Name the different types of input devices?
- Pointing devices
- Gaming devices
- Digital cameras
- Scanners and reading devices
- Video and audio input
What are pointing devices?
are devices that move a pointer or cursor on the screen, enabling you to see what you are pointing at
Name some pointing devices:
- Mouse
- Touch pad
- Pointing stick
- Pen input
- Trackball
- Touch screen
Pointing devices - what is a mouse?
- most commonly used pointing device
- it has two buttons and sometimes a scroll whel between the buttons
- you move the mouse to point at an object on the screen and click one of the buttons to interact with tat object in some way
Pointing devices - what is a Touch pad?
- are pressure sensitive surfaces built into laptops.
- they work by following the movement of your finger on this surface.
- some touch pads include buttons for “clicking”.
- If no buttons are visible, you simply tap on or press the touch pad itself
Pointing devices - what is a ponting stick?
- alternative to a mouse
- used with laptops
- it takes the form of a small button between the keys of the keyboard.
- you move the pointing stick to move the pointer and press it down to click
- pointing sticks are far less common today than touch pads.
Pointing devices - what is a pen input?
- a pen or a stylus is a pressure-sensitive input device used together with a digitising tablet.
- perfect for anyone doing artistic work on a computer.
- it allows you to draw far more naturally and accurately than you ever could with a mouse.
- devices are quite expensive
Pointing devices - what is a track ball?
- is a device with a large ball on it. You move the pointer on the screen by rotating the ball with your fingers
- are used by people who don’t have spare desk space to move a mouse around on, or who find that they prefer to use such a device.
- they are often used by people with disabilities who, e.g. lack control over their fingers but can move a trackball with an arm.
Pointing devices - what is a touch screen?
- instead of moving a device to control a pointer, you directly touch the bojects on the screen in order to interact with them.
- This enables new features that are absent from traditional pointing devices, namely gestures. Gestures control the computer in new ways - such as ‘pinching’ with two fingers to zoom out, ‘swiping’ to scroll etc.
Why is a touch screen effective?
- it makes you feel as if you are working directly with the content on the device, and it allows you to interact with the device using gestures.
Name 4 gestures used on touch screens
- Pinch - allows you to zoom out of an image
- Expand - allows you to zoom into an image (Holding two fingers down and twisting them allows you to rotate an image)
- Swipe - Allows you to scroll in teh direction of the swipe. Swiping with multiple fingers can allow extra commands. e.g. a four-fingered swipe can switch between running programs.
- Touch-and-drag - works exactly like click-and-drag with a mouse
True or False:
A touch screen doubles as both an input and an output device
True
True or False:
Touch screens only respond to finger touch, and not a stylus (a small pen-like instrument)
False
Some touch screens respond to finger touch, while others are designed to work with a stylus (a small pen-like instrument)
Why do we have gaming devices?
- controlling a game with a keyboard and a mouse is possible, but it is not always intuitive or natural (enjoyable)
Name a gaming device
joystick - to complete driving seats for car games (somplete with accelerator and brake pedals, egear lever and steering wheel)
What is a joystick?
- it looks like a lever mounted on a base.
- it can usually move in any direction
- it is used to control the movement of an object on teh screen
- most joysticks have buttons - called triggers
- usually connet to computer through a USB port
