COMPUTER INFORMATION

KEYBOARD

The most common device for transferring user input to the computer system is keyboard. There are two basic types of keyboards traditional alphanumeric keyboard and special function keyboard.

MOUSE

The mouse is a small device that when moved across a desktop, moves the graphics cursor accordingly. The graphics cursor which can be positioned anywhere on the screen is displayed as a bracket, an arrow, a crosshair or a variety of other symbols. Depending on the appliccation, the text and graphics cursors may be displayed on the screen at the same time. The graphies cursor is used to point and draw.

 JOYSTICK

The joystick is a vertical stick that moves the graphics cursor in the direction the stick is pushed. Video arcade wizards are no doubt familiar with the joystick. 

TRACKBALL

The trackball is a ball inset in a small external box or adjacent to and in the same unit as the keyboard. The ball is rolled with the fingers to move the graphics cursor. Some people find it helpful to think of a trackball as an upside down mouse with a bigger ball on the bottom. Track balls are sometimes configured with portable computers and workstations.

SCANNER

A scanner is a hardware input device for a computer that helps convert photographs and paper text into digital files. Scanners hook up to computers through USB, Firewire and other ports. Paper documents or pictures are placed on a flatbed scanner--one of the common types of computer scanner devices--and buttons are pressed that turn on the scanning features. The computer reads the input information and converts it to a digital file.

DIGITAL CAMERA

A web camera, or webcam, is an input imaging device that typically connects to a USB port on a computer. The device inputs live picture and image feeds, which can be connected to the Internet in real-time. Webcams have many uses, including connecting people to video conferences and displaying live weather and traffic conditions over the Internet.

MOUSE PEN

Like a mouse the mouse pen is rolled across any smooth surface but it is held like a pen.