Input

**Keyboards** This is an input device that has a number of buttons on 1 board, the keys have their own specific letter or number or function. A normal keyboard would have the qwerty key layout. Advantage: -Always available and widely used -The qwerty keyboard is widely used Disadvantage: -Need to practice a lot to touch type.
 * Examples of Input:**

**Numeric Pad** This is a device that is usually built into a keyboard, this is the numeric device that only has the 1-9 keys. These are normally seen on calculators, ATM machines. Advantage: -Simple to use -Widely used Disadvantage: -Only a few keys

**Mouse** This is an input device that is used for pointing for a computer. It is called a mouse because it looks like a mouse, the wire is the tail, the device body is mouse like too. Advantage: -Simple to use -Widely used Disadvantage: -if not use to it you cannot point properly.

**Joystick** This is an gaming input device, this input device is just a lever that acts like a mouse except you move it like how your move a plane. Advantage: -More simple to play games with then a mouse -Made for gaming so easier to play games with Disadvantage: -Only can be used as gaming device

**Tracker Ball** This is a ball device that is used like a mouse, instead of moving the mouse you move a ball that has different wheels on all four sides of it to calculate how far it went to each side. Advantage: -Don’t have to physically move it from place to place -No area need to move it Disadvantage: -Movement is not as smooth

**Trackpad** This is a flat device that calculates the distance your finger moves across and transfer the data to the computer to move the pointer the distance you moved your finger. Advantage: -Very accurate -Simple Disadvantage: -Not very easy to play games with

**Graphics Table** This is a tablet like how the trackpad works though it is much bigger. This has a special device that only allows that device to move the mouse and this is really good for drawing as it is basically drawing on the device except the image comes out on the screen. Advantage: -Very useful for artists or designer -Simple to use Disadvantage: -Some people might find it difficult to control

**Hand-held Scanners** A device that allows images to be scanned just by allowing the device to drag over the image. Advantage: -It is very convenient -Easy to use Disadvantage: -Scanning maybe not very well done

**Flatbed Scanner** This is a device that has a flat surface for scanning, it is similar to a photocopier. Advantage: -Detailed scanning -Simple to scan Disadvantage: -Not portable

**Sheet-fed Scanner** Similar to all scanners except the image is feed through a couple of rollers which the scanner reads the image as the paper goes through. Advantage: -Very fast Disadvantage: -Paper must be soft and straight

**Optical Mark Recognition (OMR)** Reading pencil marks on pieces of paper, this way the input would be faster and doesn’t need any staffs to mark them 1 after another. Advantage: -Fast -Cheap Disadvantage: -May have some faulty if the user doesn’t mark using the pencil properly

**Optical Character Recognition (OCR)** Identify characters by a computer, it can be scanned or inputed to the computer. Advantage: -Text printed can be scanned to a computer and changed Disadvantage: -May not be accurate so need to be checked over

**Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR)** Identifies special data printed in magnetic ink. Advantage: -Faster to input data to the computer and safer Disadvantage: -Very expensive

**Magnetic Stripe** This is the strip on the back of the credit cards, this is a very fast way of recognizing data placed on the magnetic strip. It just need to be swiped through a reader and you can read the data on it or the code allowing the credit card to be used. Advantage: -Data stored as magnetic strip is electronic form so input straight to computer Disadvantage: -Data recored can be distorted if a strong magnet is near by

**Camera** An input device that captures pictures. It is stored in a memory card and pictures can be transferred to the computer and can be edited or transferred again. Advantage: -Portable -Able to capture detailed pictures or motion pictures Disadvantage: -Each motion picture needs a lot of space

**Biometric Scanner** This is a device that recognizes a person’s identification through a physical characteristics. Such as facial recognition, fingerprint matching... Advantage: -No need to carry any personal identification and is very safe -The key to access would be linked directly to the user and it would be hard to have theft Disadvantages: -Computer might have some problems and permitted people might not be able to access

**Sensors** Inputer data about the environment to the computer, there are many different types of sensors such as light sensors (the strength of the light), the sound sensors (bitch of sound), heat.... Advantage: -Allowing data from dangerous areas to be sent to a computer without a person risking their life -Some data that human body cannot sense Disadvantage: -They might have faulty

**Microphone** This is an input device that stores sound waves. This way we can store musics that we listen to, the movie theatrical sounds... Advantage: -input without need of keyboards or any other input device Disadvantage: -Voice might be altered