Forget the Windows 8 all-in-ones with detachable monitors that double as gigantic tablets like the Dell XPS 18. What you really want is a screen that is as big as your HDTV but also has touch capabilities so you can actually make your way around Windows 8. If you have $5,000 kicking around, InFocus has an aptly named BigTouch 55-inch AiO desktop for you.
As you can guess from its name, the BigTouch has a huge, 55-inch touch display but it only understands basic 5-point touch gestures like slide, tap, swipe, pinch, and rotate, so you won’t be able to touch-type with both your hands on the virtual keyboard. However, it does comes with a wireless keyboard and mouse so you won’t be limited to the on-screen controls. Technically, the BigTouch has a 1080p HD display at 1920 × 1080 resolution, but it is spread over a 55-inch screen so it won’t look as impressive as a smaller monitor with the same number of pixels.
Under the hood, the BigTouch is essentially a television with a computer tucked inside. It packs a Sandy Bridge Intel Core i5 processor, integrated graphics, a 120GB solid- state drive, six USB 2.0 ports, two HDMI-outs, and two gigabit-Ethernet ports all into a mini-tower that you can slide out and replace with a new box from InFocus in case you want to update the hardware later.
Although the company is targeting the BigTouch for classrooms and businesses, and sees it as more of a pared down version of the Mondopad, you can certainly use the BigTouch at home – as long as you have a big enough desk. No, your local Best Buy won’t be carrying the BigTouch; if you want to see what a 55-inch AiO computer looks like, you’ll need to head to TigerDirect or a local audio/visual specialty store and InFocus reseller.
