All-in-one PCs from HP, Lenovo, bridge PC-TV gap

28th July 2011
All-in-one PCs from HP, Lenovo, bridge PC-TV gap

HP has introduced the HP Omni 200-5310IN in India: an all-in-one a desktop PC with Full TV and Full PC functionality. The TV function is met by a 21.5” (54.61 cm) High definition screen( Full HD1080p ) display with LED backlighting, inbuilt speakers, Windows 7 media center for TV viewing, live TV recording, with an inbuilt TV tuner card (including remote control). As a PC the Omni 200-531N comes with Intel Dual core processor, 2GB RAM, 500GB Hard disk drive, DVD drive, Wireless LAN, inbuilt webcam, mike, speakers, USB ports and comes along with a standard keyboard, optical mouse and Windows 7 Home Premium edition (64 bit).

However we are unable to understand the logic of introducing in July 2011, a PC powered by a Pentium dual core processor which in fact was the last of the dual core Pentiums and has since been superseded by Intel’s Second Generation Core Processor families, i3, i5,i7.. The specification in the company’s press note suggests that it is loaded with the latest Windows 7 version. However the HP India website gives the pricing of an unloaded machine as Rs 36,040 and that too for an 18.5 inch , monitor. We would imagine you could get a model with the specifications given below for around Rs 40,000.

Specifications HP Omni 200-5310IN : Processor: Intel Pentium dual core E5800 3.2 GHz, 800 MHz FSB; Chipset: Intel G45S; Memory Standard memory: 2 GB 1333 MHz DDR3; Storage: Internal drive: 500 GB SATA 3G (7200 rpm)
Optical drive: SuperMulti SATA Drive and Double Layer supporting Lightscribe Technology
Graphics: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X4500HD (up to 782 MB); Display Integrated 21.5" LED Panel; Expansion features: Ports 9 USB 2.0; 1 Microphone; 2 Headphones; 1 Line-in; 1 LAN; Memory card device: 6-in-1 memory card reader; Media devices:Integrated webcam; Audio features: Stereo Sound; Network interface: Integrated 10/100/1000 BaseT network interface (Broadband Ready); Wireless: HP Wireless NIC 802.11b/g/n Mini Card; Weight 8.25 kg

IdeaCentre B320
Lenovo has recently introduced a similar machine: the IdeaCentre B320 AIO comes with a 21” full HD LED screen, and what it calls OneKey®TV2 that turns the display into a High-def TV at the click of a button so that you can watch TV even without powering on the PC.

The B320 is powered by Intel Second Generation Sandy Bridge Dual Core G620 (2.6 Ghz, 3MB Cache) and has 2GB DDR3 memory with 500 GB hard disk, 5-in-1 Card Reader, 6 x USB 2.0, 1 x PS/2 KB, Headphone, Mic, DVD burner and Windows 7 Home Premium.  The machine was also priced at Ra 40,000; but a recent release from the company for another product ( the B 520, suggests that the price of the B320 has been dropped to Rs 30,000 for a 20 inch screen. 
July 29  2011