INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY POOL 3 10 GRIFFITHS KERRONA ELLIS

The Keyboard
The Keyboard is the most commonly used input device. There are two basic types: Alphanumeric Keyboard-This keyboard resembles and performs in a similar way to the normal typewriter keyboard. It has function keys, cursor controlled keys and special function keys. This keyboard consists of two layouts, the QWERTY layout which is the first six letters in the top alphabet row and the DVORAK which is considered simpler to become skilled at and more comfortable to use.

Specialized Keyboard-These are designed with special keys for special use. For example, the retail keyboard, used by airline ticket agencies, fast food restaurant and other retail stores. The alphanumeric characters on the keys are replaced by a code representing a specific request. One other example is the Braille Keyboard designed for the blind. It has much less keys than the regular keyboard and the input from it is translated into Braille.

Braille Keyboards

Advantages Reliable for data input of text and numbers. Usually supplied with a computer so no additional cost. Special keys for special input Disadvantages

Keyboards can become dusty and have to be cleaned frequently Carpal tunnel syndrome could be cause by the moving back and forward over the keyboard.

It can be time consuming to enter data this way

The Mouse
The mouse was invented in 1963 by Douglas Engel Bart at the Stratford Research Institute. The mouse is a point and draw device which is used to tell the computer what to do. Most types have two buttons, which is press to select from a menu or to click graphical objects on the computer screen, sending commands to the computer. The position of the mouse is shown in the screen by the mouse pointer. It got its name because the wire coming out of the end of the first computer mice reminded people of the tail of a real mouse.

Wireless optical mouse- is a wireless technology which allows the user to operate his mouse at least six feet away from the desktop or laptop computer.

Comes with a desktop charger to recharge batteries Built with optical sensors Lightweight Digital signal processor reads and follow your mouse so you makes less mistakes in clicking

Advantages it is small and convenient and fits in your hand

it allows you to make selections and move items on the computer screen

many Operating Systems require user-input by a mouse

Disadvantages it must be used on a flat surface, or it wont function

Mouse balls can become very dirty and stop functioning correctly unless cleaned regularly

The Joystick
Joysticks are often used for playing computer games such as flight simulators. They can also be used to control the movement of a wheelchair or other machinery. They input directional data like a mouse but work by switches being closed as the joystick is moved left or right and up or down.

Advantages

There is an immediate feel of direction It is very easy to learn to use

Disadvantages

They are not particularly strong and can break easily when used with games software.

Control can be a bit crude as the directions in simple joysticks are limited to forward, backwards, left and right. Better models offer diagonal movement or better. 5

Barcode Reader
A bar code is a series of vertical lines of which varies in thickness found on a variety of products, for example, books, clothes, bank cards or on packets and cans in shops and supermarkets. A bar code reader is a scanning device with a sensitive tip that uses a light detector to read the bar code. Bar codes represent data that identifies a product. The bar code reader is a type of scanner.

Advantages It eliminates the need for labour intensive entry of data

It provides a rapid, accurate, and efficient means to process, Prevents the errors of transposing and misreading number and letter characters.

Disadvantages

 Barcodes needs labels and they need to be protected to be visible for scanning, to preserve readability They are expensive

Scanner
Scanners are used to analyze documents containing text or pictures and change them into an electronic format that can be read and stored by a computer. Examples of documents that persons may need to be scanned include photographs, drawings, birth certificates and medical records.

There are several types of scanners: Flatbed Scanners-the document to be scanned is placed on a designated flat surface, a light shines along the length of the document and an exact copy of it is produced onto the computer screen. Handheld Scanners-these operate similar to flatbed except that they can only scan documents of certain width and length. To scan

large documents, the scanner has to be passed over the document several times then all the scans are combined.

Optical Character Reader/Recognition (OCR) - has the ability to read printed rather than typed documents and transfer it into a computer system. Some of them can even read well-formed 7

handwritten characters. If OCR is used, data does not need to be retyped for entry into the computer Bar Code Reader

Advantages Flat-bed scanners are very accurate and can produce images with a far higher resolution than a digital camera They are very easy to use They dont depend on the use of phone like a fax does Disadvantages Can produce very large image files which need a lot of computer memory to view Scanners are relatively slow Scanner maintenance can be expensive

The Trackball
The Trackball is like an upside down mouse, with a ball on top. It is operated by just simply rolling the ball directly with ones hand. It has buttons like a standard mouse. Trackballs have also been discovered in all sorts of video games as well as in computers. They have also proved to be useful to be used by all sorts of persons that might have mobility impairments and for which they prove to be a very important input device they can be used on flat surfaces as well as on other types of surfaces. It presents a control button which is said to be very easy to be accessed.

There are two types of trackballs, the thumb Ekind, which are usually right-handed. Then there is the ball in the middle or "fingertip" types, which are moved with the top of your hand or finger tips. People who use mouse usually prefer these ones. Advantages 9

Ideal for use where flat space close to the computer is limited

Can be useful with laptops as they can be built into the computer keyboard or clipped on Reduces wrist and elbow fatigue and carpal tunnel syndrome

Disadvantages

Not supplied as standard so users have to learn how to use them.

More expensive than mouse Requires more cleaning and maintenance than a regular mouse

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Touch Terminals
Touch Terminals are combined PCs and a touch screen. A touch terminal is a touch screen device generally used for conference, business and service applications. It is a public tool of convenience and has a monitor-like interface with buttons and selectable features on the screen.

It is becoming increasingly convenient and quicker to tell the computer what you want it to do by simply touching the option on the

screen. Fast food places are therefore changing out from the usual cashiering devices to touch terminals. Advantages

A touch screen terminal allows the user to directly interact with the device without secondary equipment like a mouse or keyboard.

Easy to use (as the user simply touches what he or she sees on the display).

Save space as no keyboard or mouse is required.

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Disadvantages They are more expensive than monitors Can cause arm to become tired. Some reduction in image brightness may occur.

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Voice Response Units

Voice Response Unit, or VRU, is a computer telephony integration (CTI) term that refers to the interaction between a human (typically a caller) and a computer that is programmed to respond to the human's requests. Also referred to as interactive voice response (commonly abbreviated to IVR), this is a computer phone application that accepts touch-phone keypad selection input from the caller and provides appropriate information in the form of voice answers or a connection to a "live" operator. Common VRU Software Applications

Financial information requests Voice mail services Customer surveys Automatic phone registration Organizational call routing

Order processing and tracking Information lookup Entertainment schedules

13 Advantages

Automating routine tasks thereby freeing agents to concentrate on more complex service requests Extends hours of operation (24 by 7) Reducing the cost of call center agent turnover

Disadvantages

Menus are too long. Experts recommend that no menu should exceed four choices Voice prompts are hard to understand. This could be caused by two different factors. To save money, the organization didn't hire professional voice talent and may have recorded the audio over the phone instead of in a studio. People may have a hard time following telephone menus and lengthy instructions.

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Touch Pads
Touch pads are also known as Glide pad or Track pad. This device uses a touch sensitive pad for controlling the cursor. The user simply slides his/her finger across the pad and the cursor follows the finger movement. To click, there are buttons, or the user can tap on the pad with his/her finger. This device is found on laptops.

Advantages

 Easy to use; requires only a slight touch to activate, no pressure is necessary

No additional mouse needs to be carried along with the laptop every time

Hand movements are reduced to smaller finger movements

Disadvantages

Left and right keys are more difficult to use that in regular use mouse

Touch pads are usually small so that they can fit on the body of a laptop or mobile device, meaning a small movement of the finger 15

Can result in large movement of the pointer on screen. If your index finger is your most skillful finger, you will probably want to use it to control the pointer by placing it on the touchpad, but if you want to click the buttons, none of your other fingers will be in an ideal position without removing your finger from the pad

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Point of Sale
These devices are most often used in stores and supermarkets where they need to calculate bill and give receipts. By scanning the bar code or by typing the relevant data about the item at a keyboard, a clerk can enter the description of each item into a central computer system. From this centralized computer system, the terminal will show the description of the item/s and price a complete price list of all the items purchased, including taxes. Point of Sale System:

Advantages

The same screen is used to create invoices, open orders, delivery tickets, bids, estimates, quotes, or special orders

Customers may be looked up by their number, name, or a keyword in their name

Disadvantages 17

If it is a software-based point of sale system, you will need to continue updating it with new versions from the manufacturer or Software Company.

Customers who use debit cards run the risk of revealing their PINs to other customers.

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Biometric Systems

Biometric systems are devices used to bring security at various places such as business organizations. These systems aid in preserving the much commendable security level. It is used for identifying an individual by making a match of fingerprints, iris, face, voice, DNA and other unique physical traits. Biometrics can be sorted into two categories: Physiological-examples, face, fingerprint, hand geometry, and iris recognition Behavioral-signature and voice

Advantages

Increase security - Provide a convenient level of security Make it possible, automatically, to know Who did what, when and where

Reduce

fraud

by

employing

hard-to-forge

technologies

and 19

materials.

Disadvantages

 They are expensive

When a person is hoarse or has flu, the voice changes, so therefore is method of verification will not always work

For people affected with diabetes, the eyes get affected resulting in differences.

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Remote Control
Remote Controls produce a beam of infra-red light which carries digital data signals. They are often used to control TV's and VCR's. More advanced models can be programmed to transmit a series of commands with one button press.

Advantages

Each function can have its own button making them very simple to use.

Easy to use If Its a television remote, you dont have to go up to TV to change channel, you can just click a button Disadvantage Only advanced models can be have the buttons reprogrammed so they cannot be used to control anything other than the device they were designed for. 21

Sound Capture (Microphone)

This is used for the input of sound which is then digitized by the computer. The digital audio can be saved for playback later on. The digital audio can also be used with voice-recognition software to control hardware, navigate a menu or input text into a word processor. Voice recognition can also be used in security systems.

Normal Microphones Advantages

Computer Microphone

It can move freely for the artist or speaker to use Voice recognition software can be used to convert your voice into text or to control menu options on a phone system Disadvantages Stored audio files can take up a lot of memory Voice commands can be difficult to recognize by the software.

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Web Cam

The web cam is designed especially to sit on the computer. It is like a video camera that feeds pictures directly into the computer no tapes or film to develop. They are mainly used for video links allowing computers to act as videophones. Because it is used as a video camera for the World Wide Web it got its name- Webcam. The webcam is also used security surveillance and social videos.

There are different types of web cams: USB web cams Stand alone internet protocol Wireless internet protocol Pan and tilt Advantages

Allows face to face interaction to happen with immediate response

USB webcams are one way to share pictures and video with family and friends all over the world. 23

Some users prefer to use webcams as extra security for their home or family. They leave it on when they are not at home

Easy to install and use

Disadvantages

They can be hacked, and you wont know youre being watched Since web cameras rely on Internet connection, and the connection quality vary drastically this can result in poor transfer of the video.

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Digital Camera
These are used to take photographs like a normal camera but produce digital images instead of using film. The light passing through the lens is digitized by special light sensitive sensors. The image is stored on memory chips in the camera and can then be transferred to a computer. The resolution of such cameras is increasing rapidly and professional models have become standard in photo-journalism. Images are usually compressed as jpeg's to save memory. Advanced models have removable memory cards to increase the camera's storage capacity. Images can be transferred to a computer by cables or memory card readers.

Advantages

The resolution (megapixels) of even the least expensive digital cameras is now high enough to allow you to take very high quality photos.

You can take a lot more photos with a digital camera than old film models and print out only the ones you like. 25

Digital cameras can easily store up to 10,000 photos, depending on the size of the memory card.

Disadvantages

High-end, fully-loaded digital cameras tend to be a little bit costly as compared to roll film cameras.

Batteries tend to run down easily In certain rare cases, the memory card can become corrupt or can develop other problems which can result in loss of data.

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Sensors
Sensors are also called detectors and they detect changes in the physical or chemical environment and convert them into electrical signals. These signals can then be digitized and used by the computer. Sensors are often used with data logging.

Advantages They protect your valuables They control things properly eg. street traffic light Some are easily accessed eg. Cash points

Disadvantages They can easily be set off and cause problems They can be expensive

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Digitizing Pad
The digitizing pad is a peripheral device that can be designed to allow users to use a stylus (electronic pencil) or even fingers to interact with an operating system and software, as well as type, write and draw. A digitizing pad (also called pen pad or digitizer) consists of a flat surface upon which the user may "draw" or trace an image using an attached stylus, a pen-like drawing apparatus. The image generally does not appear on the pad itself but, rather, is displayed on the computer monitor. Some tablets, however, come as a functioning secondary computer screen that you can interact with images directly by using the stylus.

Advantages It is lightweight and portable The pen has several interchangeable nibs Quickly attach to a computer via a USB Disadvantages

Some cannot keep up if the user writes or draws too quickly High risk of screen damage 29

Optical Mark Reader

The optical mark reader (OMR) is an input device used to read pencil mark on exam papers such as GSAT papers. Example:

The OMR simply takes sheet paper and records whether marks on the paper in predefined areas.

Advantages

It speeds up the process of reading marks on a piece of paper much faster than a human 30

Process is fast Accurate Disadvantages

The software and hardware needed to set up OMR is expensive.

If paper gets creased or folded it would be hard to read.

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Optical Character Reader

The optical character reader is a peripheral computer device enabling letters, numbers, or other characters usually printed on paper to be optically scanned and input to a storage device such as Magnetic tape. They are used for example in post offices to read particular data such as zip codes. This is the technology is also used by libraries and government agencies to make lengthy documents quickly available electronically. Advances in OCR technology have spurred its increasing use by enterprises.

Advantages Increases the efficiency and effectiveness of office work

You can now use the copy and paste tools on the document as well, instead of rewriting everything to correct it.

They are fast and accurate

Disadvantages OCR has severe limitations when it comes to human handwriting They are expensive 32

Magnetic Ink Character Reader

The magnetic ink character reader is an input device widely used in banks to process large volumes of checks and deposit forms. It is able to read characters compared with special plotter stored in the memory to identify the characters. This technology uses magnetically chargeable ink or toner to print the numbers and special characters on the bottom of checks or other financial transaction documents. The numbers usually include the account number from which the money will be drawn, the identification number and the routing and transit of the check for the bank where the account resides.

Advantages

MICR offers a high level of security widely used in various industries. MICR provides very high recognition rates.

Disadvantages
MICR printing requires a certain font and size for printing The equipment needed for MICR reading and printing consists of

very expensive pieces of hardware and software

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Table of Content
Introduction I AcknowledgementII The Keyboard1 The Mouse3 The Joystick5 Barcode Reader6 Scanner.7 The Trackball.9 Touch Terminals.11 Voice Response Units13 Touch Pads15 Point of Sale17 Biometric Systems19 Remote Control21 Sound Capture (Microphone)22 Web Cam23 Digital Camera..25 Sensor27 Digitizing Pad.29 Optical Mark Reader30

Optical Character Reader32 Magnetic Ink Character Reader33

Introduction
This project entails information on various input devices. An input device is the hardware component that allows the user to enter data into a computer system. Descriptions of these devices are included and also their function. Their advantages and disadvantages are listed including the pictures of these devices.

Acknowledgement
First I would like to thank God for sparing my life, so that I could be able to do this project. He has also given me the knowledge and analyzing skills that I needed to complete this project. My brother Keron did a great job in printing my project and I just want to express great gratitude. Last but not least, is Miss Thompson. I appreciate her giving me this assignment to further extend my knowledge on input devices. Thanks to all who made this a success.

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Bibliography
Books: Computers -Information Technology in Perspective by Larry Long and Nancy Long Whiz Kids Series- Introduction to Computer Hardware Websites:

http://www.coursework.info/GCSE/Information___Communicatio n_Technology/Hardware/PC_input_devices__advantages_and_disadv_L6520

http://www.klbict.co.uk/gcse/theory/5_1/5_1_2_input.htm