Other hardware devices

Computers come in many forms and generally the larger the computer, the more powerful it is. We used to have:

• micro-computers or personal computers which sit on a desk;
• mini-computers which are the size of a filing cabinet;
• mainframes which are the size of a room.

Nowadays, there are many more form factors available and you can get computers of almost any size, shape and even colour: desktops, towers, all-in-ones, laptops, netbooks, rack-mounted, blades, tablets,…

Besides computers, information systems include many other types of hardware devices.

Some hardware devices are accessory to a computer and provide an interface with the user. They are called peripheral devices:

• Monitors output a video signal that humans can see;
• Keyboards and mice record user inputs;
• Printers deliver print-outs;
• Scanners and webcams capture images.

Other accessory hardware devices provide an interface with other systems:

• Network interface cards (NIC) connect computers to networks;
• Specific I/O interfaces might be used to pilot robots or gather measurements from equipments.

Then there are all kinds of devices which are architected like computers with a CPU, RAM, persistent storage and a bus, but which are optimized, generally from a user-friendliness perspective, to accomplish extremely well a very specific set of tasks:

• Smart phones fit a pocket and provide phone calls, personal information management (PIM), web browsing and email;
• Game consoles and media centres connect to televisions and provide outstanding graphics and sounds for a great entertainment experience;
• Portable media players like iPods and walkmans are dedicated to providing a similar but portable entertainment experience.
• GPS navigation devices store maps and connect to satellites to help you find your way by car or by foot, wherever you are and wherever you want to go;
• E-readers store and display books in digital format, so you can read them comfortably.

This list is certainly not exhaustive as you can expect more and more devices optimized for specific tasks in specific environments in the years to come, although on the long term it is the author’s firm belief that as smart phones become more powerful, they will take over all kinds of pocket devices. Note that smart phones have already taken over personal digital assistants (PDA) and pocket PCs.