When I first started up this 2,899 Dirham all-in-one PC I was a bit concerned since it took over 15 minutes before I arrived at a Windows desktop that I could use. Some of the blame for that, I guess, can be put on Microsoft for all the Windows Setup that was going on but then there was also Asus installing drivers for many minutes.
Going over the specifications briefly makes this sound like a netbook built-in to a big screen: Intel Atom Processor 1.66 GHz, 20 inch widescreen (1600 x 900 pixels) touchscreen with multitouch support, 2GB RAM, 500GB hard drive, Windows 7 Home Premium, DVD writer, etc. One interesting tidbit is that it has an HDMI input- yes, input, not output- so you can use it as a screen for something like an Xbox 360 or Playstation 3.
The netbook aspect also shows up in terms of performance, and this is where I’ll put in my biggest reservation with this computer: it’s too slow. Clearly the poor Atom processor is not enough to power everything that’s going on, and you have to wait for tasks to complete and the interface to update just long enough for it to be annoying. Perhaps my demands are high as someone who lives with this type of technology all day, every day, but Asus could have put more power in this PC.
Touch has already conquered the mobile market, but it’s coming in a big way to desktop computers as well. Apple hasn’t gone that way yet, but I’m sure they’re planning to. On the ET2010PNT, touch is responsive, and multitouch works as expected. It’s not as responsive as an iPhone, for example, but it’s perfectly adequate and will mean a new experience for web browsing, gaming and more.
To sum up the the Asus ET2010PNT is a good example of what desktop computers will increasingly become. It’s not as fast as it needs to be, but touch works fine and it’ll be a good contribution to your office, kitchen or living room. Although I wish that Apple would come up with a similar solution, I can see myself having something like this on my desk in the office.
This article was originally published in Khaleej Times.
