Introducing the new HP TouchSmart

One of the most exciting announcements today for touch enthusiasts has been the new HP TouchSmart IQ504 and IQ506 all-in-one consumer PCs. While these are not notebook computers, I certainly hope to see some of the innovation introduced in the new TouchSmarts available in a portable computer in the near future.

The TouchSmart uses a different digitizing interface – optical, not resistive or capacitive. I’m trying to get more information on exactly who supplies the digitizer because it appears to work very well. The key element, however, is not the hardware, elegant as it is. The key is the software. HP has designed a new user interface that runs on top of a standard Windows install that is easier to use and actually designed with touch in mind. This new UI makes the touch interface easy to use and intuitive.

I plan to post some video on the TouchSmart in action once I can get it uploaded.