Thread: HP TouchSmart IQ771 Desktop Pc

HP's latest offering is the first home desktop PC from a big brand to feature a touchscreen display. Its designers have gone to great efforts to change the way we connect, access and enjoy high-definition and personal digital content. At the centre ofa household it also allows you to leave stylus-written notes to family members and keep tabs on everyone's movements with its calendar.

But would you want the IQ771 at the centre of your household? It's definitely an ugly duckling in this high fashion company. Luckily, the 19in HD screen is bright ond fingertip navigation is dead easy, especially using HP's SmartCenter interface.



It's also well-equipped, featuring a built-in analogue and digital TV tuner, PVR functionality, Media Center remote and connectivity galore. Other specs are unexceptional (particularly the underpowered processor) but installing extra hard disk space is easy thanks to its HP Pocket Media Drive bay.

But do we really need the touchscreen. If the IQ771 dumped it in favour of a little more oomph and, say, a hi-def DVD drive, we'd probably be much more enamoured of it. It's an entertaining diversion but doesn't feel like the revolutionary step it wants to be.