Matthew Elliott,
Section Editor
February 21, 2007
You'll still have to wait a few more days before you see them in stores or for sale online, but we've been lucky enough to sit down with a handful of Vista systems ahead of Microsoft's January 30 consumer release date. While most vendors are still putting the finishing touches on their refreshes and introductions, HP and Toshiba are the first two manufacturers to get us working units for review. And Shuttle just got us its latest home theater PC. HP served up a Pavilion tablet and a totally unique all-in-one desktop, while Toshiba's first Vista laptop is a beautifully crafted convertible tablet.
The HP and Toshiba models show off the new features you'll see from Vista-based systems. Both of HP's units, the Pavilion tx1000 and the TouchSmart PC IQ770, feature a touch screen that doesn't require an active stylus; any old ballpoint pen, or more simply your finger, will do. Toshiba's Portege R400 features a couple bits of unique laptop technology: an OLED status panel along the system's front edge (the Asus W5Fe on display at CES puts Vista's SideShow feature to even better use) and an LED-backlit LCD screen, which produces a bright screen and what we thought would be long battery life. (Sony's VAIO TX line also uses an LED-backlit LCD, and it proudly holds the CNET Labs record for longest-running laptop on a single charge.)
For its part, the Shuttle XPC X200M earns points for it attractive and slim chassis, an important consideration for a system bound for the living room. It also proves that a system of average specs--including a laptop processor, 1GB of memory, and integrated Intel graphics--can run Vista Home Premium with Aero and Flip 3D turned on. We wouldn't call it a dynamo from the scores it posted in the labs, but it'll run Vista with all the bells and whistles you'll want to show off to the person sitting next to you on the couch.
It's too early to make broad generalizations about Vista's effect on overall performance and, in the case of laptops, battery life, but we can say we expected the Toshiba Portege R400 to run longer and faster than it did. The HP systems fared a bit better in the Labs, but neither did much more than meet expectations. Once the floodgates open on January 30 and we begin to test more Vista-based systems, we'll begin to form an opinion on just how resource-intensive Vista is. What's more exciting than benchmark results, however, are the new forms that we'll see desktops and laptops take, not to mention new applications we'll see that will let you take advantage of all of Vista's new features. Stay tuned.
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| Review date | January 07, 2007 | January 22, 2007 |
| The Bottom Line | HP's new TouchSmart PC IQ770 is not as fast as Apple's iMac, nor does it have the same clean-lined elegance. It makes up for those problems with intuitive touch screen software you'll actually use and a comprehensive lineup of features. If you're looking for a home PC to organize your family's schedule, or serve up media in a kitchen or another small room, we know of no other system suited so well for the task. | Shuttle's updated supersmall home theater PC introduces a few new features to bring it inline with similar diminutive living room PCs. It also came to us with Windows Vista Home Premium. If you're in it for the looks (and you don't want HD video), you'll find a system to like here, but we think you'll be able to find more capable PCs on the market soon. |
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| Features | ||
| Graphics Controller | NVIDIA GeForce Go 7600 - 256 MB | PCI Express x16 - Intel GMA 950 |
| Storage Removable | None | None |
| TV Tuner Type | Digital and analog TV - ATSC - NTSC | Analog TV - NTSC |
| Optical Storage (2nd) | None | None |
| Floppy Drive | None | None |
| Storage Controller | Serial ATA | Serial ATA ( Serial ATA-300 ) |
| Type | Personal computer | Media center |
| Windows Vista Certification | Windows Vista Premium Ready | Info unavailable |
| Hard Drive (2nd) | - None | - None |
| Printer | None | None |
| Platform Technology | AMD LIVE! | Info unavailable |
| Optical Storage | DVD?RW (?R DL) / DVD-RAM with LightScribe Technology | DVD?RW (+R DL) |
| Manufacturer Warranty | 1 year warranty | 1 year warranty |
| RAM | 2 GB (installed) / 4 GB (max) - DDR2 SDRAM - PC2-4200 | 1 GB (installed) / 2 GB (max) - DDR2 SDRAM - 667 MHz - PC2-5300 |
| Hard Drive (3rd) | None | None |
| Cache Memory | 1 MB L2 cache | 2 MB L2 cache |
| Dimensions (WxDxH) | 21.8 in x 11.4 in x 18.9 in | 11.7 in x 8.3 in x 2.2 in |
| OS Provided | Vista Home Premium | Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium |
| Processor | 1 x AMD Turion 64 X2 mobile technology TL-52 / 1.6 GHz ( Dual-Core ) | 1 x Intel Core Duo T2300E / 1.66 GHz ( Dual-Core ) |
| Hard Drive | 1 x 320 GB - Standard - Serial ATA | 1 x 250 GB - Standard - Serial ATA-150 |
| Weight | 38.1 lbs | 6.4 lbs |
| Product Description | HP TouchSmart IQ770 - Turion 64 X2 mobile technology TL-52 1.6 GHz - 19 in TFT active matrix | Shuttle XPC mini X 200m - Core Duo T2300E 1.66 GHz |
| Voltage Required | Info unavailable | AC 120/230 V |
| Radio Tuner Type | FM radio | Info unavailable |
| Card Reader | 8 in 1 card reader | 4 in 1 card reader |
| Product Form Factor | All-in-one | Ultra small form factor |
| Communications | None | None |
| Audio Output | Sound card - 5.1 channel surround | Sound card - 7.1 channel surround |
| Cache Per Processor | 1 MB ( 2 x 512 KB ) | 2 MB |
| Monitor | LCD display - 19 in - TFT active matrix | None. |
| Localization | English / United States | Info unavailable |
| Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications |
| Buying choices |
This configuration is no longer available from HP. |
This product is available directly from the manufacturer's Web site. |
