HP TouchSmart 300 Review
HP’s latest touchscreen PC is the best family-oriented computer we’ve ever encountered.
Buy it Now:
Highs: Awesome touchscreen display and user interface; TouchSmart versions of Netflix, Hulu, and Pandora; can be wall mounted
Lows: Integrated graphics; voice-recognition needs work; not designed for demanding applications
The HP TouchSmart 300 gets an Editor's Choice Award in our review for ease of use and value.
Introduction
HP’s third-generation TouchSmart PC lineup, represented here by the TouchSmart 300, is the best family-friendly computer we’ve laid our fingers on. The company’s TouchSmart interface is better than ever and its engineers have begun to expand the computer’s repertoire to include voice commands.
Features and Design
The touchscreen interface has always been this system’s biggest attraction, but after long-term testing (with both the first- and second-generation machines), we’ve always experienced enough of a disconnect between it and frequently used applications—especially Windows Media Center and any Web browser—that we’ve found ourselves ignoring the TouchSmart and relying primarily on the mouse and keyboard. We don’t think that will be an issue with this machine.
TouchSmart
TouchSmart still resides on top of the primary operating system, but now that the underlying OS is Windows 7—which has touchscreen features of its own—HP’s user interface feels much more integrated and less bolted-on than it ever did with Vista. HP also has come up with its own touch-optimized Web browser and TV-tuner software and Netflix, Hulu, and Pandora clients so you don’t need to step out of the TouchSmart environment to access these popular applications.
Voice Recognition
The TouchSmart’s voice-recognition features are in the earliest stages of development and appear in only a couple of the TouchSmart applications. We had mixed success using them, but programs such as HP’s Recipe Box show great promise. Don a Bluetooth headset, and you can instruct the program to read recipe ingredients and instructions aloud step by step without having to touch the screen or keyboard. Recipe Box can even download new recipes from your favorite websites and reformat them to fits its own interface.
Design and Connectivity
The second-generation TouchSmart series was much more attractive than the original machine, and the TouchSmart 300 looks pretty much the same. HP has added some mechanical improvements, though. The manufacturer added a pivot point to the rear stand, for instance, which makes it easier to turn the display left or right. The bezel-mounted webcam also pivots up and down. There’s a volume control; a media card reader; line-level audio input (for connecting an MP3 player); and a headphone jack on one side, and two USB ports and a slot-feed DVD burner on the other. There’s a gigabit LAN port, three additional USB ports, TV tuner, and A/V inputs in back. HP managed to integrate the power supply inside the case, which eliminates the bulky power brick used in previous TouchSmart models.
Features and Specs
The biggest drawback to an all-in-one PC like the TouchSmart is that you can’t do much to add to its capabilities. Fortunately, HP has included just about every feature you could want: There’s an integrated TV tuner, 4GB of DDR3 memory, and both Bluetooth and an 802.11b/g/n adapter for wireless networking. If you manage to fill the 640GB hard drive, you can add external storage via one of the USB ports (or add network-attached storage or a server). If the built-in speakers aren’t loud enough for you, you can also tack on external powered speakers or plug the system into an A/V receiver via the coaxial S/PDIF. HP even includes an infrared emitter so you can control an external set-top box and record TV programs on the computer’s hard drive.
Conclusion
HP tapped AMD’s dual-core Athlon II X2 240e processor, which runs at 2.8GHz, and coupled it with AMD’s RS780MN chipset, which includes AMD’s Radeon HD 3200 graphics processor. The integrated GPU has 128MB of dedicated memory and can access the system’s main memory if it needs more. The 20-inch widescreen display has a native resolution of 1600×900. Given these specs, hardcore gamers will laugh at the TouchSmart 300’s CPU and graphics capabilities, but HP’s component choices deliver plenty of power for mainstream applications. Bottom line: The TouchSmart 300 is an excellent value.
Pros:
• Excellent touchscreen
• Well integrated with Windows 7
• Loaded with features
• Touch-optimized versions of Netflix, Pandora, and Hulu
Cons:
• Integrated graphics
• Voice-recognition feature needs work
• Not suited to hardcore gaming
By: John
November 16, 2009 @ 7:01 PM
Your review has confirmed what I already thought , that the HP Touchsmart 300 is a fantastic value and has more than enough power and features for most folks . I ordered mine last Friday here in Japan where HP manufactures their computers in Tokyo .
By: John
November 16, 2009 @ 7:01 PM
Your review has confirmed what I already thought , that the HP Touchsmart 300 is a fantastic value and has more than enough power and features for most folks . I ordered mine last Friday here in Japan where HP manufactures their computers in Tokyo .
By: Sean_John
November 16, 2009 @ 9:57 PM
No Blu-Ray option on that slot loading drive? I read through and it wasn,t mentioned. It'd be nice to have a blu-ray option on that screen.
Butr would it be able to handle blu-ray? I have a USB blu-ray drive I'd like to use with this.
Let's hope so. I'm planning to get one of these for my living room area.
By: Sean_John
November 16, 2009 @ 9:57 PM
No Blu-Ray option on that slot loading drive? I read through and it wasn't mentioned. It'd be nice to have a blu-ray option on that screen.
Butr would it be able to handle blu-ray? I have a USB blu-ray drive I'd like to use with this.
Let's hope so. I'm planning to get one of these for my living room area.
By: dang
November 16, 2009 @ 10:26 PM
if you have an external blu-ray drive, then all you need are the drivers that come with it. Support for blu-ray is literally up to the blu-ray drive itself, not the computer you hook it up to.
By: dang
November 16, 2009 @ 10:26 PM
if you have an external blu-ray drive, then all you need are the drivers that come with it. Support for blu-ray is literally up to the blu-ray drive itself, not the computer you hook it up to.
By: Tim
November 18, 2009 @ 6:21 PM
Is there A/V output? Everything sounds great, but I want the versatility to be able to run movies off the computer onto my flatscreen.
By: Tim
November 18, 2009 @ 6:21 PM
Is there A/V output? Everything sounds great, but I want the versatility to be able to run movies off the computer onto my flatscreen.
By: boodog1021
November 24, 2009 @ 3:04 AM
There is no av output that I can see like the previous models (SVGA) just spdif ?. It looks cool, but I tried running my sprint card with updated software and it did not work on both touchscreen 300 that I have. The same card is working on this machine HP model p6203w bought at the same time but not a touchscreen. I think it could be a hard drive isssue. I'll be contacting HP. Let you know with more info later. JC
By: boodog1021
November 24, 2009 @ 3:04 AM
There is no av output that I can see like the previous models (SVGA) just spdif ?. It looks cool, but I tried running my sprint card with updated software and it did not work on both touchscreen 300 that I have. The same card is working on this machine HP model p6203w bought at the same time but not a touchscreen. I think it could be a hard drive isssue. I'll be contacting HP. Let you know with more info later. JC
By: Al
December 5, 2009 @ 11:31 PM
“Support for blu-ray is literally up to the blu-ray drive itself, not the computer you hook it up to.”
But can the computer handle blu-ray playback?
By: Al
December 5, 2009 @ 11:31 PM
“Support for blu-ray is literally up to the blu-ray drive itself, not the computer you hook it up to.”
But can the computer handle blu-ray playback?
By: dang
December 6, 2009 @ 10:39 PM
The only thing stopping you at that point is resolution. If your computer is “recent”, I don't see why it wouldn't.
Can your computer playback MPEG movies? It doesn't take much in terms of computer hardware to playback movies.
The only downside, on many computers, is if they support native 1080p resolution.
By: dang
December 6, 2009 @ 10:39 PM
The only thing stopping you at that point is resolution. If your computer is “recent”, I don't see why it wouldn't.
Can your computer playback MPEG movies? It doesn't take much in terms of computer hardware to playback movies.
The only downside, on many computers, is if they support native 1080p resolution.
By: dang
December 7, 2009 @ 1:39 AM
The only thing stopping you at that point is resolution. If your computer is “recent”, I don't see why it wouldn't.
Can your computer playback MPEG movies? It doesn't take much in terms of computer hardware to playback movies.
The only downside, on many computers, is if they support native 1080p resolution.
By: Sean
January 18, 2010 @ 1:42 PM
The biggest drawback is that there is no way to get an HD cable feed into the monitor…….it's a 1080p resolution with no way to get a 1080p picture……dumb
By: Sean
January 18, 2010 @ 1:42 PM
The biggest drawback is that there is no way to get an HD cable feed into the monitor…….it's a 1080p resolution with no way to get a 1080p picture……dumb
By: Sean
January 18, 2010 @ 4:42 PM
The biggest drawback is that there is no way to get an HD cable feed into the monitor…….it's a 1080p resolution with no way to get a 1080p picture……dumb
By: Artee
February 2, 2010 @ 2:17 PM
The Touchsmart 300 only gets a 780p resolution…Its older brother however (600 series) comes with much more features such as a bigger screen (23“) an HDMI slot, BlueRay Drive, and 1080p resolution…However, the mid-range 300 is a very neat family oriented machine, with enough power for day to day usage…I own the 1025 model which Iove ! Only complaints so far:
- Both the screen and computer tend to freeze if not used for a few minutes (kind od semi-sleepy mode…)
- Many applications such as Netflix, Pandora, ReceiptBox are not available for the Canadian marked…
By: Artee
February 2, 2010 @ 5:17 PM
The Touchsmart 300 only gets a 780p resolution…Its older brother however (600 series) comes with much more features such as a bigger screen (23“) an HDMI slot, BlueRay Drive, and 1080p resolution…However, the mid-range 300 is a very neat family oriented machine, with enough power for day to day usage…I own the 1025 model which Iove ! Only complaints so far:
- Both the screen and computer tend to freeze if not used for a few minutes (kind od semi-sleepy mode…)
- Many applications such as Netflix, Pandora, ReceiptBox are not available for the Canadian marked…
By: csujr
March 20, 2010 @ 7:31 PM
HP Touchsmart 300 – split open at the Top
I bought a HP TouchSmart 300 this past Sunday (March 14, 2010) at a Best Buy store.
I took it out of the box, put it on my desktop, peeled all of the 'clear film' off of it
(including the 'Seam' at the top of the computer), plugged it in and began to set it up.
I worked on it throughout the week, configuring it and loading software.
Then last night Friday (3/19) I began to work on the webcam.
That was the first time that I stood up and looked down at the top of the computer.
I was amazed to see that the 'Seam' along the top of the computer was split open at the center,
(as illustrated below)
http://i43.tinypic.com/28vd46r.png
I took it back to Best Buy (this morning, Saturday, 3/20) and requested that they exchange it for another one.
They said “no problem” and went and got another one.
We opened the box, looked at the top of the new one and saw that there was no split, as with mine.
However, one fellow there said that this was 'typical' of this model, as to where when the “Film' was removed, the top seam would begin to open up at the center (as with mine).
He got the manager and took me over to the 'floor model', which they said was there for over 2 months.
Sure enough, the seam on the top of that one was split open as well – But, that one was split open considerably more.
(whereas, the split on mine is about 1/32″ and the Floor Model was split open about 3/32″)
They also said that others had pointed this out to them as well.
So, since I was then convinced that this is 'Typical' with this model and they had nothing else comparable in that price range – and that the 're-stocking fee' was over $100, I decided to just take mine back home.
So for now, I got some clear package sealing tape, pinched the seam back together (on each side of the Webcam) and put the tape on it to hold it together.
I don't know what else to do.
Does anyone else have this problem – and/or, does anyone have any meaningful suggestions/solutions?
With appreciation,
Charles
By: asp0119
April 27, 2010 @ 2:17 PM
I am going to pick up my new HP TS 300-1020 unit from OfficeDepot on Thursday, Apr 29. I wonder if the split on the top is serious enough that I should cancel the order at the store. I believe that they will refund all the money since the unit will still be in the original box – unopened. Any comments/advice would be appreciated. Thanks…
By: Chadwick
July 5, 2010 @ 7:50 PM
Purchased 2 of these for an office (needed touchscreen for specialized software). Noticed that on both of them, top seam was slightly bowed open. When disks eject, they fall completely out of both machines as well.