Types of Digital Devices

 Mainframe computers used for complex processing tasks

 Microprocessors used to control household appliances

 Personal computers

 Digital cameras

 Home entertainment systems

Desktops

 More space for components than laptops

 Option to upgrade or add additional components

 Peripheral devices can be connected (monitor, printer, mouse, keyboard)\

Features of a Laptop

 Keyboard

 Screen

 Track pad

 Rechargeable battery

 Portable device

 Desktop replacements have larger screens and higher performance levels

Single-Board Computers

 Affordable computers used in education, embedded computing projects and physical

computing projects

 Example of an SBC is the Raspberry Pi Zero

 Unit itself costs very little and uses a cheap microSD card as its storage.

Accessible phones
  Alto 2 ‘talking phone’ – a specialist mobile phone for blind and partially sighted people
with every feature and function spoken aloud.

 Phones with fewer, larger buttons and connections for hearing aids.

What is a SIM Card?

 A SIM card is used to connect mobile phones to a mobile phone network.

 It stands for subscriber identity module.

 It is used to identify the subscriber to a mobile phone network.

What are Smartphones?

 Small computers with Wi-Fi and mobile phone connectivity

 Include features of other devices such as cameras, media players and hand-held games
consoles

 More advanced operating system than other mobile phones

 Applications (or apps) can be downloaded onto the smartphone

 Allow users to customise their smartphones with entertainment, educational and business
features

 Use a touch screen to allow users to input information

 Virtual keyboard is used to enter text, numbers and other characters

 Use more power than other types of mobile phone

 Shorter battery life and need to be charged more regularly than other mobile phones

 Title: Features of Smartphones

Features of Tablet Devices

 BEGIN FORMAT TEMPLATE

 Features of Tablet Devices

 Touch screen

 Apps
  Wi-Fi connectivity

 SIM card slots

 END FORMAT TEMPLATE

Light Sensors in Digital Cameras and Camcorders

 Digital cameras and camcorders use light sensors to capture images formed by light
passing through the device’s lens.

 Traditionally, cameras are used to capture still images and camcorders are used to capture
moving images.

 Most digital cameras can now film moving images and most camcorders can photograph
still images.

Quality of Camera Image

 Lens quality affects the amount of light that can travel through it and the final image.

 Image processor compensates for poor lighting conditions.

 Sensor resolution is expressed as the number of pixels that can be captured.

 Some cameras use multiple sensors for different colours or wavelengths of light.

Televisions

 Televisions display still and moving images on a screen, with the quality of the image set
by the number of pixels used to display the image.

 High definition (HD) television screens have a higher resolution than standard definition
televisions.

 Resolution of a television is stated as horizontal pixels × vertical pixels, often referred to

as 720p or 1080p.

 Ultra High Definition (UHD) television screens are sometimes referred to as 4K or 8K

due to their horizontal resolution of approximately 4,000 or 8,000 pixel

 Built-in speakers in televisions are usually small and of limited quality.

Sound systems

 Sound systems can produce loud, rich sound using high-quality speakers and amplifiers.
  Some speakers contain built-in amplifiers.

 Sound systems can play music from CDs or from local storage.

 They can usually be connected to personal devices like smartphones, media players and
tablet devices.

 They can also be connected to a local network via Wi-Fi.

 Some sound systems can also connect to the internet to play music stored online.

PVR

 Personal Video Recorders (PVRs) record broadcasted content for later viewing.

Bluray/DVD

 Blu-ray and DVD players connect to televisions to play films and other content stored on
disks.

 Blu-ray players can play DVD disks, but DVD players cannot play Blu-ray disks.

 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray players can play 4K content on 4K televisions.

Features of Video Game Consoles

 Enables users to play video games on a television screen

 Games provided on disks or as downloads from the internet

 Controllers, often wireless, to control characters, vehicles and/or objects in the game

 Motion sensors to allow the player to control the game with gestures and body
movements

 Virtual reality controllers and headsets to immerse the player in a realistic gaming
experience

 Multifunctional with apps and connectivity to local networks and the internet

 Ability to play movies and music

 Disk drives to play films and other content on DVD, Blu-ray or 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
media

Benefits of Handheld Gaming Consoles

  Provide mobile gaming

 Built-in screen

 Less storage than full-size console

 Reduced image and sound quality

 Reduced game complexity

 Limited storylines

Media Players:

 Provide video and audio content to a television

 Can be connected directly or using a wired or wireless network

 Controlled using a remote control or smartphone app

 Some offer output in 4K

Benefits of Personal Media Players

 Compact and portable

 Local storage for media files

 Useful for travelling or exercising

 Small size and long battery life

 Uses solid state flash memory storage

Navigation Aids

 Calculate best route between two or more locations

 Provide updates to route if not followed accurately

 Commonly used in cars, delivery vans and ships

 Provide visual prompts and alerts to help drivers take correct route

 Use information from GPS satellites to determine exact location

  Use orientation sensors to know which way device is pointing

 Maps stored permanently on device or downloaded from internet

 GPS does not need internet connectivity to work

 Navigation aids need internet connectivity to update map data

 Smartphones replacing specialist in-car navigation aids

 Many navigation apps for smartphones with range of features

Smart Home Technology

 Home automation devices that can connect a range of digital devices

 Functions such as temperature and lighting can be controlled from apps on smartphones
or the internet

What is a Smartphone?

 A smartphone is a type of mobile phone, primarily used to make phone calls.

 It can also be used to take photographs, function as a navigation aid, fitness tracker,
music player or handheld games console.

 It is classed as a multifunctional device.

Convergence of Devices

 Convergence is the adoption of technologies and features from other types of device.

 Smartphones and tablet devices are very similar, but differ in that a smartphone has
mobile phone network connectivity and is smaller than a tablet device.

 Phablets are smartphones that are getting bigger to look more like tablets.

 Tablet devices can now connect to mobile phone networks.

 Most smartphones have digital cameras, while some digital cameras have Wi-Fi and
mobile phone network connectivity.

Features of Digital Devices

 Portability
  Performance

 Connectivity

Requirements for Portability

 Size and Weight

 Ease of Carrying and Moving

Factors Affecting High-Performance Device Performance

A high-performance device performs its job or tasks quickly because it has a faster processor.
RAM holds all software instructions to be carried out, so more RAM will allow the system to
have more programs running at the same time. When the space in RAM runs out, storage is used
as an overflow, and this is known as virtual memory. This means that fast storage means faster
access to instructions in virtual memory. Ineffi cient software can slow down the whole system
and therefore has an impact on a device’s performance.

Storage and Performance

 More available storage allows users to store more files and programs.

 Storage speed affects performance.

Command Line Interface

 Allows users to enter text instructions and receive feedback as text

 Requires little memory

 Commands must be typed precisely

 Usually has a help menu to list and explain acceptable commands

What is a Menu-Driven Interface?

 BEGIN FORMAT TEMPLATE

 What is a Menu-Driven Interface?

 Displays a list of options as a menu

  Selecting an option triggers a command or displays another menu

 Easier to use than command line interfaces

 Takes more time than typing a command directly

 Used in ATMs, televisions, and older mobile phones

 END FORMAT TEMPLATE

Graphical User Interface

 Controlled by a pointer on the screen

 Uses windows, icons, and menus

 Windows are areas of the screen dedicated to applications or tasks

 Icons are small images that represent an application

 Menus provide options for tasks relating to the operating system or open application

Voice Interfaces

 Voice interface allows user to give spoken commands to a device

 Device has voice recognition software to match spoken words against library of words

 Library of words often stored online, requiring internet access

 Disadvantage is that software may not find a match or return incorrect match

 Voice interfaces may check instruction with user before searching for a match

 Some voice interfaces use results of confirmation to ‘learn’ user’s voice and improve
future matches

 Hands-free operation is possible

 Often used in vehicles to improve road safety

gesture Interface

 Allows user to control device by swiping or pinching fingers

 Commonly found on devices with touch screens

Connectivity

 Devices can share data by connecting to each other using wired or wireless connectivity.

 Wired connectivity is usually faster and more reliable, but introduces additional cost,
mess, inconvenience and safety risks.

 Wireless connectivity provides convenience, but may have slower data transfer speeds.

 Connectivity can be used to update software, back up files or play media from one device
on another.

Reading and Writing Data to Different Types of Media

 Different devices can read data from and write data to different types of media, such as
SD and microSD flash memory cards and DVDs.

 Adapters can be connected to provide connectivity to an external device into which the
media can be inserted.

Energy Consumption in Mobile Devices

 Longer battery life

 Cost savings for customers

 Demonstrating social responsibility

 Reducing environmental damage

Expanding Systems

 Expanding Systems

 PCs allow users to install additional components

 Smartphones and tablet devices have expansion slots for flash memory cards

 Systems can be expanded using USB ports to connect peripheral device

Software Security for Digital Devices

 Operating systems can be set to require a password or PIN when the device is turned on.

 Devices can be set to lock the screen or keyboard if not used for a specified period of
time.
  Incorrect passwords or PINs may require a set amount of time before trying again.

 Data may be wiped after a few failed attempts.

 Longer and more complex passwords are better.

 Pattern PINs are more secure than regular PINs.

 Biometric scanners, such as Apple® Touch ID®, provide authorised users access to data
on the device.

Physical security

 Security slots with locks can be used to secure devices to furniture.

 Special screws are used to secure the locks in place.

Input devices
 Keyboards. Different layouts are provided for different operating systems, languages, and
functions. Combinations of key presses allow the user to access common software
commands called shortcuts. Some people learn to touch-type, which is a method of
typing without needing to look at the keys. This increases the speed at which these people
can input data.

 Mouse: Uses an optical sensor to recognise movement and can be affected by the surface
it is placed on.

 Tracker ball: Rolled to move the pointer and does not have buttons to press.

 Track pad: Surface senses finger movements, touches and presses.

 Joystick: Joysticks are commonly used on games controllers to move sprites around the
game.

 Graphics tablet: A graphics tablet is a flat pad that is used with a stylus. Users use the
stylus to draw or write on the graphics tablet. These devices are often used by digital
artists and designers.

 Scanners use light sensors to record physical documents as images, which are then saved
as files to the computer.
 Software allows scanners to read characters on the document and store the result in a text
file (Optical Character Recognition).

 Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) software can also be used with scanners to detect
simple marks on a document.

 OMR is commonly used for recognising and recording responses to multiple choice tests.

 Linear barcodes are used to identify parcels

 Matrix codes, also known as QR codes, are newer than linear barcodes. QR codes can
hold more information and can be scanned from any angle

 Webcams are cameras that are not as high quality as camcorders, but they can be used to
capture images or video to the internet.

 A microphone captures sound waves and converts them to an electrical signal. This signal
is then sent to a sound card, which converts it to a digital signal. This digital signal is then
used to capture sound waves and convert them to an analogue electrical signal.

 touch screen. Resistive touch screens are more durable than capacitive touch screens, but
are harder to read because more layers reflect more light. In addition, they can only
recognise one touch at a time, so they are not suitable for multi-touch applications.
Capacitive touch screens are often used in smartphones.

 Biometric scanners use physical characteristics of a user to identify them. These

characteristics can be fingerprints, facial features, or other unique physical
characteristics. The scanner stores the average result of the measurements it takes of the
user, and compares future samples against this average to verify their identity. Voice
recognition software compares a voice print with a stored original and checks for a
match. Iris recognition is also a form of voice recognition, but it is more reliable because
it can identify people more accurately. The advantages of using biometric data over
passwords are that they are easier for users to remember and they are not as susceptible to
being hacked. The disadvantages of using biometric data are that it can be more difficult
to trick or confuse biometric scanners, and it can speed up transactions.

 Card readers. Cards with magnetic strips can be easily stolen, while cards with
programmable chips can only be read if the correct PIN is entered into the reader.

 Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and Near Field Communication (NFC). RFID is a
short-range wireless communication method. NFC is a branch of RFID. RFID tags are
cheap and small and can be included in a variety of objects. RFID tags contain a unique
identification number (ID) linked to records in a database. An example of RFID is a
prepaid travel card with a unique ID stored on the card.
  Sensors are used to input data about the physical environment. Sensor technology has
many benefits, such as being able to monitor continuously, removing the possibility of
human error, and sensing things that people cannot. There are many different types of
sensor to allow for the monitoring of a range of environmental factors. Some of these
factors are: ▲◾light ▲◾moisture and humidity ▲◾temperature ▲◾proximity and
distance ▲◾motion and movement (such as Passive Infrared (PIR) sensors)
▲◾pressure.

Output devices
types of output device ▲◾electronic display ▲◾printed text ▲◾video ▲◾audio ▲◾tactile
(touch) forms.

 Monitors allow users to see the output from the computer on an electronic display.
Monitors come in different sizes(measured diagonally), resolutions(measured in pixels),
and energy efficiency measures.

 Dot matrix: These printers are sometimes called ‘impact’ printers as the print is made by
hitting or ‘impacting’ the paper through a ribbon of ink. The paper often has a number of
carbon copy layers so it can make several copies of the same document as it prints it.

 Inkjet printers: These printers use cartridges containing different coloured ink. Tiny dots
of these inks are sprayed onto the paper to form images or text.

 Laser printers: These printers use a laser beam to create an image on a drum, which is
then transferred to the paper.

 3D Printer.Creates real-life versions of digital models. Works by adding layers of heated

material from the bottom of the model to the top. Takes a long time to create. 3D printers
are used to create complex items that could not be assembled in any other way. Some of
these items include aeroplane parts, artificial limbs, and prototype models of cars

 A plotter is a device used by professionals to create high-quality images in CAD

software. The plotter moves a pen across the paper to create the lines, and the pen can be
raised and lowered to create different effects.

 Projectors are used for home entertainment, such as watching television or playing
games, and for giving presentations in classrooms and business meetings. They have a
variety of features, such as light bulbs, resolution, zoom functionality, and portability.

 Speakers allow a computer to output sound. Multiple speakers are commonly used to
provide surround sound in home entertainment systems. These speakers need a special
amplifier that can deliver different levels of sound to each speaker to provide spatial
awareness.
  Actuators are devices that make something happen in the real physical world. They can
be mechanical, such as valves, pistons, and motors.

Storage

Secondary storage is non-volatile and used for storing documents, applications, and virtual
memory. Internal drives connect directly to the computer’s motherboard. External devices are
connected to the computer’s motherboard through ports and adapters.

Types of Storage Drives

 Hard disk drives (HDD) contain hard disk media and provide a connection from the disk
to the motherboard.Hard disks are made up of many concentric platters that spin on a
central spindle. The read/write head moves on an arm across tracks on the platter, and the
amount of time it takes the read/write head to access data on the tracks is determined by
how fast the cylinder of platters spins and how fast the read/write head is moved across
the tracks. When reading, a read/write head changes the magnetic field into electrical
current. When writing, it transforms electrical current into a magnetic field. The average
spin speed is 5400 rpm or 7200 rpm. The seek time for a read/write head is 4–15 ms.

 Solid state drives (SSD) contain flash memory media and are otherwise identical to hard
disk drives.Flash media are more energy-efficient than hard disks, and they are also less
likely to fail when they are moved around. This makes them suitable for use in portable
devices.

 Optical disk drives contain optical disk media and are often compatible with older
media.CDs can store up to 700 MB of data using a laser to write data to a plastic layer
beneath layers of aluminium and acrylic. DVDs look similar to CDs and can store 4.7 GB
on a single-sided, single-layer disk. Double-sided, dual-layer disks can store up to 18 GB.
Blu-ray disks use a scratch-protection coating and violet laser light to store data at greater
density than DVDs. They can store 25 GB on a single-sided disk, and double-sided disks
can store 50 GB. All optical media is recordable and is known as CD-R, DVD-R or BD-
R. Some CDs and DVDs can be rewritten (CD-RW, DVD-RW), and some Blu-ray media
can be written then erased and rewritten (BD-RE).

 Magnetic tape is a type of data storage that was originally designed to record sound. It is
now also used to store data.

Types of Data Storage:

 Hard disks change the magnetic charge of a platter to either negative or positive,
depending on whether the value is 0 or 1.
 Optical media use tiny bumps on the disk’s surface to represent 0 and 1.

 Flash media use different levels of electrical charge, held in tiny individual cells, to
represent 0 or 1.

 Magnetic tape changes the magnetic charge of the tape to either negative or positive,
depending on whether the value is 0 or 1.