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HP has included a custom suite of programs accessible through a full-screen launch pad to take advantage of the touch sensitive display. The suite includes a customised web browser, a simple photo editing program, a music and video player, as well as a calendar and notes program. A conventional wireless keyboard and mouse are also included for standard Windows programs.

We bagged an look at a pre-production unit. The music player program has a feature similar to the iPhone's Cover Flow view, where you can browse through your albums by swiping your finger along a virtual shelf full of album covers.The interface was generally

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responsive, but there was an occasional lag where it couldn't quite keep up with our finger movements.

Disappointingly, the new TouchSmart has minimal multi-touch capabilities so you can't, for example, zoom in and out of photos by pinching your fingers. According to HP software architect Richard Lawson, this is due to limitations in Windows Vista. HP plans to release updates and additions to its touch-sensitive programs approximately every six months. The company is also considering plans to allow third parties to develop touch-sensitive programs for the TouchSmart, but no details of when this would happen were available.

Like a photo frame, the TouchSmart has an easel-like stand so its angle can be tilted quite easily so it can be used almost like a notepad. It doesn't have a dedicated graphics card, instead relying on Intel's integrated GMA X3100 chip, but it does have a generous 4GB of RAM, a 320GB hard disk and a T5750 Core 2 Duo processor. Draft- N WiFi and Bluetooth are also built-in. A single, integratedTV tuner and remote are also included.

HP'sTouchSmart IQ504 will be available in the UK from late August. UK pricing has yet to be finalised, but it will cost around £1,120 including VAT.