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Video Feature: Hands-On with the HP TouchSmart IQ500 PC

Author	Andy Vandervell
Published	13th Jun 2008

Video Feature: Hands-On with the HP TouchSmart IQ500 PC

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So far, so good, and continuing the tour around the machine there are few more delights to be found on the right edge. Okay, so "delights" might not be the word, but a memory card reader, ExpressCard slot and a FireWire port are important additions nonetheless, as is the slot-loading DVD drive a little further back.

Right at the back are all the other connections and there are plenty of them. A further three USB ports bring the total to five, Gigabit Ethernet is present and there's a plethora of audio connections, including S/PDIF, 3.5mm audio out and in, a TV aerial input an infrared output and S-Video for video - though it's not entirely clear if this is an input or an output. Indeed, if one were being very picky the lack of other video outputs and/or inputs is a shame, though not unexpected given this is an all-in-one machine.

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Inside, HP has changed from using AMD to Intel for the chipset and CPU, in this case using GM965M Express and a 2.00GHz T5750 Core 2 Duo. This sits in the lower mid-range of the Intel's current mobile CPU line-up, with a 667MHz front side bus and 2MB L2 Cache. All the same it's perfectly capable for what's required here and HP has matched it with 4GB of RAM, a 7,200rpm 320GB HDD and 64-bit Windows Vista Premium.

Configuration does, however, vary depending on region. For example, we already know that the US will get some discrete graphics options, but as yet there's no confirmation for this in the UK. Instead, the TouchSmart is likely to launch with integrated Intel X3100 graphics, so you can forget about playing any serious games for now.

You will get Wireless-N Wi-Fi, though, which opens up the prospect of wireless transmission of HD content and you won't suffer any bottlenecks from the Gigabit Ethernet, either. All in all it's a reasonably balanced configuration and though the proposed £1,099 price is by no means cheap, you're getting a whole lot of functionality for the price and this brings me nicely onto the TouchSmart's true selling point, its custom user interface...

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Ian said on 27th June 2008

I have a home constructed touchscreen installed in my kitcchen. I thought hard about HP's first generation product last year but the design was a bit ugly to be fair. This sec... more

Webo said on 21st November 2008

This product could have been so great. instead it have a GIGANTIC error.

It's a completly reverse from HP. They launch the Smartmedia server EX475 for home users and that is a absolutely perfect product (when you upgrade memory and cpu) and the reason is that we should not worry about our files as they are protected and also the computers are protected. But the other reason for getting the Mediasmart WHS is to have alla the files in one place and not scattred all over on diffrent computers. That is such a good idea. one place for all and all can access and use the pictures, music, movies and so on. And i Vista you can change the path for pictures, music, movies and so on an point them to the shared folders on the Mediasmart server. Works great.

This is where HP has turned around. The Touchsmart program is only designed to use local files. You can't access files from other computers not Touchsmart program. You can access the files from Windows. So if you point your folder to a WHS then you can't access them from within Touchsmart.

There is a work around. You can install iTunes and use the iTune libary instead of the Touchsmart libary.

I have talked to the US support (chat) and they just say "we do no say that it work with media that is on other places than the Touchsmart pc. We have also not stated that in our commercials for Touchsmart PC's"

We as users have no idea that they go the oppersit way that their other produstc and ideas and also the normal standard that alla other are working from, that media should be shared and access from all products for media files.

It would be the same as Ferrari make a new model and call it F1 and everything is like all the others. Just one problem, when you start driving it's just able to drive in max 30 mph even if the speedometer say alot more.

What a huge blunder they have done. I just hope that we all help spreading this information so the buyers know what they buy and that the diffrent HP offices communicate so we don't ever see a problem like this again. they surely have to fix the problem fast if they want people to buy this product.

This product could have been so great. instead it have a GIGANTIC error.

It's a completly reverse from HP. They launch the Smartmedia server EX475 for home user... more

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