Watch Out, Apple: HP Has The Magic Touch

That's because HP has done yeoman's work at integrating multitouch technology into its Windows 7-based PC platforms -- even before the soon-expected launch of its rumored touch-screen slate.

Take, for example, HP's TouchSmart 9100, an all-in-one desktop PC. It runs Windows 7 Professional 32-bit, and the evaluation unit came to the CRN Test Center lab with an Intel Core 2 Duo T6570 at 2.10GHz and 4 GB of RAM. It was built with a 300-GB HDD for storage. It scored a comparatively low 2,363 on Primate Labs' Geekbench 2 benchmarking software, but given all of the other functionality and strong points that's a misleading number.

HP has tightly integrated Microsoft Surface technology into a system with Windows 7. While few may be willing to pay $12,500 or more for a commercial Surface table unit, the $1,000 ballpark street pricing on the TouchSmart 9100 shows that HP has been able to drive the technology far down to the more mainstream market. Not only is the touch screen highly sensitive, but the glossy, 23-inch integrated display is bright and clear.

It also came with the following software and functions that are a big differentiatior vs. other desktops we've examined in the CRN Test Center lab:

Microsoft TouchPack for Windows 7: Based on the Microsoft Surface technology that the software giant unveiled almost three years ago, HP has preloaded the touch-based software into the TouchSmart 9100. It includes several applications, including Microsoft Surface Collage -- that provides for touch-based shuffling of photographs and images on the screen, as well as the ability to adjust size and order for viewing and drag them across the screen.

Paint: The longtime favorite Windows application takes on new life when finger-based touch is delivered to it, providing the ability to draw or manipulate images with your index finger -- even leave a signature that can be copied, pasted and applied to digital documents.

Pinch: Here, HP shines in bringing multitouch to the PC -- rather than just simple touch as many PC makers previously have delivered to market. Multitouch means the PC screen can process two touch commands at the same time, giving users the ability to "pinch" images or applications to resize them.

On-screen keyboard: This appears to make it easier to enter a URL into a browser, words into a document, or commands into an application without having to touch the physical, USB-connected keyboard. Because it's in the screen in front of you, it's not meant for typing entire documents (as, for example, is Apple's iPad on-screen keyboard) but it serves its purpose and is relatively simple to use.

Skype: Using the touch screen and Skype's PC-based touch pad, it was possible to dial phone numbers with your index finger exactly the same as you would dial on a real, touch-tone phone on your desk. We suspect that, at some point, some software developer will come up with a touch-screen rotary phone application for VoIP calls and, given what we've seen with the TouchSmart 9100, we're sure it will work well, too.

We found HP's implementation of multitouch and Windows 7 to be 99 percent great. In the display we viewed, on the upper-right-hand corner of the display (which is where you would try to "X" out of full-screen applications) the touch wasn't as sensitive and needed multiple attempts on occasion to close out of a program. Other than that, however, we found the screen to be just sensitive enough to the touch.

There are other nice features included in the TouchSmart 9100 as well. For one thing, it's beautifully and elegantly designed. The soundbar that is built beneath the display provides rich, crisp sound. The built-in Webcam and Webcam software allow users to work nicely and provide clear images and, with a tap, upload them to YouTube. The included HP TouchSmart software suite provides, for example, an interesting multitouch approach to tasks like simple photo editing (including touch-and-pinch cropping.) Another application in the software suite provides for simple touch-and-record video note-taking.

As with the iPad, HP's TouchSmart 9100 smashes expectations and has the potential to smash use models as well. The problem is that 20-plus years of PC use habits aren't easily broken when you sit down at a desktop (unlike with the iPad, where users expect a new experience). But the HP and Microsoft approach provides for content creation and traditional PC functionality while melding multitouch to the software. You don't have to jump into the pool all at once; you can dip your toe in and try some functionality and some multitouch Windows-based applications one at a time, until a comfort zone is reached.

Here is why HP will give Apple a run for its money with a slate and other PC products over the long haul: The company is able to serve both older and new use models -- past, present and future -- in one box and provide a bridge to newer technology that many need. HP has figured out a way to make it all work and, while the company hasn't begun to shake up the market like Apple appears to be doing, some would say there's value in stability, too.

On top of all that, HP has delivered a solid desktop PC in its own right, and one that the CRN Test Center can recommend. We anxiously await more multitouch products from the company.