input device is any piece of computer hardware equipment used to provide data and control signals to an information processing system such as a computer or other information appliance.
List of input devices
Keyboards
Keyboards are the most familiar and commonly-used input devices, as well as the earliest available for desktop computers. They look like a typewriter keyboard and are used for the manual entry of alpha-numeric data
Advantages:
- keyboards have special key that proform specific functions.
- instead of using the mouse to move the cursor you can use the arrow key situated on the keyboard to move the cursor on the monitor.
- keyboard are less expensive because it comes with every computer.
Disadvantages:
- The person using the keyboard have to learn how to type.
- The frequent movement from keyboard to move and back could cause carpal tunnel syndrome.
Mice
With the introduction of graphic user interfaces (GUIs), the mouse quickly caught on as an input device. Mice allow you to control an on-screen pointer, called a cursor, which commonly looks like an arrow. When the arrow is properly positioned, you can use it to perform various tasks by pressing buttons on the mouse.
Advantages:
- it allows you to make selections and move items on the computer's screen.
- the two or three buttons make it easy to use.
- it is small and convenient and fits in your hand
Headsets
Headsets are a combination of an earphone and a microphone. Combined with voice-recognition software, headsets allow you to dictate data and commands directly into other software programs on your computer. Using a headset means you can keep your hands free for other tasks while using your computer.
Scanners
Scanners work much like photocopiers. You position the document you wish to copy on the scanner's surface, then activate it. A digital image of the document is created that can be saved in the computer's memory, then printed or saved. Note that this is an image, and must be edited in a graphics program. If you wish to convert this image to text for manipulation in a word processor, you need OCR (optical character recognition) software to make the conversion.
Advantages:
-It can copy things onto computers then you can alter the things you copied.
-you can back things up on CD-Rs, meaning you don't have to have several full folders of paper and you can more easily find it on the computer if you need it urgently.
Disadvantages:
-if you don't keep a paper copy or another form of back-up, you may lose it if the computer crashes.
-expensive
Input Devices
input device is any piece of computer hardware equipmentused to provide data and control signals to an information processing system
such as a computer or other information appliance.
List of input devices
Keyboards
Advantages:
- keyboards have special key that proform specific functions.- instead of using the mouse to move the cursor you can use the arrow key situated on the keyboard to move the cursor on the monitor.
- keyboard are less expensive because it comes with every computer.
Disadvantages:
- The person using the keyboard have to learn how to type.- The frequent movement from keyboard to move and back could cause carpal tunnel syndrome.
Mice
Advantages:
- it allows you to make selections and move items on the computer's screen.- the two or three buttons make it easy to use.
- it is small and convenient and fits in your hand
Headsets
Scanners
Advantages:
-It can copy things onto computers then you can alter the things you copied.-you can back things up on CD-Rs, meaning you don't have to have several full folders of paper and you can more easily find it on the computer if you need it urgently.
Disadvantages:
-if you don't keep a paper copy or another form of back-up, you may lose it if the computer crashes.-expensive
credit:
http://www.ehow.com/list_5954891_list-input-devices-computer.html