HP TouchSmart IQ506 Desktop PC
[2008-7-16]
Tag : All In One LCD PC
If you didn't know any better, you'd mistake the slim, subtledesign of the TouchSmart for that of a handsome LCD TV. Walkinginto the PC World Test Center and seeing it for the first time, Ialmost did--and not because of the remote or the NTSC/ATSC tuner,which provides access to both analog and over-the-air HD signals.The colors pop on this display.
Like the Gateway One and waves of Apple iMacs , the TouchSmart IQ506 is all about elegance. I was hypnotized,staring at a beautiful-looking machine with a touchscreen--something the competition doesn't offer. This isn't HP'sfirst attempt at an all-in-one, either. However, thefirst-generation TouchSmart IQ770 more closely resembled a highly stylized desktop than it did adisplay. As much as it got right, a few things disappointed us backthen, namely its poky components and the fact that its 19-inchtouch screen would recognize only a single point. This time around, HP takes advantage of Windows Vista's ability torecognize two points of touch on the screen. Whether you want tozip around documents, enlarge images, or swipe your finger acrossthe display, using the IQ506 is a simple matter of on-screen fingermovements. It works just as the iPhone's screen does: You can pinchyour fingers together or push them apart to zoom in or out, forexample--you know the drill by now. You can even play some basicgames with the touch interface. I stabbed at the screen to movesolitaire cards around, and that worked smoothly, but my dreams ofplaying a first-person shooter using only my finger-of-death aren'tquite a reality yet.
The new TouchSmart PC pulls ahead of other recent all-in-ones withits ability to handle most productivity tasks easily. Itsconfiguration is reasonable, but since this model uses notebookcomponents, it lacks the processing oomph of competing valuedesktops. The model we tested came with a 2.16-GHz Core 2 Duo T5850Intel CPU, 4GB RAM, and a 500GB, 7200-rpm hard drive. TheTouchSmart sailed through some of our WorldBench 6tests--everything from Photoshop to media encoding ran smoother onthe TouchSmart than it did on the Gateway One, for example. On ourgaming tests, however, the TouchSmart's nVidia GeForce 9300M GSgraphics processor brought its performance down (the Gateway ranDoom 3 roughly two times faster, and the iMac did so two and a halftimes faster). The graphics results torpedoed the IQ506'sWorldBench 6 score, dragging it down to a mark of 79; the Gatewayhad received an 87. HP nailed the design aesthetic with the new TouchSmart: This modelwould look equally at home in your living room, bedroom, or office.It comes with five USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire port, gigabitethernet, a slot-loading DVD player, an S-Video input, and802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth built in. (I would have loved tosee an eSATA port for a high-speed external drive.) But it lackssome of the core inputs you might want for a home media hub, suchas component or HDMI input and a Blu-ray Disc burner.Unfortunately, you can't crack open the case and pop in upgrades--adrawback that prevents the TouchSmart from growing with you.
A serviceable wireless keyboard/mouse combo is included in the box.The system also comes with HP's excellent, touch-screen-enabledTouchSmart Software Suite. The media-centric software is easy touse and to customize, with mouse or fingers. Paying the $1500 price buys you a system with classy design, theversatility to handle everyday tasks, and the ability to do somelight multimedia lifting. It doesn't have enough power to deal withmore graphics-heavy activities. The TouchSmart is appropriate as asecond PC or as a lifestyle PC that fits into your living space,but as your primary system it may not do everything you want it todo.
If you didn't know any better, you'd mistake the slim, subtledesign of the TouchSmart for that of a handsome LCD TV. Walkinginto the PC World Test Center and seeing it for the first time, Ialmost did--and not because of the remote or the NTSC/ATSC tuner,which provides access to both analog and over-the-air HD signals.The colors pop on this display.
Like the Gateway One and waves of Apple iMacs , the TouchSmart IQ506 is all about elegance. I was hypnotized,staring at a beautiful-looking machine with a touchscreen--something the competition doesn't offer. This isn't HP'sfirst attempt at an all-in-one, either. However, thefirst-generation TouchSmart IQ770 more closely resembled a highly stylized desktop than it did adisplay. As much as it got right, a few things disappointed us backthen, namely its poky components and the fact that its 19-inchtouch screen would recognize only a single point. This time around, HP takes advantage of Windows Vista's ability torecognize two points of touch on the screen. Whether you want tozip around documents, enlarge images, or swipe your finger acrossthe display, using the IQ506 is a simple matter of on-screen fingermovements. It works just as the iPhone's screen does: You can pinchyour fingers together or push them apart to zoom in or out, forexample--you know the drill by now. You can even play some basicgames with the touch interface. I stabbed at the screen to movesolitaire cards around, and that worked smoothly, but my dreams ofplaying a first-person shooter using only my finger-of-death aren'tquite a reality yet.
The new TouchSmart PC pulls ahead of other recent all-in-ones withits ability to handle most productivity tasks easily. Itsconfiguration is reasonable, but since this model uses notebookcomponents, it lacks the processing oomph of competing valuedesktops. The model we tested came with a 2.16-GHz Core 2 Duo T5850Intel CPU, 4GB RAM, and a 500GB, 7200-rpm hard drive. TheTouchSmart sailed through some of our WorldBench 6tests--everything from Photoshop to media encoding ran smoother onthe TouchSmart than it did on the Gateway One, for example. On ourgaming tests, however, the TouchSmart's nVidia GeForce 9300M GSgraphics processor brought its performance down (the Gateway ranDoom 3 roughly two times faster, and the iMac did so two and a halftimes faster). The graphics results torpedoed the IQ506'sWorldBench 6 score, dragging it down to a mark of 79; the Gatewayhad received an 87. HP nailed the design aesthetic with the new TouchSmart: This modelwould look equally at home in your living room, bedroom, or office.It comes with five USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire port, gigabitethernet, a slot-loading DVD player, an S-Video input, and802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth built in. (I would have loved tosee an eSATA port for a high-speed external drive.) But it lackssome of the core inputs you might want for a home media hub, suchas component or HDMI input and a Blu-ray Disc burner.Unfortunately, you can't crack open the case and pop in upgrades--adrawback that prevents the TouchSmart from growing with you.
A serviceable wireless keyboard/mouse combo is included in the box.The system also comes with HP's excellent, touch-screen-enabledTouchSmart Software Suite. The media-centric software is easy touse and to customize, with mouse or fingers. Paying the $1500 price buys you a system with classy design, theversatility to handle everyday tasks, and the ability to do somelight multimedia lifting. It doesn't have enough power to deal withmore graphics-heavy activities. The TouchSmart is appropriate as asecond PC or as a lifestyle PC that fits into your living space,but as your primary system it may not do everything you want it todo.
Related News »
In Focus »
footwear exports
Last month, European footwear manufacturers proposed extending anti-dumping measures against ..
B2B Keywords:
International market Chinese Importer Wholesale trade Wholesale products World trade Wholesale distributors International trade Foreign trade Wholesale distributor Importers Import export business Sell online Help u sell Global trade How to market a product Online supplier Wholesale product
International market Chinese Importer Wholesale trade Wholesale products World trade Wholesale distributors International trade Foreign trade Wholesale distributor Importers Import export business Sell online Help u sell Global trade How to market a product Online supplier Wholesale product
Feature Products»
Hot Products: A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0-9
-
-
About Us -
Links -
Privacy Policy -
Terms of Use -
Site Map -
Contact Us -
Call Center: 0086-95105561 © 2007 Tootoo.com -
