New Pointing Devices Final

DEFINITION Device with which you can control the movement of the pointer to select items on a display screen. Examples of pointing devices include mice, trackballs, joysticks, touchpads, and light pens A pointing device is an input interface (specifically a human interface device) that allows a user to input spatial (ie, continuous and multi-dimensional) data to a computer .

JOY STICK

JOY STICK

• A lever that moves in all directions and controls the movement of a pointer or some other display symbol. A joystick is similar to a mouse , except that with a mouse the cursor stops moving as soon as you stop moving the mouse. With a joystick, the pointer continues moving in the direction the joystick is pointing .

TRACK BALL

TRACK BALL

• A trackball is a specific style of computer mouse that allows the user to keep their hand and arm in one place, while manipulating a ball that moves the on-screen pointer . A pointing device. Essentially, a trackball is a mouse lying on its back. To move the pointer, you rotate the ball with your thumb, your fingers, or the palm of your hand. There are usually one to three buttons next to the ball, which you use just like mouse buttons.

TOUCH PAD

TOUCH PAD

• A flat surface that can detect finger contact, this is the norm for modern laptop computers; at least one physical button normally comes with the touchpad, but the user can also generate a mouse click by tapping on the pad; advanced features include pressure sensitivity and special gestures such as scrolling by moving one's finger along an edge.

LIGHT PEN

LIGHT PEN

• An input device that utilizes a light-sensitive detector to select objects on a display screen . A light pen is similar to a mouse, except that with a light pen you can move the pointer and select objects on the display screen by directly pointing to the objects with the pen .