All-in-one PCs are very convenient. The fixed standing position, though, makes it rather cumbersome for some uses. HP’s new pair of Touchsmart PCs changes that.
Instead of lifting up your arms to poke at the screen, you can now recline them up to a 60-degree angle, making way for wrist-friendlier multi-touch controls. You know, kinda like people have been doing with their iPads when paired with a dual-purpose case and stand.
The two new all-in-ones consist of the HP Touchsmart 610 and the HP Touchsmart 9300 Elite Business PC. Both feature a 23-inch full HD display (1920 x 1080 resolution) and the same reclining capability for increased comfort during extended use. According to HP, the touchscreen will offer optimal viewing angles even while reclined.
The 610 can be set up with your choice of either Intel or AMD desktop CPUs, up to 16GB of RAM, up to one terabyte of storage, an optional Blu-ray drive, a 1.3 megapixel webcam and Beats Audio onboard speakers. It comes with HP’s TouchSmart software layer on top of Windows 7, which offers finger-friendly access to Hulu, Netflix and Twitter apps, as well as other downloadables from the TouchSmart Apps Center.
Designed for business use, the 9300 drops the Beats Audio components, but crams in a higher-res 2.0 megapixel webcam, along with options to trade up for the latest Intel Sandy Bridge CPUs, a 160GB SSD (or up to 1TB HDD), up to 16GB of RAM and a Blu-ray drive. Since it’s meant to be used for enterprise applications and customer terminals (e.g. kiosks), the entertainment-centered software layer is also out.
Pricing for the HP Touchsmart 610 starts at $900, with release slated later this week. The HP Touchsmart 9300 Elite Business PC hasn’t been priced yet, but should be available beginning in May.
[HP]