It seems that 3D is still the thing to add to already passable consumer electronics this year. HP is adding 3D technology to their TouchSmart series of all-in-one computers starting next week.
Aside from the addition of 3D technology there is absolutely nothing new about the HP TouchSmart 620 3D. The guts of the machine include a Core i5 processor, 8GB of memory, the AMD Radeon HD 6650 graphics card, and 1.5TB of storage for $1900. Those are pretty reasonable specs for an all-in-one machine, right in line with what Apple offers for certain iMac configurations.
True to its name, the TouchSmart also includes a touch interface on screen, although the usefulness of that feature has always been debated. I’ve used one myself briefly and the touch interface always seemed really slow, but it’s not something you absolutely have to use.
What is new about the TouchSmart 620 3D is the actual 3D technology that will now be built into the computer. The screen will deliver 3D imaging via active shutter glasses technology, allowing users to view 3D movies or play games in 3D, if that’s their thing. The 620 will also include a 3D webcam, a nice touch. One pair of glasses will come with the 620, which also includes a HDTV tuner and a Blu-ray drive, making it a very capable media machine.
I could see this all-in-one being useful for PC users with serious space constraints, like college students. The only thing keeping it from being a complete solution for someone in a dorm room is the lack of HDMI, which would let this serve as a monitor for video game consoles.
It’s interesting that this announcement is coming so soon after HP did a complete flip-flop on whether or not they were selling off their PC business. Now that HP is sticking with PCs, hopefully the next update to the TouchSmart line will be more responsive touch controls.
Do you guys care about 3D on a PC? Let us know in the comments.
