What is a stationary pointing device with a ball anchored inside a casing as well as two or more buttons?

A TrackPoint, also called a pointing stick, is a cursor control device found in IBM ThinkPad notebook computer s. The device is sometimes called an eraser pointer because it is roughly the size and shape of a pencil eraser. It has a replaceable red tip (called a nipple) and is located in the middle of the keyboard between the G, H, and B keys. The control buttons are located in front of the keyboard toward the user.

The TrackPoint is operated by pushing in the general direction the user wants the cursor to move. Increasing pressure causes faster movement. The relation between pressure and cursor or pointer speed can be adjusted, in a manner similar to the way the mouse speed is adjusted in a traditional desktop computer. The TrackPoint system, originally introduced by IBM in 1992, has acquired a devoted following of people who prefer it to the older trackball and the more recent touch pad methods of cursor or pointer control in notebook computers.

The term TrackPoint can also refer to the pointing algorithm that translates mechanical pressure on the pointing device into instructions that move the cursor or pointer.

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shadow IT

Shadow IT is hardware or software within an enterprise that is not supported by the organization's central IT department.

Pen input is also used to refer to the usage of mobile devices such as wireless tablet personal computers, PDAs and GPS receivers. The term has been used to refer to the usage of any product allowing for mobile communication. An indication of such a device is a stylus, generally used to press upon a graphics tablet or touchscreen, as opposed to using a more traditional interface such as a keyboard, keypad, mouse or touchpad.

-A game controller is a device used with games or entertainment systems to provide input to a video game, typically to control an object or character in the game. A controller is usually connected to a game console or computer by means of a wire or cord, although wireless controllers are also widespread. Input devices that have been classified as game controllers include keyboards, mice, game pads, joysticks, etc. Special purpose devices, such as steering wheels for driving games and light guns for shooting games, are also game controllers.

A gamepad (also called joypad or control pad), is a type of game controller held in two hands, where the fingers (especially thumbs) are used to provide input. Gamepads generally feature a set of action buttons handled with the right thumb and a direction controller handled with the left. The direction controller has traditionally been a four-way digital cross (also named a joypad, or alternatively a d-pad), but most modern controllers additionally (or as a substitute) feature one or more analog sticks.

-A joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. A joystick, also known as the control column, is the principal control device in the cockpit of many civilian and military aircraft, either as a center stick or side-stick. It often has supplementary switches to control various aspects of the aircraft's flight.

-A light gun is a pointing device for computers and a control device for arcade and video games. Modern screen-based light guns work by building a sensor into the gun itself, and the on-screen target(s) emit light rather than the gun. The first device of this type, the light pen, was used on the MIT Whirlwind computer.

-A dance pad, also known as a dance mat, dance platform, or flitter deck is a flat electronic game controller used for input in dance games. Most dance pads are divided into a 3×3 matrix of square panels for the player to stand on, with some or all of the panels corresponding to directions or actions within the game. Some dance pads also have extra buttons outside of the main stepping area, such as "Start" and "Select". Pairs of dance pads are often joined side-by-side for certain gameplay modes.

Motion-sensing Controllers

-A motion controller controls the motion of some object. Frequently motion controllers are implemented using digital computers, but motion controllers can also be implemented with only analog components as well.Motion controllers using accelerometers are used as controllers for video games, which was publicly introduced in 2006 by Nintendo's Wii Remote, which uses accelerometers to detect its approximate orientation and acceleration, and serves an image sensor.

Imaging and video input devices

-Video input devices are used to digitize images or video from the outside world into the computer. The information can be stored in a multitude of formats depending on the user's requirement.

-A digital camera (or digicam) is a camera that takes video or still photographs by recording images on an electronic image sensor. Most cameras sold today are digital, and digital cameras are incorporated into many devices ranging from PDAs and mobile phones (called camera phones) to vehicles.

-A camcorder is an electronic device that combines a video camera and a video recorder into one unit; typically for out-of-studio consumer video recording. Equipment manufacturers do not seem to have strict guidelines for the term usage; for instance marketing materials may present the device by its colloquial term camcorder, while full name on the package and manual is often video camera recorder.

-A portable media player, or digital audio player, is a consumer electronics device that is capable of storing and playing digital media such as audio, images, video, documents, etc.[citation needed] the data is typically stored on a hard drive, microdrive, or flash memory. In contrast, analog portable audio players play music from cassette tapes, or records. Often digital audio players are sold as MP3 players, even if they support other file formats. Other types of electronic devices like cellphones, internet tablets, and digital cameras are sometimes referred as PMPs because of their playback capabilities.This article focuses on portable devices that have the main function of playing media.

- A webcam is a video camera that feeds its image in real time to a computer or computer network. Unlike an IP camera (which uses a direct connection using ethernet or Wi-Fi), a webcam is generally connected by a USB cable, FireWire cable, or similar cable.

-An image scanner often abbreviated to just scanner—is a device 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 (or flatbed) scanner where the document is placed on a glass window for scanning. Hand-held scanners, where the device is moved by hand, have evolved from text scanning "wands" to 3D scanners used for industrial design, reverse engineering, test and measurement, orthotics, gaming and other applications.

-Fingerprint scanners are security systems of biometrics. They are now used in police stations, security industries and most recently, on computers. Every person has marks on his or hers fingers. They can not be removed or changed. These marks have a pattern and this pattern is called the fingerprint. Every fingerprint is special, and different from any other in the world. Because there are countless combinations, fingerprints have become an ideal means of identification.

-A barcode reader (or barcode scanner) is an electronic device for reading printed barcodes. Like a flatbed scanner, it consists of a light source, a lens and a light sensor translating optical impulses into electrical ones. Additionally, nearly all barcode readers contain decoder circuitry analyzing the barcode's image data provided by the sensor and sending the barcode's content to the scanner's output port.

-In the fashion of video devices, audio devices are used to either capture or create sound. In some cases, an audio output device can be used as an input device, in order to capture produced sound.

-A microphone is an acoustic-to-electric transducer or sensor that converts sound into an electrical signal. Microphones are used in many applications such as telephones, tape recorders, karaoke systems, hearing aids, motion picture production, live and recorded audio engineering, FRS radios, megaphones, in radio and television broadcasting and in computers for recording voice, speech recognition, VoIP, and for non-acoustic purposes such as ultrasonic checking or knock sensors.

-A MIDI keyboard is typically a piano-style user interface keyboard device used for sending MIDI signals or commands over a USB or MIDI cable to other devices connected and operating on the same MIDI protocol interface. This could also be a personal computer running software such as a digital audio workstation that listens to and sends MIDI information to other MIDI devices connected by cable or running internal to the personal computer system. The basic MIDI keyboard does not produce sound. Instead, MIDI information is sent to an electronic module capable of reproducing an array of digital sounds or samples that resemble traditional analog musical instruments. These samples or wave forms are also referred to as voices or timbres.

Is a stationary pointing device with a ball anchored inside a casing as well as two or more buttons?

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