Let's look at the best-case scenario: The A70z all-in-one. It's thoroughly unremarkable in specs, offering a 19-inch LCD (isn't that kind of small these days? Not that the iMac's insane 27-inch model should be the benchmark, but still...), up to a Core 2 Duo processor, and up to 500GB storage in a decent-looking if not particularly noteworthy package (pictured above). It also boasts of a fast startup and shutdown time and is only 2.4 inches thick (the new iMac is about an inch thick, for reference, though of course it costs several times more). The A70z will start at $500, which sounds pretty cheap, but the base model is likely to include a Celeron proc and a much lower-capacity HDD, for starters, so don't get too excited. The Acer Z5610, for example, costs $800 to start (not that far from an A70z with similar specs) in a much more slick package.

Winning second place (out of two) is the A58e tower. Clearly a $350 business-oriented tower desktop that boasts of "up to 320GB of data storage, up to 2GB of memory and a DVD burner" isn't exactly up our alley—but just as music critics must cover the latest Coldplay album, so must we bite the bullet and mention this snoozefest of a computer. Keep in mind that these prices aren't actually that low: Dell's base package Vostro desktop tower starts at only $300, with similar specs.

It's useless to brand computers like these objectively "good" or "bad." The A58e and A70z don't need to have catchy names, or up-to-the-minute specs, or eye-catching designs or even prices that are all that low. They will be bought, and they will be used. They will churn out Excel spreadsheets and PowerPoints and TPS reports, and they will suffice for those duties. They will provide no joy, unless you are a goofy salesman who sends adorable emails back and forth with your office's frumpy-yet-cute receptionist, and even then it will take about four years before anything happens between you two, so maybe you should just get another job because this one is clearly sucking the life out of you. Yet, they will be bought.

These computers will also match your office's Mr. Coffee. (Note: Speculation.)

At any rate, the 70z is available from the end of November, and the A58e is available now. Press release below. [Lenovo]

Lenovo Introduces its First ThinkCentre All-in-One Desktop PC for Business

Combines Style, High Performance and Extreme Affordability

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC – November 2, 2009: Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) today reshaped its ThinkCentre business desktop line by introducing its first all-in-one (AIO) desktop PC – the ThinkCentre A70z. Built for the needs of small and medium businesses (SMB) all the way up to large corporations, the AIO delivers a compelling alternative to the traditional desktop PC, starting at just $499. Despite the budget-friendly price tag, the high performance all in one comes with Intel Core2Duo processors and delivers blazing fast boot up time as one of Lenovo's Enhanced Experience certified PCs for Windows 7. The ThinkCentre A70z saves 70 percent more space, takes less time to set up and service and consumes less power than traditional desktops1. At the same time, the AIO adds a new touch of style and sophistication for today's modern office.

Lenovo today also introduced the ThinkCentre A58e tower desktop, bringing SMBs an affordable and reliable computing solution.

"We've heard from a number of IT managers in a variety of industries, from education, to finance to healthcare, and they've all told us they need desktops that conserve space, save on energy consumption and are easy to maintain and service," said Dilip Bhatia, executive director, Worldwide Desktop Marketing, Lenovo. "The new ThinkCentre A70z exceeds these needs – not only is it compact, super energy efficient and quick to service, but it's also high performance and extremely affordable."

Click here for a video demonstration of the ThinkCentre A70z.

Reshaping of Desktop Market

According to IDC, the commercial all-in-one PC segment is projected to grow 16 percent year to year worldwide in 2010 with most of the desktop market consisting of small to medium business, small office/home office users and consumers.2 This trend fits into the growing SMB PC market, which is forecasted to grow to more than 99 million PCs in 20113.

ThinkCentre A70z Saves Space, Time and Money

The compact ThinkCentre A70z includes a 19 inch, 16:10 widescreen LCD monitor packed into a 2.4 inch4 black frame that complements just about any office environment. On a desk, the AIO takes up 70 percent less space than a traditional desktop and monitor5. It can also be mounted flush against an office wall, supported with a radial stand or rested against a leg stand similar to how a picture frame works. The AIO's single power cable6 helps eliminate unsightly cable clutter that plagues office desk space, and the built-in handle on the back of the monitor makes transporting easy.

Saving on space doesn't mean skimping on performance though. The AIO features:

* Choices of Intel Core™ 2 Duo through Celeron® Dual Core processors for demanding performance
* Direct X10 support for enhanced games and high-end 3-D applications
* A DVD burner, six USB ports, two audio speakers and optional Wifi
* An optional high resolution webcam and built-in Skype application for voice over Internet protocol web calling with friends and colleagues
* Support for up to 500GB of data storage for lots of photos, music and work files

With simple set up, boot up as quickly as 35 seconds and up to 28 percent faster shut down time7 and easy access to the hard drive for servicing, the AIO helps save time all around, and businesses know that "time equals money." The affordable AIO also comes equipped at no extra cost with Lenovo's suite of ThinkVantage Technologies (TVTs). These value-added tools help businesses save money by speeding productivity and reducing downtime. Additionally, Lenovo's Power Manager TVT helps organizations save energy by remotely deploying power schemes and global settings. The all in one comes Energy Star 5.0 rated for high energy efficiency, but for more savings, using the Power Manager helps save approximately $65 per year over previous Lenovo desktop and monitor solutions8. To help reduce overall packaging material, the A70z ships with reusable protective bag. By using one box instead of two, material savings are equal to approximately 250 paper cups and 139 plastic packaging bags9.

ThinkCentre A58e Extends Desktop Value

Based on Intel Core™2 Duo or Celeron® processors, the ThinkCentre A58e tower equips users to get the most out of their workday with an assortment of features including support for Microsoft Windows 7, up to 320GB of data storage, up to 2GB of memory and a DVD burner. Implementing Lenovo's Power Manager, businesses can reduce electricity costs on their ThinkCentre A58e by up to 69 percent per year10. The ThinkCentre A58e combines the essential computing technologies for just about any day-to-day business task at an extremely affordable price.

Services Tailored to the SMB

Lenovo offers a variety of enhanced warranty options as well as its ThinkPlus Priority Support service plan on both new PCs. Priority Support features 24x7 priority call routing to advanced technical support as well as a host of administrative tools. ThinkPlus Priority Support frees up IT staff to address critical business needs while helping to reduce or eliminate the need for around the clock in-house IT support, which can translate into significant cost savings.

In addition both PCs give customers the option to download a free trial of Lenovo Online Backup, a secure, encrypted offsite storage solution for critical data and files. Lenovo Online Backup lets users automatically back up their files and then restore them anytime, from anywhere in the world, via an Internet connection. The free trial includes 5GB of storage for 90 days.

Pricing and Availability

The ThinkCentre A70z all-in-one will be available at the end of November with models starting at approximately $499. The ThinkCentre A58e desktop is available currently with models starting at approximately $349. Both desktops will be available through Lenovo business partners.

Lenovo is fleshing out their all-in-one lineup (which already includes the cheaper C100) with the terrifyingly angular IdeaCentre B500. It's got pretty decent specs, if you don't want to wait until the new Intel procs take over. The 23-inch 16x9 B500 offers (at its best and most expensive configuration) up to a Core 2 Quad proc, 4GB memory, a 1TB hard drive, DVD or Blu-ray, and an optional TV tuner with remote, in case you want to turn it into a media center.

[Lenovo]

This initial $900 Z5610 also lacks the built-in Blu-ray drive or TV tuner we saw in our April preview. If you're after an all-in-one that doubles as a TV, you might be better off looking at HP's TouchSmart 600 or Sony's Vaio L. The $1400 Gateway ZX6800 has a TV tuner, but not Blu-ray.

In terms of looks, the Z5610 holds its own. An ambient lighting strip between the display and sound bar illuminates the keyboard in the dark, and the PC's chrome legs create room to stow away the keyboard and tilt the display 10-20 degrees.

The rest of the specs are pretty basic, though: 4GB DDR3-800 RAM (expandable to 8GB), 320GB hard disk, 512MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD4570 graphics, SuperMulti optical drive, 6 USB slots, and one eSATA port. You also get 802.11n and Gigabit networking, plus a bundled wireless keyboard and mouse.

Underpowered, yes. But not bad for the price. The Aspire Z5610 arrives sometime before Christmas for $800.

Price

Starts at $1,050 on October 22nd. $1600 as tested.

Our Configuration

Intel Core 2 Duo 2.13GHz, 4GB DDR3 RAM, slot-load Blu-ray player/DVD burner, NVIDIA GeForce GT230M with 1GB dedicated RAM, 23-inch 1080P multitouch display, and a slew of inputs, including 6 USB, a card reader, coax, S-Video, HDMI, audio and composite.

What's New

This is the third generation TouchSmart. The two-point, IR-based multitouch PC remains thematically unchanged, but the combination of hardware and software is finally gelling. The new stuff includes:

• Windows 7
• HDMI-in
• Updated TouchSmart UI
• Custom Hulu, Netflix, Twitter and Absurdly Cool Recipe Book Apps
• HD Tuning (not CableCard)
• Fully customizable LED under-lighting
• Tilting webcam

The Hardware

You'll recognize the body design as almost unchanged from the last generation, but that's not necessarily a strike against the TouchSmart. While the body is mostly plastic, the high gloss black is unoffensive, and good for making screen colors pop like an HDTV. A majority of the TV-style input set is cleverly hidden behind a panel, should you prefer the seamless look.

As for that screen, it's as good as any low to mid-tier LCD HDTV, but its multitouch is not quite perfect. If you pace your movements, it's about 95% accurate at tracking your fingers. If you don't, that number drops to 85%. And should the system be strained with a lot of multimedia tasking, the touch only gets worse. But I make this all sound a lot worse than it is. No, the screen isn't as accurate/wonderful as capacitive tech, but it's a lot better than resistive.

The wireless low profile keyboard and mouse are both understated and completely functional. And a decent remote gives the whole package that home theater feel for when you need to do a little IR blasting.

Audio dribbles through a soundbar sits under the screen. The quality is passable for television, but there's potential here for improvement—the highs are tinny and there's not real bass. Music lovers will want standalone speakers (which is too bad, because everything else is great.)

But again, I almost hate saying bad things about the build because what the TouchSmart does right is sooo cool: the software.

The Littlest Media Mogul

If you just want to multitouch your way through Windows 7, the TouchSmart allows that. But to really take advantage of the system, you'll want to use the TouchSmart interface and the wonderful, custom apps. Sure, you can mess with photos, take hand-drawn notes and watch video clips, but here's the more notable stuff. (Check out the video above to see some of these apps in motion.)

Netflix
I couldn't enjoy the Netflix interface more. Flick through your library, click a movie and just wait for the server to stream it. It's probably the slickest Netflix skin I've seen to date.

Ambient Lighting
It's technically a series of LEDs under the monitor, but Ambient Lighting makes its way into the apps section since you can choose from the entire spectrum of colors through a touch interface. The glowing effect, while a tad cheesy, is incredible customizable.

Twitter
Tweetie is my client of choice on Mac. Most all of the advanced functionality is duplicated here. And if you really want to, you can type on the onscreen keyboard. It works, but I'll take the real thing, thanks.

Live TV/DVR
It's easy to get mixed up in the submenus and the software is obviously resource intensive, but otherwise, you're working with a fully-functional HD DVR (sitting on top the core of WMC, as I understand it). Flicking through programming guides is surprisingly natural.

Hulu
Stuck in an update loop, I couldn't test Hulu. Given the quality of HP's other bundled apps, especially Netflix, I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt.

Music
The music app is super smart because it incorporates MP3s, Pandora and Rhapsody into, well, not exactly one interface but at least one basic app. Browsing albums is smooth in a Cover-Flow-like spread. Pandora is a bit disappointing in that most of the UI is spent on the Pandora logo. But it works.

Recipe Box
Despite the failings during my tech demo above, this little app is embarrassingly fun. Through a built-in browser, you can rip any recipe containing "directions" and "ingredients" from almost any webpage. With one button, the recipe appears in your own book, formatted like everything else in your collection. Now, should you have your hands full, the system supports voice commands to read you the recipe. It didn't work in my demo video, but even when it did, the system fulfilled all the stereotypes of poor voice commands and text-to-speech. Still, Recipe Box is a clever way to bring an all-in-one into the kitchen.

The one downfall here is that HP has designed TouchSmart to run all of the bundled apps at once. You're truly multitasking, and that means stacking HDTV, Hulu, Netflix, photo editing, a browser, Twitter, and even more video playback. The system generally handles itself admirably, but the TV tuning definitely tips the scales on occasion (just watch the video for interface stutters). If I were to use the system as my DVR on a regular basis, I'd probably cut down the fat on HP's apps and buy myself some resources.

Another point to mention is that, while you can customize HP's dock with any apps you like, those not designed by HP (say, Microsoft Word) will merely link you to the full app in Windows. So you can't work on a term paper in the fancy media interface, but then again, you probably don't want to.

Oh, and for some reason, the back button within apps often brings you back to the same information in a different view than you started with. That's a perfect candidate for a patch if I've ever seen one.

Like, Not Love

I want to love the TouchSmart 600, but I just really, really like it a lot. The functionality is all there; no one can question the full media suite of apps, like Netflix, Hulu, and Twitter, let alone the full Windows 7 OS sitting right behind HP's optional software. It's the light performance hiccups coupled with a less than 100% touch interface that stop me from screaming at the top of my lungs, "YOU SHOULD BUY THIS RIGHT NOW OR GIVE UP ON LIFE COMPLETELY."

But maybe you should buy the TouchSmart 600 right now. Other than Sony's upcoming Vaio L, there's no all-in-one quite like this on the market. Coupled with a netbook, you'd have portability and an entire media center at your disposal. The combo, for something like a dorm room or small apartment, would be unquestionably wonderful.

Versatile media platform

Neat, functional apps

Full Windows 7 sits a click away

A reasonable home theater replacement

Imperfect, but decent multitouch

Speakers sound pretty lousy

DVR tends to slow the whole system

However, the most notable feature compared to its competition —and one not necessarily new to the Vaio line—is that the PC portion of the system can be turned off, allowing you to only power the device solely as an LCD monitor (should you just want to play on your console or something). For those of us living in already tight quarters, knowing that your all-in-one can also be your TV (and not just for Sony's built-in DVR, Blu-ray player or, of course, straming Hulu) is extremely handy. [Sony via Engadget]

Yeah we've heard stories of exploding iPods (like this UK girl's) but I'm not saying this is part of some trend or anything. I just wanna know what you think happened here.

Looks to be enough air flow there...it's just gotta be one of those rare screen failures, right? You tell me. [cnbeta (translated) via Cloned In China]

I do have to say the voice recognition seems to be on the ball from the video; it is actually impressive when Sascha, the German chap in the vid, butchers the pronunciation of "Kanye West" (around 3:46 in video) and the computer lady still understands it and plays a song.

But why do you need this voice functionality baked into an all-in-one with such a big screen where you are bound to have your hands somewhat free to control the touchscreen? Though I guess, it could be useful for when in a kitchen before cooking up a MacGyver Chef creation. [Netbook News]

It counts a 2.5GHz Intel Pentium Core 2 Duo, inbuilt analog and digital TV tuner and remote, 8x DVD burner, 802.11n wireless, 4GB of RAM and a 320GB internal hard drive among its base specs, and all the little extras we've come to expect on AIOs like this—like a webcam, card reader, and wireless keyboard and mouse—are present. Unfortunately, this HD-capable quasi-TV doesn't come standard with a Blu-ray drive, and you'll have to wrestle with Vista, the only OS option. But still! $1000! [Chipchick]

It's a 24-incher with a 1080p resolution (the only real size for all-in-ones anymore), with a built-in TV tuner and Blu-ray recorder. Beside the Windows 7 ready multitouchness, not a whole lot of specs yet (like what specific processor and graphics), just that it'll hold up to 2TB of storage. It's nice looking though! And, uh, Windows 7 Windows 7 Windows 7 Windows 7.

The 15.6-inch models are set to ship from Amazon on March 9th for $600. It comes in either black or white, loaded up with a custom touchscreen interface, a 1.6GHz Atom processort, 1GB of RAM, 160GB HDD, built-in webcam, 802.11n Wi-Fi and Windows XP.

And if 15.6 inches is a bit too small for you, rumor has it your patience could be rewarded with a 22-inch version coming out later.
[Amazon via Electronista]

The Price: $300

The Verdict: So far, man is it awesome... for a printer/scanner/copier/fax machine, that is.

I know printers. Like intimately. For a few years, I'd get the newest ones and run a double-blind print quality test. I got bored because Epson would always win. HP accused me of letting personal taste get in the way of objectivity, to which I replied, "Call me back when you get the color blue figured out." (My phone has yet to ring.)

Anyway, when I heard about Epson's total revamp of its all-in-one, I was happy and scared. Epson might have been the champ at photo quality, but its printers weren't always the easiest to use. Besides, they were often slower than Canons or HPs. But the Artisan could have traded in print quality to improve speed (an old HP trick). And besides, the Artisan has Wi-Fi, a sure sign of future tech-support calls.

Happily, my fears turned out to be nonsense: Setting up the printer was easy (though I did follow directions carefully, which is not my standard MO). The wizard worked great on the Mac, and I easily added the printer's wireless profile and drivers to another Mac and a Vista PC afterward with the same install disc, all printing without a hiccup. You might say "Big whup!" but trust me, wireless networking set-ups often don't work as billed, especially across both Macs and PCs.

The new touchscreen interface is great, giving you plenty of soft options in plain English, rather than a few choices in terse one-word buttons. As you can see in the shots below, there are fixed contextual touch buttons in addition to the LCD, making the interface even more flexible. I especially like that the fax dial-pad is hidden away, so that if you use it, great, but if you don't, you won't feel like you're wasting part of your purchase. Speaking of fax, the 800 has a document sheet feeder built right in, crucial for multi-page faxes and useful for copying and scanning too.The print quality was amazing, as I anticipated. What surprised me was how damn fast this bugger is. I could get a gorgeous borderless 4x6 in under 18 seconds, and of course it could manage larger sizes fairly speedily too, including the elusive 8x10. (HP once told me that 8x10, which it didn't support, wasn't in demand by photographers; Epson has always had an 8x10 option.)

The one thing you're still gonna hate about the printer is that each ink cartridge is still the size of a matchbook and damn if you won't burn through them all too fast. You get a second (BONUS!) black cartridge in the box, but all that tells me is that Epson is embarrassed about its ink addiction. Other printer makers will try harder to solve the ink-deficit problem—Kodak sells printers for more money and ink for less—but inevitably that solution comes at the cost of good hardware and high-quality prints. Go with Epson if you want the best pictures and, in this case, the best all around use, but remember that you will pay for that satisfaction in ink. [Epson]

Other new features include a drive bay for HP's Pocket Drive line of portable hard drives, Nvidia GeForce 9600M video card and a multi-color light that illuminates the space under the computer for the keyboard (previously it was just fluorescent white). Other than that, the technical specs and touchscreen technology remain the same, as does the general design. Also available is the IQ804, which lacks the Blu-ray drive and NVIDIA 9600M.

The Touchsmart IQ816 starts at $2100 and will ship on October 12, while the IQ804 starts at $1900 and will be available on September 21.

The next generation touch computer

The next-generation, touch-enabled PC combines a 25.5" diagonal hi-def27 widescreen with a powerful energy efficient Intel® CoreTM2 Duo28 processor in a single, integrated design. Includes HP Touchsmart software, webcam29, media card reader, and premium speakers for fast, easy access to photos, videos, music and applications. HP recommends Windows Vista® Home Premium.

Your digital life at your fingertips
•Touch-screen technology puts your digital life at your fingertips with fast, easy access to info, entertainment and social networks.29
•Next-generation HP TouchSmart software simplifies access to photos, videos, music and applications.
•Quick and easy touch access to your digital world.

The slim, stylish, next-generation PC
•Sleek, next-generation design combines a 25.5"
diagonal hi-def1 widescreen with a powerful energy
efficient Intel® CoreTM 2 Duo28 processor.
•Plug one power cord into the wall and you’re ready to go.
•Wireless keyboard and integrated WLAN30 offer a truly wireless experience.
•Low profile wireless keyboard stows away when not in use, freeing up valuable desk space.
•Colored HP Ambient Light lets you select a color lighting to set a mood, or see your keyboard in the dark.
•Sleek piano black design with elegant espresso side-panel highlights.

Watch your photos, movies and music come to life

•Next generation HP TouchSmart software brings a new
level of fun to your photos, videos and music.
•Watch your favorite shows on the integrated 25.5” diagonal hi-def27 widescreen–makes for amazing slideshows too!
•Enjoy high quality sound through the integrated premium stereo speakers.
•Watch and burn your personal videos with the built-in DVD burner.31
•Add an additional hard drive (HP Pocket Media Drive6) easily and without any tools.

HP is committed to behaving in an environmentally responsible manner

HP is committed to reducing our own environmental impact, as well as that of our customers, partners and suppliers. We do this by providing products and services that are environmentally sound throughout their lifecycle and by conducting our operations in an environmentally responsible manner.

•All HP TouchSmart IQ 800 series PCs have earned ENERGY STAR® and EPEAT silver qualifications.

•All HP TouchSmart IQ 800 series PCs use HP power management technology providing up to 45% energy savings compared to PCs without power management enabled.32

Award winning service and support (touchsmart) HP stands behind our products and protects your investment with award-winning service and support
available around the clock by phone, e-mail, and online.29

•Every TouchSmart PC comes with special HP Total Care.
- 24/7 service and support for the first year via our North America call center.
- Dedicated toll-free telephone support at 1866.408.5408 in English and Spanish in the United States or English and French in Canada.
- Real-time online chat.
- E-mail, usually answered within one hour.

•A desktop icon offers one-click access to online technical support, troubleshooting and downloads.

As far as hardware goes, the high end LV has a 3.16 Ghz Core 2 Duo Processor, 4 GB RAM, 1 TB HDD, NVIDIA GEFORCE 9300M Video Card, built-in 1.3 MP webcam and a Blu-ray burner. Connectivity options include A2DP Bluetooth 2.0 and 802.11n wireless networking. It also has tons of inputs, such as 5 USB ports, S-Video, composite video, S/PDIF, Memory Stick Pro and SDHC readers, ExpressCard/34 slot and Ethernet. Plus, the unit is VESA wall mountable, and the wireless keyboard comes with an integrated touchpad.

Sony also announced their JS line of all-in-one PCs, which are the cheaper, far more basic cousin to the LV. Equipped with a 20-inch screen and 3.0 GHz Core 2 Duo processor, the JS is meant to be used as a straight forward computer, as opposed to a media machine. The premium model has a BD-ROM drive, 500 GB HDD, 4 GB RAM, built-in webcam and Intel integrated graphics. It also has A2DP Bluetooth, 802.11n wi-fi, and 5 USB ports. The JS will come in black, silver and pink colors.

The Sony LV will be available this fall starting at $1600, but expect the spec'd out model to run in the $3000 range. The JS will also be available in the Fall starting at $1000, but again, with the higher end features, will likely cost much more. [Sony]

SONY UNVEILS THREE NEW ALL-IN-ONE DESKTOP PCS WITH
BLU-RAY TECHNOLOGY

DENVER (CEDIA Booth #600), Sept. 3, 2008 – Merging powerful PC performance with slim stylish LCD panels, Sony today introduced three new all-in-ones— the VAIO® JS, LV and RT desktop models.
Designed as space-savers, these new models are ideal for everything from everyday computing to editing high-definition video content.

“These new all-in-ones address all your entertainment and computing needs— they’re an HDTV, Blu-ray Disc™ player and PC in a fashion-forward, clutter-free design,” said Xavier Lauwaert, product manager for VAIO product marketing at Sony Electronics.

Casual Computing/ Affordably Priced

The VAIO JS All-in-One desktop chassis sits directly on your desk complete with a storage space for your keyboard.

Equipped with a 20.1-inch (diagonal) LCD display, the JS model features Sony’s own XBRITE-ECO™ LCD technology so you will experience razor-sharp images in crisp, vivid detail.

An optional Blu-ray Disc ROM optical drive is available for the JS model. Watch pristine HD content or check out exclusive movie previews and downloads utilizing BD-Live™, a Blu-ray feature that enables you to access additional content via your Internet-connected PC.

The unit incorporates an integrated microphone and web cam, with face-tracking technology, so it can follow your movements while video-chatting with friends and co-workers.

The JS model boasts powerful desktop computing while curbing energy consumption and noise. It comes pre-installed with Windows Vista® Home Premium operating system.

The VAIO JS All-in-One model comes in black, silver and pink and starts at around $1,000.

Power-Packed HD Entertainment
Featuring a floating mirror design, the VAIO LV High-Definition PC/TV serves as your entire entertainment hub.

It is equipped with a 24-inch (diagonal) WUXGA (1920x1200) widescreen high-definition display, with Sony’s original XBRITE-FullHD™ LCD technology, for crystal-clear images.
Most LV models feature a slot-in Blu-ray Disc optical drive so you can enjoy high-definition movies. A rewritable BD drive for recording, storing and playing back personal content on high-capacity BD media is available.

And with built-in DVR capabilities and an up to a terabyte of storage, you can create a personal entertainment library with up to 100 hours of HD television.

An industry-unique-feature in an all-in-one PC, the LV model features a 1080p capable HDMI™ input so you can connect your compatible HD cable box, satellite receiver or PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system (all sold separately) via a single cable and enjoy HD entertainment without powering on the PC.

Packing powerful components, the LV model can multi-task through demanding PC applications while editing HD content. The LV model comes with your choice of Windows Vista Home Premium or Vista Ultimate operating systems.

The LV model is equipped with wireless LAN and an integrated power supply allowing the unit to be cleanly mounted on a wall. A wireless keyboard with a built-in touchpad, mouse and remote control are included.

Nice looking from the rear:

Apple avoids the clear glass look, but both Dell and Gateway are suckers for it. The Dell has a clear lucite base that makes us wonder why the designers didn't go further. The Gateway has a funky clear keyboard arm rest that makes us scratch our heads a bit.

All mice are not created equal. Apple's wired mouse is, of course, not a favorite, but even the Wireless Mighty Mouse doesn't always behave. Dell's mouse is okay, very standard. Gateway's is the best, with a touch pad down the center for scrolling, and a cool one-piece two-tone design.

Keyboards are another accessory that can vary a ton. Dell's is my favorite because of all the stuff it can do. It has a full touchpad for mousing around, has full media controls, so you can ditch the ugly silver remote, and it's better looking than Gateway's, even if it doesn't quite have the otherworldly sleekness of the Apple. (Again why, Apple, do you ship ANYTHING with a cord?)

Here you can see all of the fun stuff on the Dell keyboard:

For the most part, these remotes are standard. In fact, the Gateway's controlled the Dell, and the Dell's controlled the Gateway. I know Apple's statement is that the remote is simple, but let's face it, that's because, compared to Windows Media Center, Front Row is too simple. I went with Goldilocks on this one: Gateway's remote is just right, a nice compact model that matches the rest of the system.

The Dell is the only one with controls on its face. They're triply redundant given the fact that both the remote and the sweet keyboard also give similar controls, but they are cool when they light up. I particularly like the disc-indicator light, which only glows when a disc is inside, and the screen shut-off switch, which does nothing to mess with your system:
More pics:

The Official Gizmodo Awards Chart: