Touch Screen All-in-One PCs All the Rage at CES

HP, Asus, Shuttle, and MSI have all unveiled stylish new touch screen-capable all-in-one PCs at CES 2009.

HP is following up on the popularity of its classy line of consumer TouchSmart PCs with a rebadged version of its TouchSmart IQ504t geared towards kiosk-style use in places like schools and hotels.The new dx9000 TouchSmart Business PC starts at $1400, and has the same-sized 22-inch multitouch screen and built-in Webcam as the IQ504t, but adds a faster 2.26GHz Core 2 Duo P8400 CPU and greater support options.

Meanwhile, the Taiwanese trio of Asus, MSI and Shuttle all showcased new touch screen "Net Top" PCs that essentially repackage the specs of a netbook into an all-in-one desktop.

The Asus Eee Top (pictured at far top) runs Windows XP and features a 15.6-inch (1366 by 768) display, 802.11n Wi-Fi, plus a built-in 1.3Mp Webcam and speakers. Asus mentioned its 1.6GHz Atom processor, 1GB of RAM, 160GB hard disk and GMA950 graphics might also be upgraded by the time it launches in the US in February, for about $600.

Shuttle's X50 All-in-One has the same-sized screen and almost identical specs as the Eee Top, but adds a rear-stand that can be used to hang it on the wall, along with a dual-core Atom processor. Maybe that's what Asus was hinting at when it mentioned upgrades? The X50 is expected to launch in the second half of the year with a starting price of $500.

Finally, reports suggest that the 19-inch (1366 by 768) MSI Wind NetOn AE1901 will claim bragging rights as the first "Net Top" with a dual-core Atom processor when it goes on sale this month for $500. A $400 16-inch (1366 by 768) model and an $800 22-inch (1920 by 1080) version are expected to launch in February and March, respectively. Though final configurations weren't confirmed, it's likely that the NetOn line will run Windows Vista while internals won't be too different from MSI's Wind netbooks.

Also announced at CES: the super-sleek Lenovo IdeaCenter A600. The brilliant design alone makes it worth taking a look at, but the company may have missed the boat by forgoing a touch screen.

For our complete CES 2009 coverage, see our CES Topic Center.