Well, I went to Costco the other day for a few groceries and came home with my latest toy......a HP TouchSmart computer. The justification; we were in the middle of the yearly week-long (back-to-school) sales tax holiday and I could avoid paying sales tax on this $1449.00 machine (lucky I wasn't driving past a Mercedes dealer).

For those of you unfamiliar with the machine, it is a self-contained 22" touchscreen with a special TouchSmart OS superimposed on top of Vista. MAC has a similar system (which some say is superior). After getting 'the look' from my wife after arriving home with it, I proceded to sell her on joys of playing Solitaire using her finger instead of a mouse. She DID use her finger, even before the system was booted.

All I can say is, the novelty of using a touch screen for anything (other than wowing your tech-challenged friends) wears off very quickly. It doesn't occur to you until after the purchase that having your arm suspended in the air for indefinite periods of time is a lot harder than resting your hand on the desk while using a mouse. However, it really is neat looking. If we ever have a 'compulsive buying' contest, Fran and I will be in a dead heat.........for second, behind Capt. Russ.

chas

http://www.shopping.hp.com/store/product/product_detail/KQ437AA%2523ABA?

[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 08-09-2008).]

I have the model IQ507 (hard to find anywhere except Costco).
http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/ca/en/ho/...37-3762387.html

chas

If you had decided to buy it, decided you loved it, then decided you hated it, decided to sell it, offered it for sale, and then decided to keep it again, all in the space of a day or so, THEN you could claim to be in the same league as Fran, chas But I'm afraid you have a LONG way to go before you can claim such lofty companionship!

Hey, I thought all you Roland guys loved each other. Are you trying to say Fan is Frickle...uh, Fran is fickle. Wow, try saying that three times, fast. Fickle Fran, Fickle Fran, Frickle Fan.....see what I mean.

chas

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Bill in Dayton

This problem actually occurred to me years ago using light pens on the Fairlight music computer. Yeah a mouse is a lot more egonomic.

Chas love that story, especially the part about the finger.