4. Touchpad

A touchpad is an input device which is usually found on a laptop computer.

Because a laptop is meant to be portable, people are not always able to attach a traditional mouse, it might be too much hassle or there might not be enough room to use one. A touchpad can be used in place of a mouse.

By dragging your finger over the surface of the touchpad, sensors underneath detect the movement direction and speed. The sensors only react to a fingertip and not a pencil or other object. There are usually two buttons next to the touchpad which are used to replace the left and right mouse button.

Advantages

• Useful for laptops when using a mouse is not practical
• The pad's position is fixed compared to the keyboard, unlike with a traditional mouse
• Very short finger movements are required to move the cursor

Disadvantages

• Takes practice and skill to control the position of the cursor using the touchpad
• Gloves cannot be worn i.e. in a cleanroom environment
• Moist, sweaty or calloused fingers can disrupt the signals picked up by the sensors.