Gateway One ZX4931 (ZX4931-31e)
Gateway's all-in-one PCs fall under the One ZX brand and come in two possible styles. In the case of the ZX4931, you get the style on the right in the above picture. This is the cheapest option available; but don't confuse style with price. Gateway uses both styles throughout its product line, and we're happy to point out that touchscreen technology is included on all One ZX PCs.
Similar to traditional picture frames, the ZX4931 sits upright thanks to a simple kickstand, but it has a tendency to retract to its original position due to a very high-tension spring. If you need a computer for a high-traffic location, this wouldn't be our first choice. Just bumping the table it sits on can cause the kickstand to retract slightly, and this causes the system to be more upright and front-heavy. It's not severe enough to make the system fall over, but we recommend that you place it on a stable surface. Low-friction surfaces like marble countertops don't work well with this kickstand.
On the left side of the unit, there is a slot CD tray and a flash card reader. One the right side, there are a couple of USB and audio ports.
Most of the connectivity is located behind an access panel. Notice that the LCD monitor isn't connected via an internal cable. Gateway uses an HDMI cable instead.
Gateway frames the ZX4931's glossy display against a black piano finish. The power button is centered below the display and inset in the middle of a stereo speaker system. Audio distribution is even, but the quality is nothing to gush about.
This isn't to say that Gateway's just cobbling together the cheapest parts it can find. The company clearly put lot of thought into daily use. For example, as soon as you turn the system on, you see a dim light emanate from just below the monitor. If you look carefully, the light comes from a dim LED strip just above the speakers, and it's intended to illuminate the keyboard. So, if you want to type in the dark, that's not a problem. However, there are very few options for customizing the display. The four buttons located in the bottom corner only allow you to change its brightness and keyboard illuminator.
Touchscreen
If you have the right hardware, you can make your current system a touchscreen-based configuration. However, Gateway's TouchPortal program is what sets this all-in-one apart. It's purposely designed with touchscreen functionality in mind. With a few simple finger gestures, you can browse the Web, view photos, and play videos. There are other touchscreen-oriented applications to explore, but Gateway doesn't provide much in the way of variety. There are a few additions to keep you entertained (like games), but for the most part, it's a fairly intuitive interface that sticks to the essentials.
Overall, the touchscreen's response is excellent. However, some functions, such as zoom, seem very slow. Of course, with a lower-end GPU like Intel's GMA X4500HD, this is to be expected. We created a video so that you can see for yourself.
If you need a bit of guidance, Gateway provides a series of tutorials on using the ZX4931. We posted all of those videos to our YouTube account. As a preview, you can watch the browser tutorial below.
