The Best Touchscreen Desktops in 2012

Best New Launches in 2012?

• The Samsung Series 9 900A7A has a 27 inch Screen and Core i7 Processor. Enough to satisfy serious gamers.
• Vizio are offering style conscious users an elegant alternative to their already successful Smart TVs.

Details below.

While Windows 7 offers touchscreen support, Windows 8 will have an interface begging for touch.

2012 is going to be the year that touchscreen computers become very desirable and desktops come out of their cluttered corners to take center stage.

All in One Computers

Most all-in-one computers have touchscreens as standard and these kinds of computer are the main focus of this page.

A full sized keyboard and screen plus real computing power (without the ugly factor) has to be appealing...

Touchscreen Monitors

Any desktop with Windows 7 can be hooked up to a touchscreen monitor. These have not been especially popular but Windows 8 could change all that.

For Families

Kids love touchscreens. Even three and four year olds can find the things the things that they want. Photos, games and movies are available at the touch of a button.

At the same time, the better models will run the most demanding applications for the grown ups.

As the computer using population ages, touchscreens will become even more appealing. A mouse and keyboard can be challenging for anyone with arthritis.

If you have a tech-phobic senior as a regular visitor, this might just be the way to bring them into the modern world.

Mac or Windows?

Apple will tell you that the iMac is the ultimate all-in-one desktop. Unfortunately, there is no touchscreen and this has left many Apple fans disappointed.

For Business

Touchscreen desktops are a great benefit to businesses that want to show customers products or services quickly and effectively without needing to compromise that all important personal interaction.

For the Design Conscious

Vizio are one company that have seen the potential of all-in-one touchscreen computers. They are entering the market later in 2012 with some very stylish designs.

In fact, Vizio might prompt Apple to offer touchscreen iMacs before too long.

The Samsung Series 9 desktop is a new arrival and a thing curvy, asymmetric of beauty.

Windows 8

If you have ever used a Windows phone with the Metro interface, you can understand what Windows 8 will bring to touchscreen computers. Microsoft are integrating the best features of their desktop and mobile software to produce an operating system suited to every platform.

This means Metro style tiles, gesture recognition and pinnable apps on desktops. You will be able to switch from a touchscreen optimized display with easy access to favorite apps to the more traditional desktop.

TechRadar takes an in depth look at Window 8 features here: techradar.com/windows-8

Touchscreen Apps

There are already plenty of Windows 7 touchscreen apps and individual manufacturers like Dell and HP offer their own. Windows 8 is already accelerating app development.

Some favorite Windows 7 apps include Corel's Paint it Touch and Microsoft's Surface Collage.

The most popular entertainment apps are Hulu, Netflix, Twitter and Rhapsody. Twitter apps are easier to find than Facebook Apps but I am guessing that will be fixed with Windows 8.

Key Features of a Great Touchscreen Desktop

The best all in one touchscreen desktops offer:

Tilting screens. Fixed angle screens force you to adjust to them. Screens that tilt from upright to almost flat are much easier to use. They are also more sociable- you are not walled off from the world by the screen.

LCD screens: tilt a cheap monitor and the color and details wash out. LCD screens can be viewed from wide angles without losing their sharpness. LCD screens with LED back lighting are more environmentally friendly.

Strong construction. If your touchscreen bounces and vibrates when you tap it, you will have problems. Recent Asus models are notorious for this problem.

Processors Intel Core i3 are fine for most home use. Core i5 processors are better for games and very heavy graphics use. The newest games will need an Core i7.

Single core AMD processors are the most economical option and can make for an enjoyable family computer where simple games, photo-viewing and movie watching are most important.

Gesture Controls Something like the HP TouchSmart offers pinch, rotate, arc, flick, press and drag controls. This means fast navigation (and fun!)

Connectivity: WiFi is the most important feature if you want a clutter free desktop. It is the best way to connect wirelessly to printers, smart phones and music players.

USB ports, HDMI inputs and outputs, VGA inputs and eSATA ports are standard on better machines. Not everyone will want to use these but if you are looking for something that will be your main computer these are all essentials

Design: Manufacturers have realized that many users are attracted to all in one PC's as a something that can be brought into the main living space of a home, rather than consigned to an office or spare room. Industrial, curvy or funky? Some of these machines are a thing of beauty. Some are just for the kids.

3D Only the recently announced Samsung Series 9 Desktop is offering 3D in 2012, so far.

Wireless Keyboard and Mouse: quality, lag-free wireless connectivity makes for happy users. Equally important are comfortable keyboards. This is not a laptop! Banana fingers are catered for too.

Also desirable- discrete quality graphics card for gamers. a TV tuner, Beats audio or a quality sound card, a big fast hard drive (say 1 TB) and a Blu-ray drive as well as the normal DVD drive.

The TouchSmart Range from HP

HP have probably done more than any other manufacturer to make all in one touchscreens PC;s popular. HP routinely win the top awards and users are enthusiastic.

A Core i3 model with a 20 inch screen starts at around $600. The top Core i7 powered TouchSmart with a 23 inch screen starts at around $1400.

Spec for the top notch HP TouchSmart 610 Quad series:

• A 23" Full HD widescreen
• Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
• TV tuner
• DVD drive
• Blu-ray player
• 6 in 1 media card reader
• A tiltable base
• A wall mounting option
• A built-in webcam and microphone
• Beats audio and good quality speakers

More details here: hp.com/united-states touchsmart610.html

Dell Inspiron Range

The top Inspiron One 2320 all in one desktops offer Intel's Core i7 processors for between $1300 and $1500. There are AMD powered machines for around $1000. This is good place to start looking at Dell's range: dell.com/us/p/inspiron-one-2320/pd

The older Dell Inspiron iO2305-3247MSL Inspiron is a bargain at the moment and offers a 23 inch LED screen with 1080p HD resolution. The 1.6 GHz AMD processor is not a powerhouse fit for serious gaming but there is 4 GB of RAM so multitasking and most programs will run smoothly.

Toshiba DX735-D3201 Under $1000 with a Fine Screen and Core i5 Processor

Toshiba offer a decent quality mid priced, all-in-one with an above average display.

The multi-touch. 23 inches HD screen and 1 TB hard drive will make this a good choice for movie collectors. WIFi, Bluetooth and USB 3 are built in.

There have been complaints about the keyboard slipping around but otherwise it is well liked.

You can find the full specification here: us.toshiba.com/all-in-one/DX730/DX735-D3201/

Sony VAIO VPC-L231FX/W

The Vaio all-in-one offers excellent connectivity with USB 3, HDMI-in and HDMI-out and all the wireless options.

The seamless glass display touchscreen is a nice feature and the plethora of (normally very expensive) multimedia software like Acid, Sound Forge and Vegas have made it appealing for film students and video hobbyists.

Asus EeeTop ET2410

February 2012 saw the launch of the latest Eee Top from Asus. It is a capable and well priced machine but not as rigid as anyone used to delivering heavy taps might like.

It offers an Intel Core i3 Processor, a good sized 23.6" HD LED Screen and 4GB of RAM. There is a DVD Drive but no Blu ray.

USB 3.0 will help with large file transfers.

All-In-One PCs by Vizio

Vizio make fine HDTV's and announced at the recent CES they are entering the All in One desktop market.

Sleek, classic (rather Apple-like) design is a major strength and Vizio is expecting these to occupy pride of place in design conscious living rooms

Top quality screens, well integrated entertainment options and large key, very comfortable keyboard add to the attractions.

HDMI, Bluetooth and Wifi provide connectivity.

There is no TV tuner as Vizio assert it is a rarely used feature.

Vizio All in One PC's should launch in April or May.

Samsung Series 9 900A7A 27 inch Screen and Core i7 Processor

The Series 9 900A7A is probably the most eagerly awaited touchscreen computer announced this year.

It is extremely stylish and will fit well in modern homes.

The ultra-slim 27-inch monitor and Core i7 processor makes it more than capable as a main PC.

There is 1TB hard drive a discrete (and potent) AMD Radeon HD 6730M graphics card, USB 3.0, Blu-ray and even 3D support.

It is likely to be expensive at well over two thousand dollars.