Input Devices

What Is an Input Device?

An input device is a hardware that sends data to a computer. Most input devices either interact with the computer in some way. The most common input devices are the mouse and the keyboard. The basic difference between an input device and an output device is that input device sends data to the computer, whereas output device receives data from the computer. Input and output devices are also called peripheral or auxiliary devices.

   Examples of Input Devices

1.     Keyboard

2.     Mouse

3.     Touchpad

4.     Scanner

5.     Digital Camera

6.     Microphone

7.     Joystick

8.     Graphic Tablet

9.     Touch Screen

10.   Webcam

Keyboard 

The most common type of input device are keyboards. Most English language keyboards use the QWERTY layout keyboards.  The keyboards have alphanumeric keys, function keys navigation keys, numeric keypad and special keys.  By pressing the relevant keys, a user can feed data and instructions to the computer.

Input devices like keyboards and mice allow users to interact with their computers by selecting icons and entering text and commands.

Mouse 

A mouse interacts with a computer through a process known as "point and click." When a user moves the mouse on the mouse pad, the pointer moves in a corresponding direction on the computer's monitor screen. Most modern computer mice have two buttons for clicking and a wheel in the middle for scrolling up and down documents and web pages.

Touchpad

Also known as a track pad, a touch pad is a common substitute for a computer mouse. It is essentially a specialized surface that can detect the movement of a user's finger and use that information to direct a pointer and control a computer. Touch pads were first introduced for laptops in the 1990 s, and it's now rare to find a laptop without one.

Scanner

A scanner an input device that uses optical technology to transfer images (or sometimes text) into a computer, where the signal is converted into a digital image. The digital image can then be viewed on a monitor screen, saved, edited, emailed, or printed.

Digital Camera

Digital cameras are used to capture photographs and videos independently. Which can be transferred to a computer by connecting the camera directly with a cable, removing the memory card and slotting it into the computer, or through wireless data transfer methods like Bluetooth. After transferring photos on the computer, they can be saved, edited, emailed, or printed.

Microphone 

A microphone captures audio and sends it to a computer where it is converted to a digital format, after that it can be played back, copied, edited, uploaded, or emailed. Microphones can also be used to record audio or to relay sounds live as part of a video chat or audio stream.

Joystick

Joysticks are used to control characters and vehicles in computer video games. A  joystick is a handle that pivots on a base and sends its angle or direction to the computer as data.

Graphic Tablet

Also known as digitizers, graphic tablets are input devices used for converting hand-drawn artwork into digital images. The user draws with a stylus on a special flat surface as if they were drawing on a piece of paper. The drawing appears on the computer screen and can be saved, edited, or printed.

Touch Screen 

Many devices nowadays use a touch screen rather than a mouse as a way for users to point, drag, or select options on a screen. A touch screen is a touch-sensitive monitor screen that reacts to fingers moving across it, they are common in portable devices, like tablets, palmtops, laptops, and smartphones.

Webcam 

webcams can capture photographs and videos, they are more often used to live-stream videos or facilitate video chats. Webcams cannot operate independently from a computer, and second, they have no inbuilt memory.



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