IdHp.net – Style And Gadget

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By Simon Williams via reghardware.co.uk

Review As the world swings inexorably away from Desktop PCs towards notebooks, netbooks and PMPs, the PC has to adapt or die. One way to go, as Packard Bell would have it, is the touchscreen media PC. It follows the iMac paradigm that the whole thing should be built into the back of a large-format LCD screen.

A nice touch? PackBell’s oneTwo M includes a Freeview tuner

The concept of a media PC, for use in a living room or study/bedroom isn’t new and integrated computers built into LCD screens have been around a while now, but Packard Bell’s oneTwo machines have two extras to set them apart, namely, a touchscreen with support for Microsoft Surface apps, and a built-in Freeview DVB-T tuner.

There are two oneTwo models: M for the Medium 20in screen dual core CPU and L for Large 23in model with a quad core chip. The L version supports a full 1080i HD resolution, but the M, reviewed here, has to make do with a 1600 by 900 widescreen. Both models include wireless keyboard, mouse and remote, so they can be used as conventional large-screen desktops, as well as media centres.

The case of the oneTwo M is all gloss black plastic, apart from an insert of clear acrylic between the two case halves, which extends down to form the front feet of the device. On the back panel are sockets for Ethernet, TV tuner and line out, as well as four USBs, and there are a further two USBs on the left-hand edge. The right-hand edge offers a multi-format DVD rewriter, a 5-in-1 card reader, plus mic and headphone 3.5mm sockets. Read the rest of this entry »

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Review All-in-one PCs have been around for ages and it’s not hard to understand their appeal. They feature the wire-free tidiness of a laptop, combined with the big screen of a Desktop PC. The concept sustains many admirers, with Apple’s iMac range doing very well indeed with just such a form factor.

MSI’s Wind Top AE1900: touchscreen computing on Windows XP

Getting in on the act is MSI’s Wind Top AE1900. Appearing as a rather stylish widescreen monitor, the whole unit is set into a clear plastic surround, which forms a pair of feet at the front and at the top is a small silver 1.3Mp webcam.

A standard set of monitor control buttons fall easily beneath the fingers of your right hand, and it’s not until you look at the left hand side or rear of the unit that it gives away its true computer credentials at all. Tucked away to the left is a pair of USB ports, a card reader and a vertically mounted DVD Super Multi format drive. Read the rest of this entry »