Input Devices
An input device is a piece of equipment used for entering data or controlling a computer, for example, a mouse, a keyboard, a scanner, and that sort of things.
A JOYSTICK is an input device that you can connect to a computer system. This device is able to move in eight directions. Joysticks are mostly used in computer games to control the way a picture on the screen moves. Sometimes two joysticks are connected to a computer so two people can play a game at the same time.
Using a SCANNER, you can input printed drawings, photos or texts directly into a computer. This device works like a photocopier-a light is shone on the material and the scanner detects the reflected light. You can use a scanner with optical character recognition (OCR) software to input the scanned text into a word processing package.
A TRACKERBALL works in exactly the same way as a mouse, except that the ball is on top. The user rolls the ball around with her hand to operate it. If you use a trackerball, you don`t need any extra space on your desk to move it around (like you do with a mouse). Trackerballs are often used on small portable computers and on some video games machines
A MICROPHONE is an input device used for sound.
A DIGITAL CAMERA is an input device for taking pictures that has an electronic lens and uses electronics for storing the images rather than chemical film.
A TOUCHSCREEN is an input device that you can control through your fingers instead of using a keyboard or mouse.
A BARCODE READER is an optical input device that uses a reflection of a light beam to read barcodes labels
QUESTIONS! Name 3 input devices. What do you use a joystick for? What do you use a scanner for?