PC World - The elegant, Microsoft Vista Home Premium-based HP TouchSmart IQ770 PC is Hewlett-Packard's first stab at an all-in-one PC -- and the its first desktop system that incorporates a touch-screen display.
The 19-in. wide-screen display functions as both a viewing screen and a navigation tool. Though you won't want to rely solely on the touch screen when you're sitting at a desk (believe me, your shoulder will eventually protest the reach), it provides a highly responsive alternative to traditional mouse navigation. In my view, the touch screen contributes vitally to the TouchSmart's adaptability to a wide range of environments in the home, from living room to home office to kitchen.
The touch screen would be particularly useful for quickly queuing up media files for playback via a connected TV, a stereo system or the unit's built-in display and speakers, or for accessing recipes in the kitchen. Even though Vista supports multipoint touch screens -- enabling the software to react to a number of touch points on the screen simultaneously -- the TouchSmart's screen recognizes only touches to a single point.
If finger navigation isn't your thing, you can use the well-weighted, thick stylus, which stashes away at the top of the screen. Integrated stereo speakers positioned to the right and left of the adjustable-height screen offer pleasing sound and loudness, albeit without the oomph and fullness you'd expect from a dedicated, external speaker system.
A button on the lower-right of the display's bezel provides a shortcut to HP's SmartCenter software. The handy, customizable HP control panel lets you quickly access photos and photo editing tools, music playback tools, calendars and weather reports.
No matter where you put the TouchSmart PC, its striking style will stand out. The piano-black unit has silver accents and a graceful, Z-angled cabinet. The all-in-one device comes with a comfortable, compact, wireless keyboard that tucks away under the unit, plus a wireless laser mouse and a remote control.
The unit's many extras include an integrated 1.3-megapixel webcam; a microphone; a dual-slot, multiformat memory-card reader; analog and over-the-air digital TV tuners; Bluetooth, 802.11a/b/g wireless, and Gigabit Ethernet connectivity; a slot-loading DVD burner with LightScribe label etching and dedicated playback buttons. The front-accessible DVD burner and memory card slots are mounted in the base below the screen.
Also up front, beneath a flip-down door, are two USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 400 port, a headphone jack, and S-Video and left-right analog audio inputs. Still more ports occupy the side of the unit (for coaxial television and audio/video connections) and
Free Insider GuideCopyright © 1994 - 2012 Computerworld Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Computerworld Inc. is prohibited. Computerworld and Computerworld.com and the respective logos are trademarks of International Data Group Inc.
