Input, Output, and Storage - Computing Fundamentals - page 46

© iStockphoto.com/vincomfoto
Figure.3 5 A touchpad is a touch-sensitive area that the user
drags a finger across to move the pointer onscreen.

A touch screen can enable you to use your finger as a pointing device. Tap
or drag your finger across a touch screen to perform mouse-equivalent
operations.

touch screen A touch-sensitive display monitor
that functions both as an input and an output
device.

A joystick , shown in Figure 3.6, is a specialized pointing device used
primarily in gaming. It consists of a vertically mounted stick that can be
tilted in any direction. A set of buttons on the base of the joystick enable
you to perform actions, such as shooting or jumping in a game.

joystick A pointing device consisting of a
vertically mounted stick that can be tilted in any
direction.

© iStockphoto.com/chrisboy2004
Figure.3 6 A joystick.

Drawing Tablets
A drawing tablet , also called a digitizing tablet, is a specialized type
of touchpad designed for drawing. The user draws on the tablet with a
pen-shaped pointer called a stylus , and the drawing shows up onscreen.
Professional graphic artists use drawing tablets to draw directly into
a computer program to create both technical and artistic drawings.
Figure 3.7 shows a drawing tablet.

drawing tablet A flat rectangular touch-sensitive
surface on which a user can draw with a stylus to
create onscreen artwork.

stylus A pen-shaped pointer used to drag across
the surface of a touch-sensitive screen.