HP TouchSmart IQ506 PC - The Full Review

A Loving Touch

A Loving Touch

Without a doubt, HP's TouchSmart IQ506 is a worthy successor to its predecessor, the IQ770. Design wise, shrinking down the somewhat clunky (by the new standards) design of the IQ770 (which weighed at hefty 17kg) to a more streamlined form factor (of about 11kg) was an improvement that we liked a lot and something that HP has done remarkably well. The IQ506 also keeps almost all of the same features that the IQ770 had, like the TV tuner, which should prove to be boon for TV addicts.

Performance wise, the IQ506 was an average all rounder, neither notably bad nor good either way you look at it. The 4GB of RAM included with the unit was beneficial and much appreciated, especially when you consider Vista's resource hogging ways in addition HP's own UI. The new TouchSmart UI was also a definite improvement over the old, but we hope to see regular updates to fix the bugs and to add on more multi-touch features (ala Minority Report). The system is definitely capable of doing so, and HP would be wise to take note of this advantage for even more marketing value.

Considering all the improvements and benefits that the new TouchSmart IQ506 PC brings to the table, it's quite a surprise to find that the price of the IQ506 is actually much lower than the older IQ770 which was priced at US$1799 when launched. With the new IQ506 priced at US$1499 onwards (about S$2035), the machine's affordability isn't out of the world and in fact is quite nicely priced for its features and the overall experience.

HP's TouchSmart series has come a long way since its conception in the form of the IQ770. Seen through our eyes, the IQ506 has taken the lessons taught by the initial model to heart and has reached a full circle when it comes to user interaction with the new TouchSmart UI. Factor in the multimedia capabilities and the affordability of the unit, there's no doubt that HP has a winner on their hands this time around for this niche market space.