Touchscreen LCD Monitors for Desktop PC

zenger on 04/02/2013 - 14:53

Hi All

I recently bought an i7 desktop system, after my previous desktop system brokedown after a 6 year lifespan. However, now the monitor is slowly dying.

I am wondering, I am interested in a touchscreen LCD monitor for a desktop, something greater than 24".

Can anyone recommend a good one? these monitors seem to be pretty, as there is nothing at Officeworks or Harvey Norman?

My reasons for getting a touchscreen is to try to reduce mouse usage, using over 8 hours a day in the office and to take advantage of the touchscreen features in office 2013 and windows 8.

Thanks guys, any advice is appreciated.

Computing

Comments

  • Mikinoz on 04/02/2013 - 15:02

    Touchscreens make me miss my mouse, just get a great mouse and keyboard combo.

    Also pc makers tried the all in one ie touchscreen and pc, that kinda failed.

  • scrimshaw on 04/02/2013 - 17:09

    Officeworks and Harvey Norman definitely don't sell touchscreen monitors. You need to go to computer stores to get that kind of stuff.

    The Leap Motion device looks like a much cheaper and future proof solution. It's basically a device that's connected via USB and placed in front of your monitor and gives it quasi touchscreen and gesture support (think Microsoft Kinect, but on a smaller scale and 60 times more accurate).
    It also only costs $70 bucks and will work independantly of a monitor.

  • [Deactivated] on 04/02/2013 - 17:51

    I'm in the same predicament as you… Dell makes a very good one, but it's around $700 (although you can take $100 off if you use the student coupon). It does take some searching to find it though.

  • LPH on 04/02/2013 - 21:06

    Hi, i have a couple for sale. I bought a few back 3 or 4 years ago for a restaurant business which fell through. PM me if interested. Btw, you're absolutely correct, i bought them around 700 each.

  • hugs on 04/02/2013 - 23:55

    This is, to be honest, not a great idea - at least, not in a "I'm going to stop using my mouse and this will be revolutionary!" sort of way. The reason it's not a great idea is because of a problem commonly known as "gorilla arm". You say you're going to use a touchscreen for 8 hours in the office? Try holding your arm out in front of you without letting it down for just ten minutes - just as a taste.

    It sucks, but pure touch interfaces are a really bad way to use a computer long term. (At least, if the monitor is perpendicular to the desk. That's why tablets don't quite have the same problem.)

    There was a suggestion to check into Leap Motion earlier, there's also a logitech multitouch glass trackpad that is fairly nice for adding multitouch gestures to existing Windows 8 machines.

    Hope I've been vaguely helpful.

  • scupper on 05/02/2013 - 01:06

    It's only going to be good if you can lie the monitor flat (or almost flat) on a desk or lap. This looks like a good one: http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Lenovo-Windows-8-portable-T…. It's gonna cost the same as a tablet though, so just get a tablet. The logitech model hugs is talking about is probably the T650. It has some good reviews on Amazon.

    I'd recommend that over using your monitor as a touch screen. I have just bought a Win 8 tablet and it's such a pain to use the screen. I really recommend getting a keyboard and mouse/touchpad to use with one. Seriously, the start screen is actually better to navigate with a mouse scroll wheel than swiping with a finger. When your apps accumulate, all new apps get put at the far end and you'll be making a ton of swipes to get there. Getting the soft keyboard out to search instead is just as irritating when you would prefer to visually find the tile you want. I bet a hierarchical start screen will appear on the next version of Windows because right now, it's an ergonomic nightmare, more so if you're swiping a monitor's width of screens. You'd really want to rearrange your start screen to put your favourite programs near the front. Guess how fun it is to move that new app tile from the far end to the front? Much less fun than pressing the END key on your keyboard or typing to search, but I'd rather not need to at all. I left all start menu items where they were on Win 7 and navigated it only when needed. Now I have to micro-manage my start screen just to reduce the clutter and allow me to get to the apps that I want.

    But enough of my rant, I like Windows 8 despite its interface missteps because it brings the apps that were exclusive to Android and IOS to Windows. My recommendation is to buy a tablet because some apps are nice to control by touch, but don't convert your desktop yet because larger movements due to a larger screen actually impede the usability of the touch interface (whether lying flat or not).

  • zenger on 05/02/2013 - 13:46

    ahh very cool that is some very sound advice you have all given.

    I might rethink my want of a touchscreen

    Now Win 8 on the other hand makes me feel like a grandpa…at 25. The lack of taskbar and intuitive multi-tasking freaks me out….

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