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Touchscreen Computing: Gateway ZX4931 And HP TouchSmart 310

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Have you ever looked to a future without keyboards and mice? Today we review two PCs that not only integrate everything, including their screens, into one enclosure, but also include touchscreens. Best of all, both models sell for less than $700.

Out Of Box LCD Performance: Brightness And Contrast Ratio

In their default state, the ZX4931 and TouchSmart 310 produce contrast ratios worse than many cheap 23" TN-based LCDs. This is mainly because neither touchscreen is able to achieve true black. White luminance is mediocre. But combine that with poor black performance and you get low contrast ratios. 

Compared to other LCDs, both of these touchscreens default to a slightly warmer color temperature. Most people favor images in cooler temperatures (~6500 K), so this can be an indicator of a poor-quality panel. Oftentimes, manufacturers will settle for a lower color temperature because they can't achieve 6500 K without sacrificing luminance or contrast.

Most DVDs, digital cameras, and online videos are calibrated for a 6500 K white point, because this represents the spectrum you would see in overcast daylight. So, if you want a balanced image, you'll need to calibrate the display to 6500 K.

17 Comments Comment from the forums
  • compton 12 May 2011 11:31
    This article was worth what I can only assume was a torturous trip to Best Buy. But curiously, I'm not thinking about all in ones, but rather touch screens. Dell makes an eIPS panel with a touch screen for not a ridiculous sum of money. I've been considering it for a foray into touch screen computing on my desktop where I have the juice to do it right.

    Toms strikes another blow against boring reviews. Good job.
    Reply
  • flong 12 May 2011 13:00
    Interesting subject - could this really be the computer's future? I don't think that the keypad will be replaced until voice control is more mature.
    Reply
  • 12 May 2011 13:39
    Voice control is not the future; it's been around forever. Until computers can think, you can't talk to them.

    In reference to the article, while desktop DIY rigs are definitely orientated to serve a central purpose, these all-in-ones are just as purpose built to serve an environment. (eg kitchen, living area)

    Make touchscreens more seamless. By seamless I mean cheap. Where is the touch screen film I can just roll over whatever I want? How about a coffee table that recognizes my devices and my Heineken?
    Reply
  • flong 12 May 2011 14:49
    Voice control has been around forever - duh. Brilliant observation. And while we are making observations, there is at least one computer you can talk to, IBM's Watson, which won jeopardy. Quality voice control is just coming into being.

    What I meant was that until we have better voice control / input, a keypad will be necessary because typing on a vertical touchscreen, which is obviously awkward, would not suffice to do say a high school homework assignment.

    Even with better voice input there may be some physical interface like a mouse. Right now cutting edge voice control for consumers is what we find with Ford's "Sync." But that would not work for a work station.

    Touch screens like the Ipad have their strengths but nobody thinks they will replace computers with keyboards (nettops excepted).

    However, if we have a "Watson" interface where we can provide input via voice control: that is the future of computers. With Watson you could virtually ask it to do any function, search any website or dictate a spreadsheet to it. Per your example, you could ask Watson to make your coffee and then put the morning newspaper on the built-in LCD coffee table viewer, turn the AC down to 75 degrees and find out what traffic is for the morning commute and it would be cable of doing all these things with voice input only. Bill Gates's home has many of these functions without an AI interface.
    Reply
  • 12 May 2011 18:53
    I hate touch screens, bringing it to the PC just annoys me, I dont want to touch my screen, do not see a use for it...

    The next step forward is voice control that works!
    Reply
  • cknobman 12 May 2011 20:52
    This article is one of the worst I have ever seen on Toms Hardware. It seems rushed, is missing tons of relevant information, and basically skims over the most important features of a touchscreen computer.
    Reply
  • 12 May 2011 20:55
    On the HP display ... is it 20" and ??? as on the lead page or is it 23" and 1600x900 as on the Display Spec page ? Because HP says it's 20" and a 1080P display for the 310 series.
    Reply
  • molo9000 12 May 2011 22:45
    Touch screens on desktops are an ergonomical nightmare

    Just point your finger at your display for a while. Your arm will start hurting after about 2 minutes.
    Reply
  • acku 12 May 2011 22:52
    MacTheKnifeOn the HP display ... is it 20" and ??? as on the lead page or is it 23" and 1600x900 as on the Display Spec page ? Because HP says it's 20" and a 1080P display for the 310 series.
    Fixed!
    Reply
  • acku 12 May 2011 22:56
    cknobmanThis article is one of the worst I have ever seen on Toms Hardware. It seems rushed, is missing tons of relevant information, and basically skims over the most important features of a touchscreen computer.
    If you want to see something specifically please let us know. If there is one thing missing, it's more discussion on software/touchscreen demos, but we provided these as videos. And, as this is Tom's Hardware not Tom's software, we wanted to focus on the hardware.
    Reply