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HP has solved my wife’s problem. She likes to keep one eye on the stove (figuratively) and one on her email. The laptops that we’ve used in the past just take up counterspace… plus, it’s just not as user friendly as it could be. My thought has always been to set up an LCD with some hack machine under the counter but, recently, a “touch screen” PC by HP caught my eye - the $1799 TouchSmart Desktop PC.

Let’s just get the specs out of the way because, although this machine is powerful, the unique value of the TouchSmart isn’t in the nuts and bolts. Features:

• 1.9GHz AMD Turion 64 X2 TL58 Sockets S1 Processor
• 2GB DDR2 SDRAM
• 8x DVD DL Slim Drive
• 802.11g Wireless
• 500GB/ 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive
• 19 Inch LCD Panel with Touchscreen Overlay and Stylus
• NVidia GeForce 6100

But it’s when you read the 5 star reviews that the TouchSmart PC shines. Three points in particular stand out:

• “the touch screen adds a new dimension which can make games more interesting and increases ones overall level of interactivity with the machine” - the ease of use brought by having a touch-based interface is obvious. Many people rave about how addictive it can be, saying “You will soon find that you are trying to touch every screen that you come to :)”
• “We… love the option of being able to watch and record tv with our computer.” - the built in NTSC TV Tuner puts the equivalent of a DVR on your countertop.
• “If you want a computer that doesn’t take up alot of space and is very fun to use, I couldn’t recommend this one higher.” - the small footprint is a big plus, since the TouchSmart Desktop PC only takes up a bit more space than the 19″ monitor itself. One reviewer adds “Not only did this machine get rid of my CPU, it replaced an external DVD burner, an external bluetooth USB hub as well as a card reader and speakers. I ended up with a lot of extra space at my desk.”

It’s clear that this is a computer that is far more focused on the tasks of entertainment and usability than the usual beige box. I will say that, in today’s market of $399 laptops and $299 desktops, the price of just under $1800 is a hard pill to swallow. What more can you say, though, than what one commenter contributed, “Best Computer out there for your money”. So take a look and think about this one for the person in your life with far too many things going on to be clutching at a mouse all day.

Think fast, what are two of the most important things in a desktop PC? RAM and drive space. Browsing our desktop systems page, I came across the Acer Aspire M3100-UD5200A Desktop PC for under $519.00. Big deal (you say) but check this out: it comes with 3 GB of RAM and a 1/2 TB hard drive. Incredible how inexpensive chips and storage have become… but I digress. The Acer Aspire M3100 could be an instant, low cost performer in any home office.

The specifications:

Acer AM3100 - MiniTower Desktop. AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core Processor x2 5200+ (2×1MB cache) 3GB (1/1/1) DDRII SDRAM, 500GB SATA 7200 RPM HDD, DVD+/- RW drive, ATI Radeon x1250 graphics solution, 9-in-1 card reader, parallel, RJ-45 Gigabit LAN, VGA, HDMI, FireWire (IEEE 1394), headphones, microphone, six audio, eight USB 2.0 (four front, four back), Windows Vista Home Premium, includes USB keyboard and mouse.

The pros: inexpensive, lots of RAM, drive space and 8 USB ports. The cons: the ATI graphics card is a bit of an underperformer and the price doesn’t include a monitor. Now that would be a deal… but monitors are a cheap add on, or something most nerds like me already have around.

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Home computers have now been on the market for around 20 years. As they’ve become more than just number-crunching machines, our requirement of them (as users) has grown from simple completion of tasks to integration into the fabric of our lives. Think of the ugly beige boxes you had to buy back in the 80s and 90s… then came the iMac, which started us down the path of “pretty” computers that looked nice on our desks. This trend has continued with computer system manufacturers like Alienware, who feature slick outer shells and light up interiors. But there are also those desktop systems that truly seek beauty in their design and simplicity in use. Enter the Sony VAIO VGC-LT17N All-In-One Desktop - a 4.5 star rated computer that’s as much a piece of art as it is a powerful computing platform.

Sony VAIO All-In-One

From first glance, you can tell this is more than just an ordinary box. The all in one design merges the motherboard into the beautiful 22-inch LCD screen. What results is a computer you can hang on your wall that looks like a nice picture frame when turned off. But will you ever turn it off? Since it includes an integrated TV tuner and remote, this system truly can become an all-in-one solution for your home or home office. In case you’re wondering, the wireless keyboard and mouse communicate with the main unit via Wi-Fi LAN, virtually eliminating ugly, hard wiring.

So what about the specs? The VGC-LT17N uses a 2.2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 processor with 4 MB L2 cache for power. This is complemented by a 320 GB hard drive, 2 GB installed RAM (with 4 GB max) and up to 358 MB of vRAM through the Intel GMA X3100 graphics card. There are five USB ports, 1 FireWire, 1 PCMCIAs slot and even a 56K modem if you feel like going old school. Being a Sony, it also features a multi-format Memory Stick reader, a Secure Digital memory card slot and support for Gigabit Ethernet wired networking built in. (Sony just loves those memory sticks…) It ships with Windows Vista Business which, honestly, appears to be the only reason why anyone who purchased the VAIO VGC-LT17N complained.

The reviews are excellent, with owners quoted as saying “flawless”, “easiest setup ever” and “absolutely the best” and freely giving 5 stars out of 5. Those who were skeptical were won over by the ease of setup and boot time, the beauty of the 22 inch screen and the overall execution of the all-in-one computing goal.

I’ve checked the price through our shopping system, which is $1,661.68 + FREE shipping. Since the total weight of this machine is around 35 lbs, I’d say the free shipping offer trumps the slightly-lower price seen when you search Google for the VAIO VGC-LT17N.

See Also:

• BizRate reviews
• ZDNet’s information on the VGC-LT1N
• Sony All-In-One info on Retrevo
• PCWorld’s pricing roundup

It’s hard to pass up a capable PC at under $250. The uses are almost endless: a print server, web server or thin client are just a few. Enter the refurbished eMachines T5082 - for just $249.00 USD, this box boasts a P4 3.0 GHz Processor, 512 MB DDR2 RAM (expandable to 2 GB) and a 160GB hard drive. Even at this low price, it comes with a licensed version of Vista Home Basic, a 16x DVDRW Multi-Format dual layer drive and 15-in-1 Digital Media Manager.

Take a look at the eMachines product summary and you’ll see this retails for $399, so it’s a good deal at $150 off. Browsing the web, CNET.com has a few user reviews of 8, 8 and 5 out of 10. Yahoo Tech gives it 4 out of 5 stars, so you know it’s a quality buy as well as a cheap one. An important note: for Windows Vista, 512MB is not much memory at all. I would definitely recommend upgrading for any serious application around your home or office.

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The low price of bundled desktop computers + LCD monitor continues to amaze me. Even what were formerly considered “high end” systems are now well below $2000. Take, for example, the Optima Gamer System with Intel® Dual Core Processor. The 3.6 Ghz Intel Pentium D “Dual Core” processor speaks for itself, but this powerful machine comes with a 19″ LCD flat panel monitor, 1GB DDR2 RAM, 300 GB Serial ATA hard drive, 8 USB ports & Windows XP Pro all for just $1,429.99. That’s new, my friend, not refurbished.

Interestingly, this system comes from Target, so you know you’re getting a good deal on a solid computer. For those in a hurry, the product usually ships in 2-3 days. The only “con” found for this deal? No solid reviews are available…

Technorati Tags: Optima Computers, Gamer System