HP launches touchscreen PCs

Berlin: Hewlett-Packard, the world's big-gest computer maker, launched a new generation of touchscreen PCs designed to lift user-friendly computing out of its expensive niche and bring it to a wider market.

The TouchSmart All-in-One allows users to work with photos, music, video, the internet and television by tapping or swiping the screen, and will be priced at $1,299, HP said at the launch in Berlin on Tuesday.

HP's Personal Systems group of PCs, notebooks, workstations and handheld devices has transformed itself over the past few years from a largely commoditised volume business to a far more successful one that emphasises product design. The group's executive vice-president, Todd Bradley, said he aimed to set a trend and create a new market.

"We don't think about this as a niche. We think about it as a global product that will inspire demand and drive desirability," Bradley said.