Customer Reviews

HP TouchSmart IQ816 All-in-One Desktop PC (2.1 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T8100 Processor, 4 GB RAM, 750 GB Hard Drive, Blu-ray Drive, Vista Premium) Black

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

After many months of researching desktops I finally decided on the hp Touchsmart pc. While it didn't have everything I was looking for, ie; bluray burner,1tb hard drive, it came pretty darn close. I looked at everything from an imac, to the dell xps one, and even a bunch of desktop pcs.

After looking more into blank blu-ray disks prices I decided that having a blu-ray player would be sufficient as I rent mostly anyway.

I have only had the computer for a couple of days now but so far it meets and exceeds all my expectations.

The touch screen is awesome to use as are the included wireless keyboard and mouse.

The touchsmart interface is easy to learn and has so many customizable features that I have barely started to digest all that I can do with the computer.

The PVR with live tv works well with my standard cable signal and was easy to setup.

I am only having difficulty getting the available hd channels to show up as the standard definition signal is adequate at best on the 1080p resolution 25.5" screen. More research is proving this issue to be a window media center issue and not the computer itself. As is usual for microsoft products.

The computer is fast and responsive and for the use we bought it for it does everything I want it to do and more.

I will add more to review as time goes on and we have more experience with the touchsmart pc

After my 10 year old computer exclaimed "Capt'n,I'm giving her all she's got and she's not giving anymore!!!" I knew it was time to invest in a replacement! I am amazed at all the features this unit offers. Wires?? What wires? With the exception of one cord (power of course) this unit does not ensnare you with any wires or cords. You can turn the keyboard anyway you want and position the mouse without having to untangle anything...it's great! The entire family loves the size and the clarity of the 25.5 inch screen. The best part is that there is no CPU, it's all contained in the monitor housing. I certainly won't miss kicking the CPU under my desk! Windows Vista is easy to navigate. I consider myself fairly adept at PC usage and this unit gives me all I need and will serve me well for many years to come. Sorry Gamers, I can't give you any feedback on gaming...We use the TV for that. The only drawback is that the touch screen is fun, it also gets the screen dirty...so have sreen cleaner nearby and use the polishing cloth frequently! I would definitely mark this as a good buy!

Good computer... received my HP IQ816 factory direct about 3 weeks ago, so I'm still learning more about it as I go. I find that the computer looks great, although it took some time to get use to the "bigness" of it. The TouchSmart application is just OK, you can't use it for web browsing, just for things like thumbing through pictures or music. I find myself resorting to the keyboard and mouse much more than going for the Touchscreen.

Things I like:
1.) Blu-Ray DVD player
2.) Ease of setting up
3.) No tower
4.) No cords (or at the very least only a few cords)
5.) Plenty of convenient ports on the side

Things I dislike:
1.) A bit sluggish
2.) Can't get used to the remote control, also hard to operate without looking at it directly
3.) Resolution of some movies grainy
4.) SD card got stuck, pulled GENTLY and STEADILY to get it out
5.) Many HP technicians do not speak English as first language
6.) Poor speakers, very weak sound, MUST have separate set of speakers to be at all happy with your viewing experience (speakers, when plugged in, are conveniently controlled through keyboard- and remote-control mechanisms)

I would not buy this computer strictly for its' touch screen function, it really isn't that useful for everything you need to accomplish on the computer.

IF you buy your computer from HP, they WILL price match (must purchase computer first). I found the identical computer from www.greatpricenow.com for $1,499.00; HP DID PRICE MATCH so I got this computer for 1499.00.

When I first read about this new HP computer I was very skeptical...after all, I always thought that Dell ruled the PC world. This computer is much better than I had ever hoped. It worked right out of the box, no glitches, no silliness with a bunch of add on trial software. The screen is beautiful, the keyboard is crisp and a pleasure to use and the mouse works. My only comment is that the VESA adaptor to allowing mounting this computer to the wall should have been, in my opinion, included.. then it would have been perfect
I love this computer. This past summer I purchased a Dell XPS 1530 laptop and have had a series of problems but Dell evetually replaced the laptop. I wish I had looked at the HP line of laptops.

I am completely happy with the IQ816....what a great piece of technology.

I purchased this computer about 5 days ago and loved the beautiful touch screen, the integrated TV tuner, the Blue Ray disc player, and the processing power. It is able to multitask very well without slowing down the system.

The problem is the Windows Vista OS is the worst operating system ever. And I do mean EVER. I am an advanced user and have built computers and used many operating systems in the past but the Windows Vista that comes with the computer is the 64 bit version which is supposed to make it have greater memory handling capacity. However, the system is full of bugs, typical Microsoft quality. It crashed on me over 5 times within the past five days and there are many software programs that are not compatible with the 64 bit version of the Windows Vista, I did not know this prior to buying the system. Also, the computer is very sensitive and unstable and keeps coming up with driver conflicts that rendered my Blue Ray-CD drive and flash drive inaccessible. The Windows start menu also malfunctioned many times causing me to be unable to open applications or to even shut down my computer without pushing ctrl-alt-del. I had to solve the driver conflicts by using the system restore function and has already needed to restore my system 3 times in 5 days. I tried reinstalling the driver but Windows kept saying the drivers are good and up to date. The problems with the 64 bit version of Windows Vista has so consumed my daily use of the computer that it has completely distracted me from how great the computer system actually is. It is very unfortunate because clearly HP has put out a great product but the people at Microsoft continue to put out very poor software full of bugs and has held PC makers and users captive. This is what happens when a company has a monopoly. Overall, the computer is excellent but the operating system makes the computer useless and a hassle. Because of this, I am planning on returning the computer soon and hope they will eventually have a version of Windows that can actually work. It truly is a crime that Microsoft can put out and charge money for defective and useless products.

Zero stars for the Windows Vista 64 bit that comes with the computer
Five stars for the computer hardware

OK, you know all the pros from other customers, and I share most of them, but here are my cons:
- Too bulky and heavy. Don't even think to put it on a wall if it is not a cement wall.
- The support at the back of the computer is pretty hard to pull, you need to put the computer flat on its screen and pull hard on the back legs to install it.
- HP has good touch screen software, but for most of the applications that I use everyday (Browser,word processor, spreadsheets... ) I had to go back to the mouse+keyboard. Probably you will need to wait a few years to have the apps made for touch screens.
- The card reader (SD) got stuck and did not want to release my SD card. I called HP support, they told me that it was normal for the first use and to pull the card very hard. It's what I did and got back the card, but since, the reader do not latch on the card that I put in. So HP said that it was a malfunction and to send back the computer to them...
- When watching DVD, the sound, even at its maximum, is not loud enough to be heard at a 7-8 feet normal distance. HP support said to remove all installed software and return the computer to its original state. That what I did but it did not fix the problem.
Result: I do like the touch screen technology for a PC but it is not quite ready for the current window software. The HP touch screen PC has all what is needed but it is too bulky and heavy and need some adjustment to the card reader and sound system.
I sent back the computer to Amazon, hoping that I could buy a better system in a year or two.

Product auite superior to any other computer I've ever owned. Just struggling over incompatability between Vista Home Premium and programs I've owned that functioned on every operating system since Windows 95 until this one.

I received the product with more damage than implied (description implied minor blemishes, in reality the touchscreen didn't work AND there were minor blemishes). Amazon was slow to respond (two attempts to even get a reply!!). HP was excellent. They stood behind the product and repaired it (very quickly too!). Amazon finally came back and said they would take it back within 30days. Attempts to define the 30day period were met with silence. Last large purchase I will make from Amazon.

Ok its not all bad...First the things I like...it has a very smooth wireless keypad and mouse. The touch screen is very cool but there are not to many reasons to use it. It works very well but the main reason to have it will mostly be for bragging rights...you will have one of the coolest computers on the block though. I just find with almost all programs a mouse is faster than touching it. Love the fact that it is truly "all in one" just plug it into the wall and that is it! I also bought a wireless printer so along with a wireless router.....I have no messy wires at all...just the wall plug ins. It has a great picture and blue-ray movies look and sound awesome.
Now for the Bad...The windows Vista (64 bit) does not play nice with most programs. I have a hard time finding compatible software and even the ones that claim to be compatible still sometimes do not work well. Example...I like using AOL..but could not find a version that would work properly. The software would crash and I would have to restart the computer to get to come back on. I Checked with AOL and HP support and both did not have a solution. After installing every version that was supposed to be compatible finally the AOL 10.1 desktop seems to be working ok...I just do not like that AOL version. But that is my only complaint and it might be isolated to my experience only.
Overall its a great computer...but Vista sucks.

I have this machine for 40 days, but i was able to use it only 4 days due to endless problems with this machine. Freezes, slow, locks up, and then does not load windows. [...] does not replace this machine, cant fix it 8 times in a row. This is a defected model, tons of people having this machine have the same experience. Save your money for something else.