All-in-one PC is TV, media center and touchable

A single computer can replace several consumer electronic products. A computer can replace a television set, stereo system, telephone and of course still offer everything you get with a computer such as e-mail, Web access and more. But a computer typically takes up a lot of room and then there’s all those wires so you really don’t see them in rooms other than the den or a room that’s designated to be the home office.

But just the other day, my wife asked me if we could have a computer in the kitchen so she could look up recipes as well as just surfing around looking for stuff. The light came on when she also asked for a small TV in the kitchen as well. There’s a perfect spot in the kitchen for a TV and it’s already wired for a satellite box. I’ve found a flat, all-in-one computer that literally puts you in touch with everything.

The HP Pavilion IQ506 Touchsmart PC looks like a 22-inch diagonal, flat screen monitor. The thing is that the monitor IS the computer. Everything is built inside the screen. That includes the computer itself, a DVD drive, web camera, a TV tuner, WiFi 802.11n for the fastest wireless connections possible and lots more. The screen leans back and adjusts to the proper viewing angle with a touch. All of the controls are built into both sides of the screen that sports a nice wood panel finish. Besides the super-fast wireless ability, the rest of the wires are designed to come directly out of the back so that you can group them into one cable using one of those coiled cable wraps.

The keyboard and mouse are also wireless and the keyboard is designed to slide directly underneath the screen so it’s out of the way. There’s even an adjustable light underneath the screen so you can easily see the keys in the dark which is an interesting alternative to having a back-lit keyboard. But the thing about the keyboard is that you really don’t need it because the Touchsmart’s entire 22-inch screen is touch-sensitive. With the included Touchsmart software, you can control everything with your finger.

You really have to see the Touchsmart in operation to fully appreciate how the touch sensitivity works but I’ll give you some examples. All of your applications appear in a thumbnail menu. Just touch the browser icon to run it. The Touchsmart supports gestures so to browse back a page, you simply swipe your finger across the page to the left. To move forward, slide your finger from left to right across the page. The whole thing is very intuitive to use.

Also included is a hand-held remote control that can directly control your cable or satellite box via an infrared emitter. Watching a TV show is as easy as touching the screen. The included software lets you use the Touchsmart as a digital video recorder (DVR) so there’s no need for a TiVO, either. Just select the shows you want to record and the Touchsmart has got you covered. Want music to cook by? Just slide a CD into the slot or play directly from the mp3 player. Or tune into one of thousands of internet radio channels. You can load all of your digital photos via the Touchsmart’s flash memory reader. Just pop in your digital camera’s memory card and off-load the pictures making the Touchsmart a really nice digital picture frame when you’re not using it.

The HP Pavilion IQ506 Touchsmart ($1399) packs a 64-bit Intel Core 2 Duo, 4 gigabytes of memory and a 500 GB hard. All that simply means it’s really fast and holds a lot of stuff. Who knows? With one of these babies in the kitchen, you may find yourself cooking less and ordering your meals online!

To see a detailed video of the Touchsmart in action and more specifications, go to: http://www.compusa.com/go/IQ506.

XCraig Crossman is a national newspaper columnist writing about computers and technology. For more information, visit his Web site at www.computeramerica.com.

2008 McClatchy Tribune