What Is Input Devices, Explain Any 2 Input Devices

Input device

An input device is any hardware device that sends data to the computer, without any input devices, a computer would only be a display device and not allow users to interact with it, much like a TV. In the picture to the right, is a Logitech trackballmouse and an example of an input device. Below is a complete listing of all the different computer input devices that can be used on a computer.

Types of input devices

• Audio conversion device
• Barcode reader
• Biometrics (e.g. fingerprint scanner)
• Business Card Reader
• Digital camera and Digital Camcorder
• Finger (with touchscreen)
• Gamepad, Joystick, Paddle, Steering wheel, and Microsoft Kinect
• Graphics tablet
• Keyboard
• Light gun and light pen scanner
• Magnetic ink (like the ink found on checks)
• Magnetic-stripe reader
• Medical imaging devices (e.g., X-Ray, CAT Scan, and Ultrasound images)
• Microphone (using voice speech recognition or biometric verification)
• MIDI keyboard
• MICR
• Mouse, touchpad, or other pointing device
• Optical Mark Reader (OMR)
• Pen or Stylus
• Punch card reader
• Remote
• Scanner
• Sonar imaging devices
• Touch screen
• Video capture device
• VR helmet and gloves
• Webcam

Tip: Keep in mind that drives such as a CD-ROM, DVD, and aFloppy diskette drive may be capable of sending the computer information, but they are not input devices. These devices are considered storage devices.

Keyboard

One of the primary input devices used with a computer, the keyboardlooks very similar to the keyboards of electric typewriters, with some additional keys. Keyboards allow a computer user to input letters, numbers, and other symbols into a computer and is what allows you to write e-mail and is what you used to visit this web page. Below is an example of a Saitek keyboard with indicators pointing to each of the major sections of the keyboard.

Overview of each section of the keyboard

Keyboard

The keyboard is the primary portion of the keyboard that contains all alphanumeric and symbol keys. Today most users use theQWERTY style keyboards, as shown in the below graphic illustration.

• A listing of keyboard keys and their explanations.

Function keys

The Function keys or F1 through F12 keys are used in programs as shortcut keys to performed frequently performed tasks. For example, the F1 key is the key to open the online help for most programs.

• Listing of F1 through F12 keys and what do they do?

Control Keys

The Control keys are what give you additional control of a document. See our Control keys definition for additional information and further examples of control keys.

Keypad

Although not available on all computer keyboards, especially laptops; the keypad gives the user a quick access to numbers and math functions such as plus, divide, times, and subtract. See thekeypad definition for further information, pictures, and related links.

Wrist pad

In the above example, this plastic wrist pad is included with the keyboard and is intended to help support the users wrists and relieve stress found from typing on a keyboard. Many computer keyboards do not include a wrist pad; however, there are hundreds of different options for keyboard wrist pads that can be purchased at any local computer retail store or online.

Arrow keys

Finally, the arrow keys are four directional arrow keys that allow the user to move their cursor and position on a page. See ourarrow keys definition for further information on this term and related links.

Multimedia or Media keys.

Mouse

A mouse is a hardware input device that was invented by Douglas Engelbart in 1963 while working at Xerox PARC, who at the time was working at the Stanford Research Institute, which was a think tank sponsored by Stanford University. In the picture to the right, is a picture of a Microsoft IntelliMouse and is an example of what a computer mouse may look like.

The mouse allows an individual to control a pointer in a graphical user interface (GUI) and manipulate on-screen objects such as icons, files, and folders. By using a mouse the user doesn't have to memorize commands, like those used in a text-based command line environment such as MS-DOS. For example, in MS-DOS a user would have to know the cd command and dir command to navigate to a folder and view the files. However, in Windows the user only has to double-click on the folder to view all the files.

The Mouse was originally referred to as an X-Y Position Indicator for a Display System. Xerox later applied the mouse to its revolutionary Alto computer system in 1973. However, because of Alto's unfortunate success, it was first widely used in the Apple Lisa computer. Today, a pointing device is found on virtually every computer.

How do I use a mouse?

Move - Using your right or left hand drag the mouse up, down, left, or right to move the mouse pointer on the screen. If you reach the edge of your mouse pad, pick up the mouse and move it to the opposite side and then continue dragging the mouse in the direction you want the mouse pointer to move.

Select - When your mouse pointer is on top of an object on your screen (e.g. an icon) click the mouse left button once to highlightthe item. If you want to select text, click the left-button at the end of the text you want to select and then while continuing to hold down the button drag to the mouse to the left.

Open - Click the left mouse button twice quickly (double-click) to open the icon, program or document.

Viewing properties - To view the properties of anything on the computer select the object or text with your left mouse button and then click with your right mouse button (right-click) to view the properties. If you view the properties of text you'll be given a menu with options such as cut, copy, and paste.