Speech recognition has various applications. It can be used in automated phone systems that allow the users to input choices and browse through menus without pressing any keys. Speech recognition systems are also used in businesses and homes to allow users to dictate to their computers and have their words transcribed into their word processing applications. They are currently being used for legal, medical or other transcription needs. Speech recognition also offers a method for giving computer commands. With voice instructions, users can command their computers to browse through folders, Read More

A biometric coprocessor is a device that is capable of scanning a user’s physical attributes in order to allow access to a building or computer network. A biometric coprocessor is essentially a fingerprint reader, but may also include sensors that analyze the user’s eyes, voice, or even breath. The term “biometric coprocessor” comes from the word “biometric” – the measurement of biological attributes, and “coprocessor” – a computer system that can keep track of several tasks at the same time. How Does A Biometric Coprocessor Work? A biometric coprocessor scans Read More

For unknown reasons, laptop keyboards tend to get dirtier than desk top keyboards. One of the reasons might be because of the mobility that comes with using a laptop–people go outside with them and dust and dirt can get underneath the keys. Regardless, it is important to clean them so that they don't stick. A clean keyboard functions so much better than a dirty one. Cleaning Keyboard Without Removing Keys The simplest way to clean a keyboard without removing the keys is to buy a can of compressed air. Aim Read More

A fingerprint reader is a device that uses electricity or light to analyze a person’s fingerprint. Fingerprint readers are now commonly used in the security industry to authenticate an individual before he/she is permitted to access a system or device. For example, a home computer user may have a USB fingerprint reader installed that serves as a login device. Instead of entering a password, the user simply places his/her thumb on the fingerprint reader. The computer only allows access if that person’s fingerprint matches the one on file. Fingerprint readers Read More

Step-by-Step Method for Thoroughly Cleaning a Keyboard Step One: Disconnect the keyboard from the computer and any other power source it may be plugged into. Step Two: Using an object that can create a small amount of leverage (such as your house key), remove the individual keys from your keyboard. Simply use the house key or other object to wedge underneath each key and gently pop them off of the keyboard. Step Three: Once all of the keys are removed from the keyboard, you can begin cleaning the keys by Read More

A pointing device is any piece of hardware that is used to allow a user to input spatial data to a computer. By moving a mouse, pen or a finger around, a user can implement movements and changes on the computer screen. The most common type of pointing device is the mouse and the arrow. When the mouse is moved on a mouse pad, the arrow on the screen moves. When the user clicks down on the mouse, the arrow clicks on the object it is hovering over. There are Read More

A flatbed scanner is a device that is able to scan a document and then convert what it has read into digital information. Flatbed scanners are different from other types of scanner because flatbed scanners allow the user to simply lay the document down on the machine, close the lid, and scan both sides of the document simultaneously within a matter of seconds. There are many different types of scanners but this article will focus on the pros and cons of flatbed scanners. Pros 1. Quality Flatbed scanners have a Read More

Society has spawned many different computers over the years that do many different things. Likewise, there have been many different devices invented to collect input from the user in order to control those computers. One of these input devices is the trackball. Trackballs have been widely used in many different fields over the years for a variety of applications. While mice and touchpads have almost completely replaced the trackball in home computer use, trackballs still play a crucial role in several different industries. This article will explore what trackballs are, Read More

A touchpad is a computing interface device that typically mimics the functions of a computer mouse. Instead of having an external peripheral device such as a mouse, the touchpad enables the user to interact with the device through the use of a single or multiple fingers being dragged across relative positions on a sensitive pad. Touchpads are typically found on laptop computers but are increasingly being utilized on devices such as portable mp3 players such as Apple's iPod and PDAs such as HP's iPaq series. Touchpads are generally resilient additions Read More

One of the nice things about having a scanner is that you are able to take a physical document, put it on the scanner and with a push of the button, have it now available on your computer as an image. This is different from a copier because instead of creating identical hard copies, the scanner takes an identical electronic copy to work with in a picture editing software. How to Scan a Document The first step in scanning a document is ensuring that the scanner is installed and hooked Read More