| For quite a while now, the computer industry has | | | | There are a number of devices that are springing |
| been trying to bring computer technology into | | | | up to take advantage of this new found ability to |
| more and more different parts of the home. | | | | transmit video wirelessly in order to make it- |
| While the benefits to having access to a home | | | | along with other types of media- accessible |
| computer in every room of the house can be | | | | throughout the house. One of these devices is the |
| pretty obvious, consumers have largely rejected | | | | Touchsmart PC from Hewlett Packard. The |
| technology that would do such a thing. This can | | | | dominating feature of this device is a 19 inch |
| be best seen in the repeated pushes (and failures) | | | | touch screen with a 16:9 aspect ratio that will |
| by the computer industry to make the home | | | | detect touch and allow users to point directly to |
| computer part of the home entertainment | | | | the icons and menus that they want to access. In |
| system. In the past, these computers were | | | | a sense the entire screen is like a huge version of |
| basically designed to use the living room TV set, | | | | the pointer pad on a laptop computer. The |
| instead of a conventional computer monitor- to | | | | Touchsmart PC also comes with a separate |
| display their desktops and graphics. The home | | | | mouse and a keyboard that are stored beneath |
| stereo system would also act as the computer's | | | | the screen when not in use, but are both wireless |
| speakers, and the keyboard and mouse would | | | | to that they can be taken across the room to be |
| connect to the computer wirelessly. The general | | | | used. |
| idea was that the user of such a system would | | | | The main idea of the the Touchsmart PC is that it |
| be able to surf the Internet, write email, and get | | | | will be used in higher traffic areas of the house |
| work done all from the comfort of his or her | | | | like the kitchen. That way when members of the |
| favorite couch or easy chair. Unfortunately, the | | | | family are in the kitchen to cook or eat a meal |
| idea of making the PC part of the home | | | | they'll be able to quickly and easily access video, |
| entertainment center hasn't really caught on | | | | music, digital photos, or the Internet. Some of this |
| among mainstream consumers despite the | | | | media could be stored on the Touchsmart PC's |
| repeated efforts of the computer industry. | | | | hard drive, accessed from another computer's |
| Two technologies that are reaching their maturity | | | | hard drive (like possibly HP's media vault), or of |
| are likely to change this situation though. One is | | | | course the Internet. With a price tag of almost |
| the increasing capacity of computer systems to | | | | $1800 the Touchsmart PC may be a tough sell as |
| handle video and the other is the increasing | | | | a device for most families to buy just as a |
| capacity of networks to transmit the large | | | | convenience. |
| amounts of data that make up video. Wireless | | | | This type of machine, along with others like it that |
| home networks are already popular in many | | | | will surely be coming soon, will push the limits of |
| homes and new technology is making it | | | | how and where people will enjoy different types |
| increasingly feasible to transmit video over | | | | of media in their homes in the near future. |
| wireless networks. | | | | |