HP's TouchSmart All in One-- Upping the Ante for a Category

Building a great all-in-one computer is a much more difficult process than simply repackaging a notebook hull with a large screen and then stuffing every “wouldn’t it be nice” feature into the resulting desktop box.  The really good news is this: the all in one form factor is undergoing a renaissance now and hardware makers are paying close attention to what people want to and can do with new technologies.

            Apple has had the lead in this desktop category since it launched its new line of iMacs several years ago. But more recently the high flying iMac (which is available with screens as large as 24 inches) faces stiff competition from companies like Gateway and Dell, which are launching new all-in-ones which offer equivalent functionality but which also support integrated Personal Video Recording (PVR), a feature that an expensive option on Apple’s iMac line.

            But the latest entrant in this field, Hewlett Packard’s IQ775 TouchSmart PC fires a shot across Apple’s bow, while raising the table stakes needed to stay competitive in the all in one category.

            The “all-in” feature that wins the pot for IQ775 TouchSmart PC is its unique “touch interface” that lets you control programs and perform most features using your finger or the stylus that rests conveniently in its holder on top of the machine’s 19-inch screen.

            HP’s IQ775 come to the gaming table with a very robust configuration:  an AMD Turion 64 X2 dual core processor zipping along at a respectable 1.90 GHz, 2Gb of PC2-4200 of memory (but expandable to 4 GB of memory), a fast 7200 RPM 500GB hard disk drive, and a Nvidia GeForce Go 7600 graphics card to that drives a crisp 19-inch display.

            A 1.3Mpixel camera and array stereo microphones are built into the screen’s bezel. The audio on the IQ775 is first rate and this system comes with two 12-watt speakers but it will support six-speaker configurations such as those used in high end home theater applications.

            I really like how uniquely useable this system is. Setting it up and attaching to my home wireless network and cable TV took under five minutes. Once unpacked and plugged in I set about adjusting everything –including the viewing angle of this system’s 19-inch screen--so that it fits its my requirements precisely. The ability to position the components—system case, display and stowage tray for the keyboard enhances the IQ 775 TouchSmart’s functionality and ability to fit easily into any home, college dorm, or office.

            The use of a touch interface makes this one of the easiest to use systems I’ve ever seen. It’s so simple that I let my 90-year-old mother lose on the systems and grinned as she began playing solitaire. Eventually I got the system away from her long enough to finish testing it.  But not before I heard her asking me from her new quarters in the MaForbes addition to my house, “how do I record Gone With the Wind on this computer.”

            There are two approaches to PVR technology in desktop computers: it’s either built-in or the tuner can be added through the use of a separate controller. Of the two approaches, I prefer the one HP uses on it’s IQ775 TouchSmart PC—it’s built into the system.

            Although Apple gets the lion’s share of attention for gesture (read touch-based interfaces) it’s actually a relative newcomer to this interface technology, since HP has offered it since the days of its Touch monitors. Furthermore, gesture-based computing is sat the base of the Palm computing platform.

If you decide to buy this Windows Vista-based all in one, there is one addition I strongly recommend; the adding enough memory to bring the system up to at least 3GB (which improves both the performance of the operating system and the system’s overall performance.  Other than that, I can almost guarantee that if you buy n HP TouchSmart IQ 775, you’ll have a first tier computing experience.

            Now if I could just get this machine away from my Solitaire 90 year old mother.  –Jim Forbes m04/23/2008