1.11

Speech input

1. A GPS device may do speech recognition locally. 2. An app like Siri sends the audio to a server, which can run more powerful speech recognition.

Touchscreens

1. Touching the screen of a touchscreen with a finger causes an electrical reaction at that unique point on the screen. 2. A 2-finger touch generates 2 points. 3. A finger with gloves may not be detected. A wet finger may cause multiple points to be generated.

A typical typing speed is _____ words per minute.

40

Input devices

A user can use many different devices to input data, such as text or images, into a computer. Selecting items that are visible on a screen is also a form of input.

_____ is NOT a common computer format to scan to.

DOCX While Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology can detect characters in scanned documents and import them into a DOCX (Microsoft Word file format), an intermediate step is typically needed.

_____ are easier to share with multiple people.

Digital Documents Digital documents are easier to share with multiple people because of the vast number of devices connected to the Internet. People can use email to send documents to many others at once.

Mouse and touchpad

Early computers displayed information as text on a screen, and received user input entirely from a keyboard. As computers began to display more graphics, the need arose to allow users to point to graphical objects, select objects, drag objects, etc

A touchscreen can be used effectively with a finger, pen, stick, and many other objects.

False A touchscreen's electronics are designed to work with human skin. Most other objects don't have the right electrical conductivity.

Speech recognition software is about as accurate as typing.

False Speech recognition is hard. Converting to different words is very common. Modern speech recognition apps try to understand sentence context to help get the words right.

Speech recognition software was first introduced around 2010.

False Speech recognition software has been available for many decades, but low accuracy and easy availability of keyboards limited usage.

Touchscreens are convenient for fast typing.

False Typing on the virtual keyboard displayed on touchscreen devices is much slower than typing on a keyboard. For typing-intensive activities, either an external keyboard can be connected, or a desktop/laptop computer might be used instead.

Touchpad

Many laptops come with a touchpad that replaces the behavior of a mouse. The touchpad can determine the point where a finger is touching, so sliding a finger across the pad is like moving a mouse. Some touchpads can also detect a press, while others have additional buttons that can be pressed. For desktop users, a touchpad can be added to act as a mouse. Some touchpads can detect multiple fingers simultaneously, so multi-finger operations can be detected (like sliding two fingers upwards) and have special operations associated (like scrolling). Touchpads use small electrical signals that are affected by human skin because skin conducts electricity (due to skin's internal moisture), so touching with a fingernail, pen, or gloves may not work; touching with a wet or sweaty finger may yield wild mouse pointer movements because water conducts electricity.

The most commonly used computer keyboard has a _____ arrangement.

QWERTY

QWERTY

The most common keyboard arrangement is known as a QWERTY keyboard due to the top row's letters starting with Q, W, E, R, T, Y

stylus

The touchscreen is typically a transparent item placed on top of the display. Like a touchpad, a touchscreen use small electrical signals that are affected by human skin because skin conducts electricity (due to skin's internal moisture), so touching with a fingernail, pen, or gloves may not work; touching with a wet or sweaty finger may yield wild pointer movements because water conducts electricity. A special pen-like device called a stylus can also be detected by a touchscreen, and can thus be useful for writing or drawing.

A touchscreen is a touch-sensitive device layered on top of a display.

True Allowing a user to point directly to a graphical object is more intuitive to the user than using a separate mouse or touchpad, and eliminates the need for an external input device also.

A stylus is a special physical pointer designed to work with touchscreens.

True Some pens come with a stylus on the non-writing side.

Speech is becoming a more popular input to computing devices.

True Such increasing popularity is due in part to smartphone usage, where typing is inconvenient or even dangerous (like when driving).

Most keyboards interface with a desktop computer via a _____ port

USB USB is a popular port for connecting various devices to a computer.

A mouse is used mostly for _____.

Working with graphical objects. Graphical objects are commonly selected, moved, resized, etc., using a mouse.

speech recognition

app converts audio into text by recognizing spoken words. Speech recognition is a hard problem, resulting in many incorrect words. Modern speech recognizers go beyond just converting sounds to words, but rather strive to understand the context of the words so as to yield "How's the weather today" rather than "How's the whether today", or to yield "I live in the U.S." rather than "I live in the you es." Some apps, like the app on a navigation (GPS) device, do speech recognition on the device's computer. Other devices, like a smartphone app such as Siri (iPhone), send the audio to a server that does speech recognition, enabling a more powerful speech recognition app to run (because servers are much larger and costlier but hence more powerful machines).

An optical mouse detects movement by _____.

comparing successive photos of the surface below A small light illuminates the surface, and an optical sensor sees the reflection on the surface below.

(modern) optical mouse

detects movement using an optical sensor, which is a very basic camera; informally stated, the mouse takes quick photos (very simple ones) of the surface below, and by comparing features in successive photos, calculates the direction and distance the mouse was moved. Because the area under a mouse would otherwise be dark, an optical mouse shines a small light on the surface. That technique works as long as there are simple surface features that can be compared, like the grain of wood. Surfaces with nearly no features (a smooth white table) or excessive/confusing features (a granite countertop with intricate patterns, or a glass table) may result in a mouse pointer that jumps around; a mouse pad (or paper, book cover, etc.) can be placed under the mouse in that case.

Flatbed scanners are often found in _____.

homes and offices Flatbed scanners are useful for scanning documents one page at a time, a process often done in homes and offices.

Speech input

involves a user speaking into a microphone, with an app converting the speech to text. Speech input has been available on desktops and laptops for decades, but became more popular in the 2010's with the advent of smartphones whose usage isn't amenable to typing (no keyboards, usage often while walking/driving, etc.).

Keyboard

is a common computer input device, allowing a user to press keys corresponding to letters, numbers, and symbols. Keyboards were among the earliest computer input devices, and are still widely used for reasons of speed and accuracy; 40 words per minute is average. A keyboard uses electrical circuitry that can detect which key (or keys) is being pressed. For desktop computers, keyboards typically interface via a USB port (earlier computers had a special keyboard port). Laptop computers have keyboards built-in. Tablets can usually have a keyboard added (usually wirelessly), though such use is relatively rare.

scanner

is a device that can input printed materials into a computer, thus making the materials digital. Digital materials are easier to share with multiple people. Flatbed scanners are frequently found in homes and offices and are often used to input images (photographs or drawings) or documents into a computer one page at a time. A flatbed scanner uses a moveable light to illuminate the item to be scanned which rests on a glass top. As the light moves down from the top of the scanner, mirrors reflect the illuminated area to a device that captures the reflection and sends the captured area to the computer. Other types of scanners include mechanical scanners for inputting a multi-page document and 3D scanners for scanning and inputting a 3-dimensional object. Common computer formats to scan to include JPG/JPEG, PNG, and PDF.

mouse

is a small device that a user can move on a desktop to cause a mouse pointer to move on a screen, and that has one or more buttons that can be clicked to select objects. Some mouse devices also have a wheel that can be rolled, used mostly for scrolling. A mouse's name is due to the device looking like a real mouse (the animal). A mouse usually connects to a desktop or laptop computer via a USB port.

An optical mouse work on _____ surfaces.

most Not all surfaces have the right features or reflection for the mouse to calculate differences in successive photos of the surface. A mousepad or other item placed under the mouse can help.

A touchpad may be used instead of a _____.

mouse A laptop's built-in touchpad means no external mouse need be connected. Plus, many users prefer a touchpad, especially due to multi-finger operations.

The QWERTY keyboard was designed to help people type _____ (answer either faster or slower).

slower The keyboard arrangement was created in the days of typewriters. Typing too fast could cause keys to get stuck, so common letter combinations were spaced out to slow the typists down. Today, typing faster would be better, but the QWERTY arrangement seems too commonplace to change.

Many modern devices like tablets and smartphones have a display that is also sensitive to touch, known as a

touchscreen

Wetting one's finger may _____ a touchpad's usefulness.

worsen A touchpad is designed specifically for the conductivity of normal human skin. Water is very conductive, causing a touchpad to be too sensitive; the mouse pointer may jump around.