What is an Input Device? [With Examples]

What is an Input Device?

Have you ever wonder "what is an input device?". I guess the answer is "Yes", that's why you come here to know about input devices. 

After reading the complete article you will be the master in input devices topic. I guarantee you all doubt clear, just read the complete article below with include definition and explanation of input devices.

So, what really is an input device?

You can use an input device to put information into the computer. An input device allows you to communicate with a computer. An input device is a hardware that can be connected to other devices for use or can work alone.

You can use the input device to enter information and problem-solving commands. Many purpose input device used for.

A mouse, keyboard, scanner, joysticks, touchpads and digital camera are examples of input devices.

Input Devices

• Keyboard
• Mouse
• Joysticks
• Light pen
• Touch-sensitive screen
• space mouse
• Digitizing Tablet
• Magnetic ink
• Digital still camera
• Optical Mark Reader (OMR)
• Image scanner
• Magnetic ink character recognition (MICR)
• Bar codes
• Magnetic reader
• Smart cards
• Voice data entry
• Sound capture
• Video capture

Quickly, know about each input device use. 

Here is the example list of famous and most used input devices with pictures. Brief introduction of devices and some uses with key points.

Mouse

Most common and know device used in computer to pointing. Basically, an arrow shows on the computer screen which moves with the movement of the mouse. Many graphical activities on a computer screen are done by mouse.

Joysticks

It is a gaming device for playing games on a computer. Nowadays, joysticks are wireless and have different kinds of buttons on it. Joystick also called game remote is a good example of input devices. It comes in input devices list of computer.

Keyboard

• Used to type data into the computer
• Most common input device example today
• Has special keys for giving the computer commands.
• Commands tell the computer to do something, like save the file
• These special keys are called command or functional keys

The keyboard is a primary input device or says standard input device of a computer.

Light pen

A pen-shaped device for direct interaction with a computer through a cathode-ray tube display. Light pens are also used for the mobile screen, tablet screen, and projectors screen. Writing,  pointing, drawing, making diagram etc things can be done by Light pen.

WebCam

Webcams are the video capturing devices connected to computers or computer networks, often using USB or, if they connect to networks, Ethernet or Wi-Fi. Most used input device for screen capture and security purpose.

Microphone

• Used to put sound into a computer
• Need sound recording software

Microphone plays an important role in the electronics communication world. From music recording to normal voice recording, the microphone is helpful in all ways. Normally people called it by the name "mic".

OMR (Optical Mark Reader/Recognition)

Optical Mark Recognition/Reader is a method of providing computerized input from (usually) paper forms. It is generally distinguished from OCR by the fact that a recognition engine is not required.

That is, the marks are constructed in such a way that there is little chance of not reading the marks correctly.

MICR (Magnetic Ink Character Recognition)

Magnetic Ink Character Recognition is a character recognition system that uses special ink and characters. When a document that contains this ink needs to be read, it passes through a machine, which magnetizes the ink and then translates the magnetic information into characters.

Touch screen

A touch screen is a computer display screen that is also an input device. The screens are sensitive to pressure; a user interacts with the computer by touching pictures or words on the screen, it's function works with pixels.

Touchpad

A flat surface which is sensitive to touch, used mostly in laptop computers to control an on-screen cursor called touchpad.

Space Mouse

The Space mouse is different from a normal mouse it has an X-axis, a Y-axis, a Z-axis. It can be used for developing and moving around 3-D environments.

Digital Still Camera

Digital Stills Cameras capture an image which is stored in memory with the camera. When the memory is full it can be erased and further image can be captured and stored.

The digital images can then be transferred from the camera to a computer where they can be displayed, manipulated or printed.

Scanners

Scanners allow information such as a text or image to be input into a computer. Scanners are usually either A4 size (flatbed). as shown below or hand-held to scan a much smaller area.

If text is to be scanned, you would use an OCR (Optical Character Recognition) program to recognise the printed text and then convert it to a digital text file that can be accessed using a computer.

Bar Code Reader

You must have seen bar codes on goods in supermarkets, in libraries and on magazines. Bar codes help in the quick method of recording the sale of items.

A bar code is a pattern printed in lines of differing thickness. The system gives fast and error-free entry for information into the computer.

Magnetic Reader

This input device reads a magnetic strip on a card. Handy for security reasons, it provides quick identification/information of the card's owner.

This method is used to run bank cash points or to provide quick identification of people entering buildings. Generally, a magnetic reader found in ATM.

Smart Cards

This input device stores data in a microprocessor embedded in the card. This allows information, which can be updated, to be stored on the card.

This method is used in store cards which accumulate points for the purchaser and to store phone numbers for the cellular phones.

Smart cards are powerful and do not lose black coding easily.

Bonus Knowledge!

Do you know about pointing devices?

Pointing devices move some object on the screen and can do some action.

Some pointing devices.

• Mouse - Most common pointing and GUI input device.
• Trackball - basically an upside-down mouse.
• Joysticks - It is a gaming device for playing games on a computer.

if you read the complete article then you know the answer for "What are input devices?".