Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Mouse

  • The mouse is present in virtually every office environment. Handed versions of mouses are designed specifically to the contours of either the right or left hand.
  • Placing the mouse, trackball, or other input device too far away, too low, or too much on one side can cause shoulder, wrist, elbow, and forearm discomfort. Placing the input device directly in your immediate reach zone offers natural comfort and maximum hand-to-eye coordination.
  • Do not bend your wrist upward. Make sure you are sitting high enough for the workstation to be slightly below elbow height so that your hand rests naturally on the mouse.
  • Mousing demands a certain level of surface stability; if used on a keyboard tray, the tray should not wobble or tip.
  • A trackball has an exposed ball that you manipulate with your fingers. It requires the use of different muscle and tendon groups than does a mouse, and can add variety to your manipulation of computer information. Some trackball designs, however, may cause discomfort and possible injury to the area around your thumb, which stretches and reaches to maneuver the trackball.
  • Test different models of mousing devices, trackball or other input devices. Consider the shape and size of the devices, how comfortably it fits into your hand, ease of operation, and any special features that might make your job easier.

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Memeory Card Reader

A memory card reader is a device used for communication with a smart card or a flash memory card. A business card reader is a scanning device used to scan and electronically save business cards. A magnetic card reader is a device used to scan cards containing magnetic data strips. A punched card reader is a device used to read holes in punched cardboard cards. A memory card reader is a device, typically having a USB interface, for accessing the data on a memory card such as a CompactFlash (CF), Secure Digital (SD) or Multimedia Card (MMC). Most card readers also offer write capability, and together with the card, this can function as a pen drive. Today card readers can be categorized into three by the type and quantity of the card slots: single card reader (e.g. 1x SD-only), multi card reader (e.g. 9-in-1) and series card reader (e.g. 4x SD only). However, there are some kinds of memory cards with USB functions that do not need the card reader, such as the Intelligent Stick memory card, which can plug directly into a USB slot.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Printer

Usage Tips Make sure the power management and duplexing features of your printer have been “enabled” at the printer and that duplexing is the default setting within each user’s software. Set the “waittime” prior to sleep mode as short as possible, consistent with user needs.
Even for printers with a low-power sleep mode, you can save more energy if you manually shutthem off completely at night and on weekends. A few printer models do not have a manual on/off switch; these can be shut off using an external “power strip” (surge protector).
Networked systems that allow several nearby users to share a single (faster) printer generally save time, cost, and energy compared with each computer having a dedicated printer.
In some cases, an older printer that does not have an ENERGY STAR sleep mode can still be power-managed using an external control device. External controls switch the printer off(rather than into sleep mode) after a preset time, and switch it on again when a “print”signal is received. EPA’s web site and hotline provide a list of external printer controls.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Surge Protector

A surge protector is an application designed to protect electrical devices from voltage spikes. A surge protector attempts to regulate the energy supplied to an emotional device by either blocking or by shorting to ground voltages above a safe entrance. The following text discusses specifications and workings relevant only to the type of minder that diverts (shorts) a voltage spike to ground.

Friday, April 11, 2008

Webcam

Webcams are small cameras, whose images can be accessed using the World Wide Web, instant messaging, or a PC video conferencing submission. The term webcam is also used to portray the low-resolution digital video cameras designed for such purposes, but which can also be used to record in a non-real-time manner.

Web-accessible cameras absorb a digital camera which uploads images to a web server, either incessantly or at regular intervals. This may be achieved by a camera friendly to a PC, or by committed hardware. Videoconferencing cameras normally take the form of a small camera associated directly to a PC. Analog cameras are also sometimes used, connected to a video incarcerate card and then honestly or circuitously to the internet.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Scanner

In computing, a scanner is a tool that optically scans images, printed text, handwriting, or an object, and converts it to a digital image. Common examples found in offices are variations of the desktop scanner where the file is placed on a glass window for scanning. Hand-held scanners, where the device is moved by hand, were temporarily popular but are now less common due to the intricacy of obtaining a high-quality image. instinctively driven scanners that move the document are naturally used for large-format documents, where a flatbed design would be unreasonable.

Modern scanners logically use charge-coupled device (CCD) or Contact Image Sensor (CIS) as the image sensor, whereas older drum scanners use a photomultiplier tube as the image sensor. A gyratory scanner, used for high-speed document scanning, is another type of drum scanner, using a CCD array instead of a photomultiplier. Other types of scanners are terrestrial scanners, which take photographs of books and documents, and 3D scanners, for producing three-dimensional models of objects.

Another category of scanner is digital camera scanners, which are based on the concept of reprographic cameras. Due to increasing declaration and new features such as anti-shake, digital cameras have become an pretty alternative to regular scanners. While still having disadvantages compared to established scanners, digital cameras offer advantages in speed and portability..

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Video Card

A video card, also referred to as a graphics accelerator card, display adapter, graphics card, and plentiful other terms, is an item of personal computer hardware whose function is to produce and output images to a exhibit. It operates on similar principles as a sound card or other marginal devices.

The term is usually used to refer to a split, dedicated increase card that is plugged into a slot on the computer's motherboard, as divergent to a graphics controller incorporated into the motherboard chipset. An integrated graphics controller may be referred to as an "integrated graphics processor" (IGP).

Some video cards offer added functions, such as video capture, TV tuner adapter, MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 decoding or even FireWire, mouse, light pen, joystick connectors, or even the capacity to connect two monitors.