84 | MAXIMUMPC | HOLIDAY 08 | http://www.maximumpc.com
IN THE LAB^
REVIEWS OF THE LATEST HARDWARE AND SOFTWAREH
P’s TouchSmart line of all-in-one desk-
top computers has undergone quite a
transformation since we examined the
very fi rst model, the IQ770, nearly two years
ago. Not only is every change for the better,
but HP has managed to slash prices by several
hundred dollars.
The formfactor is the most obvious change
to the TouchSmart line: The IQ770 was like a
monitor stuck on top of a pizza box; the new
series looks like an oversize picture frame.
Apple, Dell, and Gateway have all taken this tack
with their all-in-one off erings, but HP’s engineers
also designed the TouchSmart like an easel. By
using three feet to support the computer, the
company was able to carry over the IQ770’s
handy keyboard garage concept (providing a
space below the CPU for keyboard storage), but
it’s impossible to casually adjust this display’s tilt
angle. We loved the fact that we could use the
IQ770 while either sitting or standing, but you
can’t stand in front of the IQ506 unless it’s on a
bar-height counter.
HP sells three preconfi gured TouchSmart
models. We reviewed the middle off ering—the
$1,500 IQ506t—which features a 22-inch touch-
screen, a 2.16GHz mobile Intel Core2 Duo CPU, a
discrete videocard, and a 500GB hard drive.
The TouchSmart achieves its impressively
thin profi le (it’s just three inches thick) by
using many components that were designed
for notebook PCs, including an external power
supply. This helps keep the rig cool and ex-
tremely quiet at the expense of performance,
at least when compared to a conventional
desktop rig. You need to fi nd a good hiding
place for that brick, too.
The TouchSmart’s main attractions, its touch
screen and the user interface associated with it,
have been radically improved. The screen
supports multi-touch gestures, for instance, and
the user interface can display an unlimited
number of tiles (which serve the same function
as shortcut icons in the Windows GUI). The sillythree-slot limit on user-created
tiles has also been eliminated. HP doesn’t
make much use of multi-touch features at this
point, though; you can use two fi ngers to resize
tiles, but that’s about it. HP got rid of the stylus,
but there’s no need to worry about fi ngerprints
smeared all over that huge LCD. The screen is
covered by a sheet of protective glass that the
documentation says can be cleaned with “typical
household glass cleaner.”
The keyboard is a vast improvement
over the one that shipped with the IQ770; it
feels very solid and delivers excellent tactile
feedback while being just a half-inch thick.
HP augmented the Analog Devices Sound-
Max HD-audio chip with signal-processing
soft ware from Sonic Focus to deliver much-
improved audio.The TouchSmart application soft ware is a
mixed bag: The music and video programs aren’t
terrible, but the photo editor is far too basic and
the calendar can’t synchronize with a smart-
phone (it will, however, automatically sync with
Windows Vista Calendar. Woo hoo!).
We’ll sum up by repeating what we said
about the fi rst-generation TouchSmart: It
would be a big mistake to make the IQ506t
your one-and-only PC: It’s just not power-
ful enough for gaming, heavy-duty photo or
video editing, or many other enthusiast appli-
cations. But it is an absolutely fabulous family
computer and media center. – M I C H A E L B R O W NHP TouchSmart IQ506t
Everything you could ask for in a second PC
+ -
VERDICT$1,500, http://www.hp.com8
Awesome touch
screen, tiny footprint,
excellent value.Too slow for hardcore
gaming; TouchSmart
applications are
weak.TUSHHP TOUCHSMART IQ506TTUSKSPECIFICATIONSA light bar
beneath the
IQ506t’s screen
and above the
speakers casts a
glow upon your
work surface.PROCESSOR 2.16GHz Intel Core2 Duo T5850
MOBO HP proprietary
RAM 4GB DDR2-667MHz (two 2GB sticks)
VIDEOCARD Nvidia GeForce 9300M GS HD AVerMedia A327 NTSC/ATSC TV tuner
DISPLAY 22-inch touchscreen
STORAGE 500MB (7,200rpm SATA 3Gb/s)
OPTICAL Slot-load SuperMulti DVD burner