Lesson 4

Computers and Mobile

Devices

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Objectives Overview

Describe the characteristics

Differentiate among POS
and uses of desktops, Describe the characteristics
terminals, ATMs, and self-
laptops, tablets, and and types of servers
service kiosks
handheld computers

Describe the characteristics

and uses of smartphones,
Describe cloud computing
digital cameras, portable
and identify its uses
media players, and e-book
readers

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Objectives Overview

Differentiate a port from a

connector, identify various
Describe the characteristics
Identify uses of embedded ports and connectors, and
of and ways to interact with
computers differentiate among
game devices
Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and NFC
wireless device connections

Discuss ways to prevent

Identify safeguards against health-related injuries and
hardware theft and disorders caused from
vandalism and hardware technology use, and
failure describe ways to design a
workplace ergonomically

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Computers and Mobile Devices

Smartphones, digital
Desktop and mobile Servers and cameras, e-book
computers terminals readers and portable
media players

Embedded
Game devices
computers

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Desktops and Mobile Computers

• A personal computer (PC) is a computer that can

perform all of its input, processing, output, and
storage activities by itself and is intended to be
used by one person at a time
• A mobile computer is a portable personal
computer, designed so that a user easily can carry
it from place to place

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Desktops and Mobile Computers

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Desktops and Mobile Computers

• A desktop, or desktop computer, is a personal

computer designed to be in a stationary location,
where all of its components fit on or under a desk
or table

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Desktops and Mobile Computers

• A laptop, also called a notebook computer, is a

thin, lightweight mobile computer with a screen
in its lid and a keyboard in its base

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Desktops and Mobile Computers

• A tablet is a thin, lightweight mobile computer

that has a touch screen

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Desktops and Mobile Computers

• A handheld computer is a computer small enough

to fit in one hand

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Servers

• A server is a computer dedicated to providing one

or more services to other computers or devices on
a network
– Rack server
– Blade server
– Tower server

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Servers

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Servers

• A mainframe is a large, expensive, powerful

server that can handle hundreds or thousands of
connected users simultaneously

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Supercomputers

• A supercomputer is the fastest, most powerful

computer — and the most expensive

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• A supercomputer is a computer with a high level of
performance compared to a general-purpose computer.
• Performance of a supercomputer is measured in floating-
point operations per second (FLOPS) instead of million
instructions per second (MIPS).
• As of 2017, there are supercomputers which can perform
up to nearly a hundred quadrillion FLOPS.
• As of November 2017, all of the world's fastest 500
supercomputers run Linux-based operating
systems. Additional research is being conducted in China,
the United States, the European union
Taiwan and Japan to build even faster, more powerful and
more technologically superior exascale supercomputers

Discovering Computers 2014: Chapter 3 15

Discovering Computers 2014: Chapter 3 16
• Modern supercomputers tend to be either air-
cooled (with fans) or liquid cooled (with a coolant
circulated in a similar way to refrigeration). Either
way, cooling systems translate into very high
energy use and very expensive electricity bills;
they’re also very bad environmentally. Some
supercomputers deliberately trade off a little
performance to reduce their energy consumption
and cooling needs and achieve lower
environmental impact.

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Discovering Computers 2014: Chapter 3 18
Discovering Computers 2014: Chapter 3 19
Discovering Computers 2014: Chapter 3 20
Discovering Computers 2014: Chapter 3 21
Terminals

• A terminal is a computer, usually with limited

processing power, that enables users to send data to
and/or receive information from a server, or host
computer
• A thin client is a terminal that looks like a desktop but
has limited capabilities and components
• Most retail stores use a POS (point of sale) terminal
to record purchases, process credit or debit cards,
and update inventory

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Terminal
• A computer terminal is an electronic or
electromechanical hardware device that is used for
entering data into, and displaying data from,
a computer or a computing system.

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Thin client
A thin client, sometimes called a lean client, is a a
low-cost endpoint computing device that relies
heavily on a server for its computational role. The
term thin client is also used to describe software
applications that use the client-server model in
which the server performs all the processing. Thin
clients and other lean devices rely on a network
connection to a central server for full computing
and don't do much processing on the hardware
itself.

Discovering Computers 2014: Chapter 3 24

POS Terminal
• A point of sale terminal (POS terminal) is an
electronic device used to process card payments
at retail locations. APOS terminal generally does
the following: Reads the information off a
customer's credit or debit card. Checks whether
the funds in a customer's bank account are
sufficient

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Terminals

• An ATM (automated teller machine) is a self-

service banking terminal that connects to a host
computer through a network

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Terminals

• A self-service kiosk is a freestanding terminal that

usually has a touch screen for user interaction

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Cloud Computing

• Cloud computing refers to an environment of

servers that house and provide access to
resources users access through the Internet

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Mobile Devices

• A smartphone is an Internet-capable phone that

usually also includes a calendar, an appointment
book, an address book, a calculator, a notepad,
games, browser, and numerous other apps
• Many smartphones have touch screens. Instead of
or in addition to a touch screen, some have a
built-in mini keyboard on the front of the phone
or a keyboard that slides in and out from behind
the phone
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Mobile Devices

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Mobile Devices

• A digital camera is a mobile device that allows

users to take photos and store the photographed
images digitally

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Mobile Devices

• A portable media player, sometimes called a

personal media player, is a mobile device on
which you can store, organize, and play or view
digital media

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Mobile Devices

• An e-book reader (short

for electronic book
reader), or e-reader, is a
mobile device that is
used primarily for
reading e-books and
other digital
publications

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Game Devices

• A game console is a mobile computing device

designed for single-player or multiplayer video
games

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• A handheld game device is a small mobile device
that contains a screen, speakers, controls, and
game console all in one unit
• Game controllers include gamepads, joysticks and
wheels, dance pads, and a variety of motion-
sensing controllers

Discovering Computers 2014: Chapter 3 35

Game Devices

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Embedded Computers

• An embedded computer is a special-purpose

computer that functions as a component in a
larger product
Home
Consumer
automation Automobiles
electronics
devices

Process Computer
controllers and devices and
robotics office machines

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Embedded Computers

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Ports and Connections

• A port is the point at which a peripheral device attaches

to or communicates with a computer or mobile device so
that the peripheral device can send data to or receive
information from the computer or mobile device

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Ports and Connections

• A connector joins a cable to a port. A connector at

one end of a cable attaches to a port on the
computer or mobile device, and a connector at
the other end of the cable attaches to a port on
the peripheral device

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Ports and Connectors

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Ports and Connections

• A USB port, short for universal serial bus port, can

connect up to 127 different peripheral devices
together with a single connector
• Instead of connecting peripheral devices directly
to ports on a mobile computer, some mobile users
prefer the flexibility of port replicators and
docking stations

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Ports and Connections

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Ports and Connections

• Instead of connecting computers and mobile

devices to peripheral devices with a cable, some
peripheral devices use wireless communications
technologies

Bluetooth Wi-Fi NFC

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• A Bluetooth® device works by using radio waves
instead of wires or cables to connect with your
cell phone, smartphone or computer. Bluetooth is
a wireless short-range communications
technology standard found in millions of products
we use every day – including headsets,
smartphones, laptops and portable speakers.

Discovering Computers 2014: Chapter 3 46

• Wi-Fi is the name of a wireless networking
technology that uses radio waves to provide
high-speed network and Internet connections.
•

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• Near Field Communication (NFC) is a set of short-range
wireless technologies, typically requiring a distance of 4cm
or less to initiate a connection. NFC allows you to share
small payloads of data between an NFC tag and an
Android-powered device, or between two Android-
powered devices. Essentially, it's a way for your phone to
interact with something in close proximity. This allows for
two-way communication, with both devices involved being
able to send and receive information. This NFC connection
does not rely on Wi-Fi, 3G, LTE or otherwise, and it doesn't
cost anything to use.

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Protecting Hardware

• Some schools and businesses use cables to lock

computers and help prevent theft of equipment

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Protecting Hardware

• Hardware can fail for a variety of reasons: aging

hardware; random events such as electrical power
problems; and even errors in programs or apps
– Undervoltage
– Overvoltage or power surge

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Protecting Hardware

• A surge protector, also

called a surge
suppressor, uses
electrical components
to provide a stable
current flow and
minimize the chances of
an overvoltage reaching
the computer and other
electronic equipment

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Protecting Hardware

• An uninterruptible
power supply (UPS) is a
device that contains
surge protection circuits
and one or more
batteries that can
provide power during a
temporary or
permanent loss of
power

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Health Concerns of Using Technology

• A repetitive strain injury (RSI) is an injury or disorder

of the muscles, nerves, tendons, ligaments, and joints
• Computer vision syndrome (CVS) is a technology-
related health condition that affects eyesight
• Ergonomics is an applied science devoted to
incorporating comfort, efficiency, and safety into the
design of items in the workplace
• Technology addiction occurs when the technology
consumes someone’s entire social life
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Health Concerns of Using Technology

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