HP goes all-in with multitouch computing with a bevy of new multitouch-enabled product announcements including three new consumer HP TouchSmart PCs, a new business oriented all-in-one touch-enabled PC, and the company’s first fully interactive 42 inch HD digital signage touch display. Here’s the complete breakdown of the new product announcements.

New Consumer HP TouchSmart PCs:

In the desktop PC front, HP announces new TouchSmart PC models spanning 20 and 23 inch widescreen systems. The new models include the HP TouchSmart 300 and the HP TouchSmart 600 – both of which feature:

• Supports either HD capable or HD widescreen display with a multitouch enabled screen
• Features exclusive “built-for-touch” applications including Hulu Desktop, touch-enabled Netflix app, Twitter app, Rhapsody app, Pandora Internet radio, TouchSmart RecipeBox, TouchSmart Live TV app, TouchSmart Canvas APp, and TouchSmart Link
• New swivel stand and tilt webcam
• Meets ENERGY STAR 5.0

The TouchSmart 300 will have a starting price of $899 and will be available on November 1st. The TouchSmart 600 will have a starting price of $1049 and will be available on October 22nd.

On the consumer mobile front, HP announces the multitouch-enabled TouchSmart tx2 notebook PC with features such as:

• Tablet PC capabilities
• Multitouch support within HP MediaSmart
• Features most of the same apps found on HP TouchSmart PCs as well as exclusive touch-enabled games and Corel Painter Sketch Pad
• Weighs 4.65 pounds
• 12.1 inch WGXA HD HP LED widescreen integrated touch-screen convertible display
• AMD Turion dual core processors
• Glossy HP Imprint finish with titanium color “Reaction” pattern
• Enjoy the notebook in three modes – PC, display, and tablet
• Rechargeable digital ink pen
• Starting price of $799 and available on October 22nd

Consumers aren’t the only ones to enjoy new HP multitouch-enabled products. The company announces the industry’s only full-featured, all-in-one multitouch-enabled business PC – the HP TouchSmart 9100 Business PC. Features include:

• Supports Intel Core 2 Duo processor
• Windows 7 Professional
• Up to 8GB of RAM
• Up to 500GB HDD or optional 64GB SSD
• NVIDIA GeForce G200 integrated graphics or upgrade to NVIDIA GeForce GT230 discrete graphics using Mobile Express Module (MXM) graphics slot
• Optional wall mount adapter attaches the PC to a VESA wall mount or a VESA compatible articulating arm
• Firewire output
• DVI output
• Optional wireless keyboard and mice
• Optional Blu-ray combo optical drive
• ENERGY STAR qualified and EPEAT Silver registered
• Starting price of $1299 and available in December

Finally, HP announces their first fully interactive 42 inch HD digital signage display – the HP LD4200tm. The display utilizes infrared technology to recognize multitouch gestures for on-screen interaction. Features include:

• 1920 x 1080 full HD resolution
• 178 x 178 degree viewing angle
• Designed to run 24/7 with low power usage
• MSRP of $2799 and will be available in December

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: HP, HP TouchSmart 300, HP TouchSmart 600, HP TouchSmart tx2, HP TouchSmart 9100, HP LD4200tm

Continuing our CES 2009 coverage tonight, our focus shifts to ASUS which had a fairly large booth in the South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center. While ASUS certainly carries products in a wide array of categories, it owes much of its success in 2008 to the Eee PC line of netbook PCs. Over at NetbookTech, we covered their latest announcements on the netbook front which basically boiled down to new tablet-style netbook systems – the 8.9 inch Eee PC T91 and 10 inch Eee PC T101.  You’ll also find a digital stills of their Eee PC product line here (and boy there are a lot of models now).

On the desktop front, ASUS introduced their first touch-enabled all-in-one PC – the Eee Top ET1602 – at CES 2009.  The system features an Intel Atom processor, a 15.6 inch touch-screen display, a built-in hard drive, and of course, Windows XP Home Edition.

The full specs include:

• 15.6 inch 16:9 widescreen touch-screen display
• Windows XP Home OS
• Intel Atom N270 processor
• Intel 945GSE + ICH7 chipset
• 1GB RAM
• 160GB SATAII 5400 RPM HDD
• Integrated graphics
• Gigabit Ethernet
• 802.11 n
• 4 watt stereo speakers
• SRS Premium Sound System
• HD audio chip
• 2 x USB 2.0 ports
• card reader
• 3 audio ports for 5.1 channel sound

Here are pictures of the ET1602. From the top (with the keyboard tucked away behind the panel):

A close-up of the customized ASUS user interface:

It certainly appears this will be the year of the inexpensive all-in-one PC. Sure would love to install Windows 7 on these machines!

Technorati Tags: ASUS Eee Top ET1602, CES 2009

Think Apple’s touchscreen display for the iPod is cool? Check out some of the latest technology coming down the road from Nokia. The company has been demo-ing their Haptikos touchscreen technology which provides tactile feedback to the user. With Haptikos, users not only get vibration feedback from the display, they get the sensation that they’re pressing and clicking on buttons. According to Roope Takala, Senior Program Manager at Nokia’s Research Labs, “We inserted two small piezo sensor pads under the screen and engineered in a 0.1mm movement in the screen itself. What’s taken the time has been fine tuning the movement and response to mimic exactly the sensation of pressing a real key.”

So when can you expect to see Nokia’s Haptikos technology? Well according to DailyTech, you might very well see Haptikos in the upcoming Nokia S60 phone.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Nokia, Haptikos, technology