Input Devices
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Ball Mouse
Ball mice have been around for quite some time, and are still in use today. The ball is composed of a metal marble encased in rubber to allow more grip. Ball mice are quickly being replaced by optical mice.
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Keyboards
A computer keyboard is designed for the input of text, characters and sometimes customized commands. Laptop keyboards due to room do not have a separate portion for the numeric pad; instead a feature can be turned on and it converts the output to numeric pad characters. Usually they are highlighted in blue color and are located on the right portion of the keyboard.
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Optical Mouse
Optical mice have become popular because of there accuracy, lack of moving parts (created less cleaning and sporadic movement), and the ability to work on many surfaces. The laser mouse uses a laser which scans the surface hundreds of times a second to determine if it is moving. That's is why glass is not a preferred mouse pad, because there is nothing to scan.
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Pen - Sketch
Light pens were used on a variety of machines as a pointing device for many years, and graphics tablets. The closest sister to this device is the pointer available on touch screen laptops and PDAs or that signature pad that you sign when swiping your credit card.
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Touch Pad
A touchpad can be found on laptops and some desktop keyboards. A touchpad works when a user places there finger on the pad and the pad senses the fingers movement through heat which in turn moves the mouse curser.