End user hardware
Terms related to peripheral devices including definitions about keyboards or mice and words and phrases about printers, monitors, digital cameras and scanners.NEM - USB
- nematic liquid crystal - A nematic liquid crystal is a transparent or translucent liquid that causes the polarization (that is, the focusing in a plane) of light waves to change as the waves pass through the liquid.
- NOR flash memory - NOR flash memory is one of two types of nonvolatile storage technologies.
- NTFS (NT file system; sometimes New Technology File System) - NTFS (NT file system; sometimes New Technology File System) is the file system that the Windows NT operating system uses for storing and retrieving files on a hard disk.
- offset printing (offset lithography) - Offset printing, also called offset lithography, is a method of mass-production printing in which the images on metal plates are transferred (offset) to rubber blankets or rollers and then to the print media.
- OLED (light-emitting diode) - OLED (organic light-emitting diode) is a display technology, pioneered and patented by Kodak, based on the use of organic polymer material as the semiconductor material in light-emitting diodes (LEDs).
- optical disc - An optical disc is an electronic data storage medium that can be written to and read from using a low-powered laser beam.
- optical media - Optical media - such as the compact disk (CD) - are storage media that hold content in digital form and that are written and read by a laser; these media include all the various CD and DVD variations, as well as optical jukeboxes and autochangers.
- optical storage - Optical storage is any storage type in which data is written and read with a laser.
- packet writing - Packet writing is a technology that enables the writing of data to a recordable compact disk (CD-R) incrementally, in multiple small blocks of data, rather than in a single block (as in disk-at-once recording), or in blocks defined by tracks (as in track-at-once recording), the other two common methods.
- page description language (PDL) - A page description language (PDL) specifies the arrangement of a printed page through commands from a computer that the printer carries out.
- patch cord - A patch cord is a length of cable, with connectors on the ends, that is used to connect an end device to something else, such as a power source.
- pathing (path control) - Pathing (sometimes called path control) is a networking approach used to address the specific needs of storage networks (as compared to ordinary message networks) by changing the way that communication paths are managed and organized.
- PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) - PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) is an interconnection system between a microprocessor and attached devices in which expansion slots are spaced closely for high speed operation.
- PCI-X (Peripheral Component Interconnect Extended) - PCI-X (Peripheral Component Interconnect Extended) is a computer bus technology (the "data pipes" between parts of a computer) that increases the speed that data can move within a computer from 66 MHz to 133 MHz.
- peripheral - A peripheral (pronounced peh-RIHF-uh-ruhl, a noun truncation of peripheral device, ) is any computer device that is not part of the essential computer (the processor, memory, and data paths) but is situated relatively close by.
- Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe, PCI-E) - PCIe is a high-speed serial interconnection standard for connecting peripheral devices to a computer's motherboard.
- personal area network (PAN) - A personal area network (PAN) is the interconnection of information technology devices within the range of an individual person, typically within a range of 10 meters.
- phase change - Phase change is a type of compact disk (CD) recording technology that enables the disks to be written, erased, and rewritten through the use of a layer of a special material (called the phase change layer) that can be changed repeatedly from an amorphous (formless) to a crystalline state, or phase-through exposure to variably-powered laser beams.
- PHOLED (phosphorescent organic light-emitting device) - PHOLED (phosphorescent organic light-emitting device) is a proprietary display technology developed by the Universal Display Corporation (UDC) that uses soluble phosphorescent small molecule materials to create organic light-emitting devices (OLED s).
- PictBridge - PictBridge is the name of an industry standard for firmware (built-in software) that allows digital cameras and printers to communicate directly with each other.
- pinout - A pinout is a description of the purpose of each pin (electronic contact) in a multi-pin hardware connection interface.
- pixie dust or antiferromagnetically-coupled (AFC) media - Pixie dust is the informal name that IBM is using for its antiferromagnetically-coupled (AFC) media technology, which can increase the data capacity of hard drives to up to four times the density possible with current drives.
- plasma display - A plasma display is a computer video display in which each pixel on the screen is illuminated by a tiny bit of plasma or charged gas, somewhat like a tiny neon light.
- Playstation - Playstation is a video game console developed by Sony.
- plotter - A plotter is a printer that interprets commands from a computer to make line drawings on paper with one or more automated pens.
- Plug and Play (PnP) - Plug and Play (PnP) is a capability developed by Microsoft for its Windows 95 and later operating systems that gives users the ability to plug a device into a computer and have the computer recognize that the device is there.
- port - On computer and telecommunication devices, a port (noun) is generally a specific place for being physically connected to some other device, usually with a socket and plug of some kind.
- portable keyboard (handheld keyboard) - A portable keyboard (or handheld keyboard) is one that is designed to be used with wireless devices, such as personal digital assistants (PDAs) and smartphones.
- portable media center - Portable media center is a term for a handheld multimedia device that can play digital music, image, and movie files that have been downloaded from the Internet or stored on a personal computer.
- power take-off (PTO) - Power take-off (PTO) is a device that transfers an engine’s mechanical power to another piece of equipment.
- PPD file (Postscript Printer Description file) - A PPD (Postscript Printer Description) file is a file that describes the font s, paper sizes, resolution, and other capabilities that are standard for a particular Postscript printer.
- print server - A print server is a software application, network device or computer that manages print requests and makes printer queue status information available to end users and network administrators.
- printer - A printer is a device that accepts text and graphic output from a computer and transfers the information to paper, usually to standard size sheets of paper.
- Printer Control Language (PCL) - Printer Control Language (PCL) is a language (essentially, a set of command code s) that enables applications to control HP DeskJet, LaserJet, and other HP printers.
- PS/2 connector - A PS/2 connector is a round connector with six pins that some makes of personal computer use for the keyboard or mouse connection.
- QWERTY keyboard - The QWERTY (pronounced KWEHR-tee) keyboard is the standard typewriter and computer keyboard in countries that use a Latin-based alphabet.
- radio charging - Radio charging is a wireless charging method used to charge items with small batteries and low power requirements, such as watches, hearing aids and wireless keyboards and mice.
- RAID (redundant array of independent disks) - RAID (redundant array of independent disks) is a way of storing the same data in different places on multiple hard disks or solid-state drives to protect data in the case of a drive failure.
- Rankine cycle - The Rankine cycle is a method of providing power in a closed system where a fluid is evaporated to perform a task and re-condensed.
- reconfigurable tactile display (RTD) - A reconfigurable tactile display (RTD) is a control interface that provides physical touch input, but that can be configured by programming.
- recordable DVD (writable DVD) - Recordable DVD (sometimes called writable DVD) is a DVD technology that allows a PC user to write data one or more times to a DVD with the PC's DVD drive.
- Reduce, reuse, recycle (R3) - Reduce, reuse and recycle (R3) are the three essential components of environmentally-responsible consumer behavior.
- refresh - In a computer display, to refresh is to redraw the image information from memory.
- remote printing - Remote printing is a function in which a computer is used with a distant printer.
- reprographics - Reprographics is a blanket term encompassing multiple methods of reproducing content, such as scanning, photography, xerography and digital printing.
- resonance charging - Resonance charging is a wireless charging method for items that require large amounts of power, such as an electric car, robot, vacuum cleaner or laptop computer.
- RS-232C - RS-232C is a long-established standard ("C" is the current version) that describes the physical interface and protocol for relatively low-speed serial data communication between computers and related devices.
- scan converter - A scan converter is a hardware device that converts a video signal into a format compatible with a specific type of display.
- scan set (scan code set) - The scan set, also called the scan code set, is a function that converts keyboard key closures to digital signals the computer interprets as alphanumeric characters and special symbols.
- scanner - A scanner is a device that captures images from photographic prints, posters, magazine pages, and similar sources for computer editing and display.
- Scarlet Book - The Scarlet Book is Philips and Sony's 1999 specification document for Super Audio Compact Disc (SACD), a high-resolution audio format that features complex six-channel sound.
- screen - In a computer display, the screen is the physical surface on which visual information is presented.
- SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) - Definition: The Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) is a set of parallel interface standards used to attach disk drives and other peripherals to a computer.
- secondary storage - Secondary storage is storage for noncritical data that will not be frequently accessed.
- Secure Digital card (SD card) - SD cards use flash memory to provide nonvolatile storage.
- Self-Scanned Amorphous Silicon Integrated Display (SASID) - Self-Scanned Amorphous Silicon Integrated Display (SASID) is the trade name for an active-matrix liquid crystal display (AMLCD) technology developed by Sarnoff Corporation.
- self-scanning checkout (self-checkout) - Self-scanning checkout, also called "self-checkout" is an automated process that enables shoppers to scan, bag, and pay for their purchases without human assistance.
- Serial ATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment or SATA) - The SATA storage protocol transmits data in serial fashion between hard drives and computer systems.
- serial communications interface (SCI) - A serial communications interface (SCI) is a device that enables the serial (one bit at a time) exchange of data between a microprocessor and peripherals such as printers, external drives, scanners, or mice.
- serial port server (serial server or port redirector) - A serial port server, also called a serial server or port redirector, is a device that transfers data between a computer serial port (COM port) and an Ethernet local area network (LAN).
- Serial Storage Architecture (SSA) - Serial Storage Architecture (SSA) is an open standard for high-speed access to high-capacity disk storage.
- serial-attached SCSI (SAS) - Serial-attached SCSI (SAS) is a point-to-point protocol used to transfer digital data between servers and SAS storage devices.
- server accelerator card (SSL card) - A server accelerator card (also known as an SSL card) is a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) card used to generate encryption keys for secure transactions on e-commerce Web sites.
- SGI (Silicon Graphics) - SGI (Silicon Graphics) is a leading manufacturer of high-performance computing, data management, and visualization products.
- sheet-fed offset printing - Sheet-fed offset printing is a method in which individual pages of paper are fed into the machine.
- shuffle mode - In iPod and other audio or multimedia playback applications, shuffle mode is the playing of items in a list in some random fashion.
- slot (or expansion slot) - In computers, a slot, or expansion slot, is an engineered technique for adding capability to a computer in the form of connection pinholes (typically, in the range of 16 to 64 closely-spaced holes) and a place to fit an expansion card containing the circuitry that provides some specialized capability, such as video acceleration, sound, or disk drive control.
- Slot 1 - Slot 1 and Slot 2 are names for the way Intel P6-based microprocessors connect to a computer motherboard so that it makes contact with the built-in paths called the data bus.
- Smart Display - Smart Display is a wireless touch screen display device in development at Microsoft.
- SOLED (stacked organic light-emitting device) - SOLED (stacked organic light-emitting device) is a display technology from the Universal Display Corporation (UDC) that uses a stack of transparent organic light-emitting devices (TOLED s) to improve resolution and enhance full-color quality.
- sound card - A sound card (also referred to as an audio card) is a peripheral device that attaches to the ISA or PCI slot on a motherboard to enable the computer to input, process, and deliver sound.
- standby power - Standby power is electrical power that a device consumes when not in present use, but plugged in to a source of power and ready to be used.
- storage at the edge - Storage at the edge is the collective methods and technologies that capture and retain digital information at the periphery of the network, as close to the originating source as possible.
- storage medium (storage media) - In computers, a storage medium is any technology -- including devices and materials -- used to place, keep and retrieve electronic data.
- stress testing - Stress testing is the process of determining the ability of a computer, network, program or device to maintain a certain level of effectiveness under unfavorable conditions.
- stylus - A stylus (pronounced STAI-luhs, from the Latin stilus or "stake") is an instrument for writing and, in computers, an input device used to write text or draw lines on a surface as input to a computer.
- Super Audio CD (SACD) - Super Audio Compact Disk (SACD) is a high-resolution audio CD format.
- switch-on-a-chip (SOC) - A switch-on-a-chip (SOC) is a network - typically a storage network - switch (a device that channels incoming data flow from any of multiple input ports to the output port appropriate for its destination) that is built into a single microchip (integrated circuit).
- tablet (tablet PC) - A tablet is a wireless, portable personal computer with a touchscreen interface.
- tape backup - Tape can help fix an unstructured data backup issue and is a good archiving medium.
- tape drive - A tape drive is a device that stores computer data on magnetic tape, especially for backup and archiving purposes.
- teletypewriter (TTY) - A teletypewriter (TTY) is an input device that allows alphanumeric character to be typed in and sent, usually one at a time as they are typed, to a computer or a printer.
- terminal - In data communications, a terminal is any device that terminates one end (sender or receiver) of a communicated signal.
- terminal adapter (TA) - A terminal adapter (TA) is a hardware interface between a computer and an Integrated Services Digital Network line.
- thermography - Thermography is a printing or imaging method.
- Thunderbolt - Thunderbolt (code named "Light Peak") is a high-speed, bidirectional input/output (I/O) technology that can transfer data of all types on a single cable at speeds of up to 10 Gbps (billions of bits per second).
- tiered storage - Tiered storage is a way to assign different categories of data to various types of storage media with the objective of reducing the total cost of storage.
- TiVo - TiVo is a company offering a branded subscription-based interactive television service that lets viewers program and control which television shows they watch, and when.
- TOLED (transparent organic light-emitting device) - TOLED (transparent organic light-emitting device) is a display technology being developed by the Universal Display Corporation (UDC) that uses transparent electrodes and light emitting materials in an organic light-emitting device (OLED).
- touch pad (touchpad) - A touch pad is a device for pointing (controlling input positioning) on a computer display screen.
- touch screen - A touch screen is a computer display screen that is also an input device.
- trackball - A trackball is a computer cursor control device used in many notebook and laptop computers.
- TrackPoint (pointing stick) - A TrackPoint, also called a pointing stick, is a cursor control device found in IBM ThinkPad notebook computers.
- TWAIN - TWAIN is a widely-used program that lets you scan an image (using a scanner) directly into the application (such as PhotoShop) where you want to work with the image.
- twisted nematic display (TN display) - A twisted nematic (TN) display is a common type of liquid-crystal display (LCD) that consists of a substance called a nematic liquid crystal that is confined between two plates of polarized glass.
- two-spindle system (twin-spindle system) - A two-spindle system, also called a twin-spindle system, is a computer design with two internal storage drives.
- UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter) - A UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter) is the microchip with programming that controls a computer's interface to its attached serial devices.
- Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) - Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) is a standard that uses Internet and Web protocols to enable devices such as PCs, peripherals, intelligent appliances, and wireless devices to be plugged into a network and automatically know about each other.