ICT - Unit 1 : Digital devices

Mainframe computers

used by large organizations for complex processing tasks such as statistical analysis and bulk data processing as they have huge processing power built to handle enormous amounts of data

-finance

-health

-government -etc

Microprocessors

small integrated circuits embedded into devices to help them perform calculations, excute instructions and control functions and are used to control washing machines, televisions and other household appliances (like home entertainment systems security alarm systems and central heating systems)

personal computers

common in homes and offices

-in form of desktops and laptops

desktops are more powerful than mobile computers and are upgradable to increase the performance

a laptop computer is designed for portability and convenience, typically having a built-in screen, keyboard, and battery.

they are less powerful due to power constraint due to size and they focus more on extending battery life

they are not easily upgradable and battery powered

-some laptops are used as desktop replacements

advantages and disadvantages of laptops

portable , flexible (access to internet and resources from anywhere) , multifunctional )

difficult to upgrade hardware, lower performance and requires frequent charging due to short battery life)

specialist phones

mobile phones that have specialist features to provide users with functions that meet particular user needs

senior phones - large buttons , simplified user interface , easy to read display , emergency buttons , hearing aid compatibility

children’s phones - brightly colored , parental control, limited app access

rugged phones - designed for tough environment , thick screens and withstands water submersion dust and extreme temps

smartphones

small computers with wifi and mobile phone connectivity to allow them to make phone calls and access the internet using a subscriber identity module (SIM)

SMS messaging - quick communication w messages stored

phone calls

Voice over internet protocol (voIP) - audio and visual communication via internet

accessing the internet

mobile payment

camera

tablet devices

bigger than smart phones but have similar features

• portable

• used for entertaintment

• more powerful than smart phones but not as powerful as laptops

• longer battery life depending on the usage

digital cameras and camcorders

use light sensors to capture images and pictures formed by light passing thru the devices lens

• lens

• image processor

• sensors

game consoles

designed to enable users to play video games on tv screens

• powerful processors and graphics

• online capability

• controllers

home entertaintment systems

hub for connecting audio and video devices

• connects tvs speakers and media players together

• provides immersive expierience

• processes audio and video signals

includes

• tvs

• smart tvs

• personal video recorders

• blue ray and dvd players

media players

provide video and audio content to a tv

• portable

• plays different media like blue ray and dvd

navigation aids

can calculate the best route between two or more locations and provide updates if route not followed accurately

uses GPS satellites to determine exact location of the device

multifunctional device

a device that can perform a range of different functions

combines functions that would usually be separate

• smartphones - communication , photography , streaming . web browsing

• printers - print , copy and scan

• smart tvs - watch tv connect to internet and stream

convergence

merging of technologies that would usually be separate

features of digital devices

• portability - how easy it is to carry around

• performance - processing power and memory (RAM)

• storage - how much data it can hold

• user interface - how the user interacts with the operating system

• connectivity - how can the device connect to other devices

• media support - what media formats the device can play

• energy consumption - how much energy does the device consume

• expansion capability - can more storage memory and other features be added

• security features - what features does it have to protect device and user data (software security used to prevent unauthorized access to data - passwords , PIN , biometric scanners ——- physical security - security locks)

user interface

how the user interacts with the operating system

• command line interface (CLI) - text base commands commonly used by advanced users

• graphical user interface (GUI) - uses visual elements such as WIMP (windows icons menus and pointers) , optimized for mouse and touch gesture (windows android mac os)

• Menu - successive menus with a single option at each stage performed w buttons or a keypad (ex. vending machines , chip and pin machines , entertainment streaming services )

• Natural language interface ( NLI) - uses spoken words to respond to spoken or textual inputs from a user (virtual assistants , search engines and smart home devices)

software

set of programs that control the hardware , cant be physically touched

• application software

• system software

application software

software chosen by the user to help them carry out a specific task

installed on top of the system software

• word processing - create and edit text documents

• spreadsheets- organise and analyze data in a grid format

• database management systems - stores retrieves and manages data in databases

• control/ measurements - uses sensors to measure and control a system

• video editing - create and modify video files

• graphics editing - create and modify image files

• audio editing - create and modify sound files

• computer aided design (CAD) - design and model objects in 2D or 3D

system software

carries out tasks for the computer

essential for the operation of a computer system

gives users a platform to run applications and carry out tasks

• comliers- translates programming language into machine code

• linkers combines object files into single executable program

• device drivers - control hardware components and peripherals

• operating systems - manages the computer’s resources and providing a user interface

• utilities - tools for maintaining and optimising the computers performance

utility software

designed to help maintain enhance and troubleshoot a computer system

interacts w the computers hardware (ex. secondary storage)

examples of utility softwares and their function

• defragmentation - groups fragmented files back together in order to improve access speed , its added in order and over time as files get deleted it leaves gaps that get filled and data becomes fragmented (CAN ONLY BE USED ON MAGNETIC STORAGE)

• compression - reduces the amount of secondary storage requrired by performing an algorithm on the original data (lossy compression removes data to reduce the size and cant be recreated , lossless compression uses mathematics to order data more efficiently so it can be recreated and data isnt lost)

• encryption - scrambling data using an algorithm from plain text into cipher text to make it unreadable to users without a master key

• task manager (troubleshoot/repair) - monitor system resources to help troubleshoot potential problems (services app history performance processes users start up apps)

operating system