HP introduces first nontouch all-in-one

Prior to this evening's announcement of the Pavilion All-In-One MS214, HP has never carried a traditional all-in-one in its desktop lineup. Its TouchSmart line brought touch computing to the all-in-one back in 2007, but the MS214 is the company's first attempt at a no-frills all-in-one.

We like the looks of the MS214, although its specs are fairly humble. Its 18.5-inch wide-screen display, 1.5GHz Athlon X2 3250e CPU, and 2GB of RAM keep it firmly on the budget-end of the all-in-one scale, as does its $599 starting price. Other features include a DVD burner, a built-in Web cam, and 802.11b/g wireless--in other words all the requisite trappings of the all-in-one category.

HP is not the first to market with a budget all-in-one. Averatec, eMachines, Lenovo, and others all have similar low-end all-in-ones at or around this low-end price, and we expect this product segment will thrive now that LCD prices are so cheap. And because prices are so low, it's hard for any vendor to really set its product apart. Thus, the only thing the Pavilion All-In-One MS214 may be able to bring to the party is a sense of comfort for those previously unwilling to buy such a system from a lesser-known vendor.

Check out the slideshow below for more shots of the MS214. Expect to see units on store shelves in time for the October 22 launch of Windows 7.