart that tells the processor what key has been pressed
 Input Devices:
Giving Commands
• Insertion point
o Blinking vertical line, underscore, or highlighted box

• Wireless keyboards
o Connect to the computer through infrared (IR), radio frequency
(RF), or Bluetooth connections
 Input Devices:
Giving Commands
• Keyboards
o Connect with:
• Universal Serial Bus (USB) connector
• PS/2 cable
• Infrared
• Radio frequency
• Bluetooth
 Input Devices:
Giving Commands
• Special keyboard keys include:
o Cursor movement keys (arrow keys)—set of four keys that
move the cursor up, down, right, or left
o Toggle keys—either on or off
o Function keys—perform specific actions depending on the
program
o Modifier keys—used for shortcuts
 Input Devices:
Giving Commands
• Mice
o Optical—most popular pointing device
o Travel—all the capabilities of a normal mouse, half the size
o Wheel—has a wheel for easy vertical scrolling
o Wireless—connects through an infrared or radio signal (RF)
o Air—does not need to work on a surface, works as it moves
through the air
 Output Devices:
Engaging Our Senses
• Output devices
o Enable users to see, hear, or feel the end result of
processing operations
o The two most popular output devices
• Monitors (also called displays)
• Printers
 Output Devices:
Engaging Our Senses
• Monitors
o Display a temporary copy (soft copy) of processed data
o Types of monitors include:
• Cathode-ray tube (CRT)—legacy technology
• Liquid crystal display (LCD)
 Output Devices:
Engaging Our Senses
• Monitors (con’t.)
o LCD (flat-panel) displays:
• Have a thin profile
• Are used with newer desktops and notebooks
• Have largely replaced CRT monitors
• May accommodate high-definition video
 Output Devices:
Engaging Our Senses
• Monitors (con’t.)
o Size is diagonal measurement
o Size is straightforward for LCDs but more complex for CRTs.
o Quoted size—the size of the screen
o Viewable area—the area unobstructed by the housing
o Both must be disclosed by the manufacturer.
 Output Devices:
Engaging Our Senses
• Resolution
o Refers to the sharpness of an image
o Number of pixels (picture elements) controls the resolution
o Video Graphics Array (VGA)—lowest resolution standard
(640 × 480)
o Extended Graphics Array (XGA)—most used by computers
today (1024 × 768)
 Output Devices:
Engaging Our Senses
• Field-emission displays (FEDs)
o Considered more rugged; better in harsh environments
o Operate similar to an LCD monitor
o Tiny stationary carbon nanotubes illuminate each on-screen pixel

• Televisions as monitors
o High-definition (HDTVs)
o Higher resolution (usually 1920 × 1080 or better)
o Require a HDTV tuner
o Needs a video card with digital video interface (DVI) or high-
definition multimedia interface (HDMI) port on PC
 Output Devices:
Engaging Our Senses
• Organic light emitting diode
(OLED) displays
o Emit light rather than modulate
transmitted or reflected light
• Flexible OLED displays
(FOLED)
o Can be paper thin and appear as
posters on the wall
o Can be worn on wrist and used to
watch movies or surf the Web
 Output Devices:
Engaging Our Senses
• Printers
o Supply a hard copy of output displayed on a computer’s
monitor
o Types include:
• Inkjet
• Laser
• Dot-matrix
• Thermal-transfer (sometimes called dye sublimation
printers)
• Photo
• Plotters
 Output Devices:
Engaging Our Senses
• Printers (con’t.)
o Inkjet (nonimpact)—popular with home users
• Provide excellent images—made up of small dots
• Advantages:
o Inexpensive
o Generate professional color output
• Disadvantages:
o Relatively slow
 Output Devices:
Engaging Our Senses
• Printers (con’t.)
o Laser (nonimpact)
• Use electrostatic reproductive technology to produce
high-quality output
• Advantages:
o High-resolution
o Print faster than inkjet printers
o Black-and-white printing costs less per page than inkjet
printing
• Disadvantages
o Color laser printers more expensive
 Output Devices:
Engaging Our Senses
• Printers (con’t.)
o Photo
• Uses special ink and paper
• Often are inkjet printers
• Prints directly from a digital camera
or memory card
o Plotters
• Produce images through moving
ink pens
• Used for making oversized prints
(i.e., maps, charts, blueprints)
 Output Devices:
Engaging Our Senses
• Other output devices include:
o Speakers
o LCD projectors
o DLP (digital light-processing) projectors
o Multifunction devices
 Storage: Holding Data
for Future Use
• Storage
o Process of saving software and data
o Also called mass storage, auxiliary storage, or
secondary storage
 Storage: Holding Data
for Future Use
• Storage devices
o Hardware that contains the tools to place data on the
recording media
o Recording media—hold data
• Hard disks
• Floppy disks
• Flash memory
• CDs and DVDs
 Storage: Holding Data
for Future Use
• Memory (RAM) versus storage
o Storage devices retain data even if power is turned off
o Data stored in memory (RAM) will be lost
o Storage devices are less expensive than memory
 Storage: Holding Data
for Future Use
• Memory (RAM)
o Primary memory
o Temporary holding area for items in use
o Primary storage
• Storage devices
o Required during the computer system’s start-up operations
o Used as an output device for saving data
 Storage: Holding Data
for Future Use
• CD drives and DVD drives
o Optical storage devices
o Use laser beams to store data through:
• Pits, the indentations, a binary 0
• Lands, the flat reflective areas, a binary 1

• Optical discs
o CD-ROM or DVD-ROM (compact or digital video disc read-
only memory)
o Data can be read, not altered
o Most popular, least expensive
 Storage: Holding Data
for Future Use
• Protect your discs
o Do not expose discs to excessive heat or sunlight.
o Do not touch the underside of the disc—hold the edges.
o Do not write on the label side of the disc with a hard
implement.
o Do not stack discs.
o Store discs in cases when not in use.
 Storage: Holding Data
for Future Use
• Backup
o Copy of programs, data, and information created in one
secondary storage medium duplicated to another
o Secondary storage devices, such as USB drives and portable
(external) hard drives, can be damaged or “lost.”
o Prevents permanent loss of programs, data, and information
o Keep on a regular schedule