Touchpad. What it is?

Mouse, touchpad, trackball - all these things are well known to laptop owners who purchased their first electronic assistant about a dozen years ago. However, the popularity of mobile computers is growing, happy owners are becoming more and more, and the flow of information is such that sometimes there is simply no time to get acquainted with the history of technology development. As a result, every now and then the question "touchpad - what is it?" Sounds. Today we will explain what exactly is meant by this term, and also recall the main milestones in the development of such devices.

Mobility in the first place

The second name of the laptop is a portable mobile computer. Its main difference from a full-fledged system unit is the ability to take it with you and for a while to work without an external power source. Obviously, the best solution is a candy bar, when all key devices are combined in a single package. No separate keyboards, mice and monitors, as in stationary systems. Since even in the days of the first notebooks, operating systems with a graphical interface were popular , the developers had to come up with a device that performs the functions of a mouse, but is part of the monoblock. The task was brilliantly solved.

Mouse up paws

In laptops, just below the keyboard unit, they began to place a small device, which is a ball and two buttons. Holding the palm over the ball and putting it in motion, you could control the cursor in the programs. The principle of operation was, as in conventional mice of that time. This decision was called "trackball".

A keyboard with a touchpad appears

However, the trackball had a number of shortcomings, so the search for alternative solutions did not stop. And finally, with the advent of touch panels, in the field of equipping laptops, a real technical breakthrough took place. What has been proposed has been used successfully so far. In place of the trackball began to place a small rectangular plate, functionally replacing the mouse. So, the touchpad - what is it? This device is a touch panel that is structurally part of the notebook case and is located below the keyboard. The touch of the finger to the panel and its movement over the surface are perceived by the controller, converted into conditional coordinates and transmitted to the running program. Sensor capacitive type: this is easy to verify, trying to control the cursor by touching the panel with a non-conductive object, such as a pencil - no reaction will follow. Double-clicking the mouse buttons, respectively, replaced by two quick consecutive touches to one arbitrary point of the panel. To complete the replacement of the mouse in the touchpad, there are two or three (depending on the model) mechanical buttons. Also function of a wheel is realized: it is necessary to spend a finger upwards or downwards on the corresponding small block (a ladder of parallel strips). In some laptops for rewinding you need to simultaneously move on the sensor two adjacent fingers. As a rule, these are newer models supporting multitouch technology (multiple touches).

Touchpad: what is it?

As you can see, behind the obscure name is a device with fairly simple functions. So often happens in computer technology, when many terms are taken from a foreign language. So, to put it simply, to the question "Touchpad - what is this?" You can answer that this device is a touch panel designed for a functional replacement of a computer mouse.