Matthew Lentini

Toshiba has just released its first ever all-in-one PC, while Apple has recently upgraded its own tried-and-true iMac. These aren’t the only two PC packages on the market, so we’re looking at some of the latest and greatest in the all-in-one market (plus a little scoop on how to create your own mobile office).

Forget the large tower – an all-in-one puts the innards behind the monitor in one clean package – usually cheaper than you’d get in a typical all-out desktop set up. It’s not the most mobile experience, but multi-touch controls splayed across most touchscreen units gives that tablet feel and more control than the average desktop.

Apple iMac
$1399/$1949 | apple.com/au

The iMac has been a staple of the Apple range for a decade, blending simple beauty with functionality and performance – it’s essentially what an all-in-one is meant to be. The software is simple and typical of any other Mac, and runs smooth.

The tech giant’s new iMac All In One offering runs with the more powerful Intel Core i “Sandy Bridge” quad-core processors and 10Gbps Thunderbolt I/O data connections.

THUNDERBOLT & LIGHTNING: Not only is it an eye catcher, but everything on the screen will grab you at high def resolution (which is stretched beyond typical HD on the 27-inch model) with high picture quality and extra-wide viewing angles.

As before, the iMacs come in two screen sizes: 21.5 and 27 inches. Both now have quad-core i5 processors with an option to step up to Core i7 chips, with speeds up to 3.4GHz.

The 21.5-inch iMac has a single Thunderbolt port while the 27-inch model has two. The new models also have built-in HD cameras for making video calls using Apple’s FaceTime technology in high definition to other FaceTime equipped macs or standard def to iPod, iPad and iPhone.

TECH SPECS
OS: Mac OS X
CPU: Intel Core i5 or i7/4GB
RAM: 4GB
Graphics: Advanced AMD Radeon HD discrete graphics
Screen: 21.5in, 1920×1080/27 inch 2560 x 1440
Storage: 500GB/1TB hard drive

Toshiba DX1210
$1899 | toshiba.com.au

This high-powered, stylish device is Toshiba’s first all-in-one offering, and it isn’t a shy first appearance. Apart from top hardware, it houses handy features like facial recognition, in-built TV tuner and a USB sleep-and-charge function.

SMART, ON AND OFF: This clever package works on and off the field, with settings to charge USB devices while switched off and a function that turns the PC into a set of speakers while it sleeps.

Preloaded CyberLink PowerCinema brings the whole entertainment system together, while HDMI input and six USB ports and Blu-ray player give it the whole connectivity range. Audio is top quality with Onkyo speakers pushed out in Dolby. On top of that is Resolution+ technology that automatically converts standard definition to HD to make the most of the 21.5 inch screen.

TECH SPECS
OS: Windows 7
CPU: Intel Core i7 or i5
RAM: 6GB DDR3
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 3000
Screen: 21.5in
Storage: 1TB
Size: 531x190x405mm, 9kg

Asus Eee Top ET2400IGTS
$1899 | asus.com.au

This monster of an all-in-one system tops the range with the latest high-end processor, high-end RAM (and lots of it), multi-touch functionality on the touchscreen and a whole heap of storage to boot. Two USB 3.0 ports plus 4x 2.0 and HDMI input add the most current connectivity on the all-in-one market.

ULTIMATE IN MULTIMEDIA: Built-in Blu-ray reader on a 3D screen with Asus SonicMaster audio technology, all on a 1920 x 1080 resolution screen, makes this an audio-visual powerhouse to compliment your home cinema.

Touted as the first all-in-one PC that can be upgraded, you can top up RAM and other internal components via an opening on the back of the monitor – customising your PC is as simple as tinkering with the tower of an ordinary desktop PC.

TECH SPECS
OS: Windows 7
CPU: Intel Core i5-2400S
RAM: Up to 8GB DDR3
Graphics: AMD Radeon HD6470
Screen: 23.6in multi-touch screen, 1920×1080
Storage: 1TB
Size: 582x495x~50mm, <13kg

HP TouchSmart 610-1030a
$2699 | hp.com

This desktop goes up against the Asus for built-in power, with an Intel Core i7 processor, 8GB of DDR3 RAM and 2TB of storage in the boot. It’s also one hell of an entertainment hub with its stocked Blu-ray player, eight USB ports, audio line-out with a dedicated port for a sub, two separate headphone and two separate microphone jacks.

FEEL THE BEAT: HP has jumped onto the Beats marketing trail by tying the brand into their latest TouchSmart model. Only available on HP computers, Beats Audio ups the sound quality on laptops and PCs.

The screen is more malleable than most, reclining back to a 60-degree angle for a comfortable, personal computing experience.

High-end Beats audio output and a TV tuner in-built means you can enjoy your own movies and some live TV in the highest quality.

TECH SPECS
OS: Windows 7
CPU: Intel Core i7-870
RAM: 8GB DDR3
Graphics: ATI Radeon HD 5570
Screen: 23in
Storage: 2TB
Size: 58.5×10.3×45.1cm, 11.2kg

Dell Vostro 330
$899 | dell.com/au

Connectivity is right at home with Dell’s 7-in-1 media card reader, six USB ports, 2 megapixel webcam and HD audio speakers. The multi-touch widescreen display sits atop an Intel Core i3 or i5 processor and is designed to be strictly business, not featuring Dell’s multimedia launching utility or any other trial software of the like.

WORK THE WEBCAM: Security features include facial recognition software, letting you tailor control to your own handsome mug. The deal gets sweater with cyber threats protection.

A slew of business support utilities come in tow, and a removable rear cover allows the end-user to service their own product unlike most fixed-enclosure all-in-one PCs. Design-wise, it’s similar to the Inspiron One 2305, but the business professional angle sets it apart.

TECH SPECS
OS: Windows 7
CPU: Intel Core i5
RAM: 4GB DDR3
Graphics: 1024MB ATI Radeon HD5470, Integrated Intel HD
Screen: 23in, 1920×1080
Storage: 500GB
Size: 420x570x90mm, 8.95kg

Lenovo ThinkCentre M90z
$1939 | Lenovo.com/au

Lenovo pushes its business edge with Lenovo Enhanced Experience configuration that speeds boot up and shut down times. An onboard DisplayPort lets users increase their screen space by attaching a second monitor. The PC doubles as standalone monitor that can be used as a second screen for a ThinkPad laptop.

THINKING SMART: If you fork out an extra $300, you can pick up multi-touch control and an in-built camera on the same model, but it makes this a pretty pricey option.

A digital array of microphones aid voice clarity alongside noise suppression and echo cancelation, and a HD 2 megapixel webcam make for high quality video conferencing – physical buttons for sound and picture power make controlling these settings extra simple.

TECH SPECS
OS: Windows 7
CPU: 3.2GHz Intel Core i3-550 Processor
RAM: 2GB DDR3
Graphics: Integrated Intel
Screen: 1920×1080
Storage: 320GB

Operating a home business or working in the corporate world means you’re constantly on the go. You can’t take your all in one with you, but who needs a PC with wireless internet, smartphones and tablets?

Here are the five essentials for the office on the go:

WiFi Dongle
Virgin WiFi Modem
$ plan | virginmobile.com.au

A small device that houses a SIM card links up to three WiFi-enabled devices to the internet at once, so you can take the internet with you on your laptop, smartphone, or any other portable device you have with you on the run with a WiFi hotspot. It’s password protected just like your home router, so you’ll be mobile but protected.

Smartphone
Motorola Atrix
$840 | Motorola.com

This dual-core smartphone boasts PC power in a small phone package. Webtop, a web-based application used with optional docks, mobilises the office desktop in a device that’s smaller than any tablet PC on the market. It doubles as a miniature laptop, in-car navigation and entertainment centre. Custom widgets display as much (or little) info as suits.

Storage
Hitachi Portable Drive
$94.50 | hitachi.com.au

Designed sleek for portability and fast with USB 3.0 inter-face, the Hitachi Touro Mobil Pro is a 500GB storage device tailored to the mobile user. Better yet, cloud access to all backed up data means you don’t even need the portable hard drive with you to access your data on a notebook, smart-phone, tablet, or any other device with an internet connection.

Tablet
Apple iPad 2
$579 | apple.com/au

With intuitive controls, a wealth of apps, slim build and a healthy ten hours of battery life, the latest iPad makes for a lightweight, long lasting and functional addition to the mobile office. While not fit for any labour intensive jobs, it’ll tackle presentations, word processing and online interactions with ease – and just a little bit of style.

Recording
Livescribe Echo 4GB
From $259 | Livescribe.com.au

A computer in a pen? Making sharing, capturing and organisation simple, the Echo smartpen from Livescribe lets you record everything you hear and write. Giving clear recordings that can be replayed on the go, or transferred via a micro USB onto your desktop, it is available in two models, 4GB and 8GB, recording 400 or 800 hours.

Western Digital has upped the capacity of its media streaming internal hard drives to up to 3 TB, though the bigger sizes may not play nice with PCs.

The 3.5 inch AV-GP hard drives are aimed at the audio-visual market with a keen eye for storage space-intensive applications.

The AV-specific hard drives run fast and efficiently during high temperatures from continuous usage like with content streaming.

High read speeds and the reliability of 24X7 for optimal power consumption makes these drives run smooth while capturing up to 12 HD video streams simultaneously without overworking.

After 2.19 TB of storage, some operating systems like Windows XP stop supporting hard drives. 32-bit version of Vista and Windows 7 detect these larger drives as ‘secondary drives.’ In any case, it’d be a clever to check out WD’s white paper on the topic to see whether the extra-large drives are compatible with your PC or other AV devices.

The 2.5 TB version (WD25EURS) comes in at $199, while the 3 TB (WD30EURS) runs at $219.

The Acer C20 LED Pico Projector is a lightweight and compact projector, built into the frame the size of a mobile phone for content sharing on the go.

While other units have doubled up and put a camera and projector in one, Acer has focused solely on creating a projection hub with the C20.

The C20 features a Pico projector that displays images at 2000:1 contrast ratio at 16:9 format for widescreen picture at high quality, with an in-built speaker that can be plugged into external amplifiers for improved sound.

It features USB and HDMI connectivity for linking laptops and phones to the projector and can also access multimedia from microSD cards and flash drives.

The small unit (weighing in at 166 grams) has a battery life of two hours.

The Acer C20 Projector is currently retailing at $349 from Acer Computer Australia. The optional 15-inch screen comes in at $49.

Vodafone has grabbed the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1v for an exclusive preorder sale with its customers starting April 20.

Customers can order the 10.1 inch tablet that runs on Android’s Honeycomb from Vodafone next Wednesday with actual deliveries commencing from May 1. The official launch will commence on May 4.

While the pre-sale is a Vodafone exclusive the device itself is not locked to Vodafone’s network, though prepaid consumers will be looking at a minimum of $729 for 6GB of data from Vodafone over three months with the Galaxy Tab.

The device itself features a 10.1 inch capacitive touch screen with 1280×800 resolution, measuring up to 246 x 170 x 11mm and weighing just under 600 grams.

The black tablet also features front and rear-facing cameras, with an 8MP camera at the rear and a 2MP cam facing forward.

Vodafone is also offering 12 month and 24 month plans. For an upfront cost of $259, consumers can grab the Tab from $39 a month for 12 months with 1.5GB of data allowance, ranging up to $83 a month for 18GB.

Prices are similar on the 24 month plan, but only range up to 14GB per month at $73 dollars, but with no upfront cost.

Vodafone has similarly grabbed the new Galaxy Tab in Europe, with divisions like Vodafone Netherlands and Hungary putting the product up for preorder earlier this month.

The exclusive rights in those parts of Europe will only last three months.

Hanvon, one of China’s leading e-reader manufacturers, is displaying a range of new tablets and e-book readers that are still running on Windows 7 at CeBIT 2011 in Germany.

The IT industry trade show that is currently running in Germany is set to come to Australia on May 31 with companies like Hanvon displaying their products with Australian specs, prices and release dates.

Hanvon’s upcoming range of tablets and e-readers includes high-resolution e-book readers, tablets for design and education professionals, tablets that blend business and pleasure, tabs for the average consumer as well as biometric technology for high-tech enterprise.

The two e-book readers announced were the Hanvon 200dpi high-resolution WISEreader and the colour WISEreader. Each sports a 9.7 inch E INK screen and feature Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity.

The readers are controlled with an electromagnetic pen which may seem a little outdated for typical e-readers, though when sitting in an office setting is used mainly for commenting on, modifying and cutting from documents and books – more functionality than the typically mono-functioning e-reader.

On the professional side of tablets, Hanvon is showcasing the Art Master III and the SenTIP.

The Art Master III is a professional graphics tablet for the design professional or anyone who works with art and graphics. It features 2,048-level pressure sensitivity that employs more subtlety in thickness and intensity of lines for greater precision in painting and drawing.

Hanvon sees digital drawing as the inevitable future of animation, going so far as to say manual painting will gradually be replaced by digital technology.

On the education side is the SenTIP pen display which doubles as a graphics tablet and display. The SenTIP pushes tablet screen quality with an LED-backlit LCD screen with the similar graphics tab technology to the Art Master.

The sensitivity is halved from the Art Master since the detail intricacy isn’t as important on this model, running at 1,024-level pressure sensitivity.

Educational software including teaching aids is integrated into the unit that is intended to be used with displays like projectors for interactive demonstrations in the corporate and education world.

Tablets to go up against the rest of the general tablet market featuring the likes of the Motorola Xoom and Apple iPad include Hanvon’s Hpad and TouchPad, though running on Windows 7 with limited intuitive functionality compared to Android and iOS.

The Hpad is a high-end portable running on Android 2.2 that’s built for integration of business and pleasure across the office and leisure worlds.

The Hpad is 10.8mm thick, has built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and 3G connectivity, sports built-in dual cameras and comes with customised Office handwriting functions. These customised functions can also identify text, business cards, translations and human faces.

The TouchPad is another tablet from Hanvon that meshes business and consumer interests, with Hanvon marketing the product at businesspeople.

The tablet PC that was made with Microsoft and Intel cooperation is an 18mm thick unit that weighs in just shy of a kilogram. Under the hood is 2GB DDR2 RAM and a 250GB hard drive, with a screen that runs at 1024×600 resolution.

The TouchPad runs on Windows 7 and features USB, Audio in/out and mini HDMI connections.

Hanvon’s also putting its biometric facial recognition systems on show with the F710.

Lenovo is bringing its Think- line-up onto the desktop and into the office for 2011 with the ThinkStation E30 and ThinkCentre M81.

The E30 is an upgrade on last year’s E20 and features a selection of 2nd generation Intel Core processors alongside an Intel Xeon processor.