Turn it on and you find yourself on the tile-based Start screen, a touch-oriented software environment with its own set of apps crafted specifically for touch input. It's tempting to think of a Windows 8-powered, large screen all-in-one as a giant, immobile tablet.

Further, given that the operating system is not yet final and the computer is not Windows 8-certified, my experience may not reflect that of the final product.

I'm looking at this hands-on from the perspective of someone who has purposely sought out a touch-capable Windows 8 all-in-one. Lenovo's IdeaCentre A720 touchscreen all-in-one.ĭisclaimer: The frustrations of mouse-and-keyboard loyalists and Start button fans are well-documented in regard to Windows 8, and I don't disagree with them. As a follow-up to that review, here are my impressions of the Windows 8 desktop touch experience, facilitated by that Lenovo all-in-one and the Windows 8 Release Preview Build 8400 (you can also check out our review of a newer build, Windows 8 RTM, released today). 27-inch displays are relatively new for Windows all-in-ones, but as the largest screens for the category they represent the ideal scenario for using Windows 8's touch ( nee Metro) interface via desktop. Last week I reviewed Lenovo's IdeaCentre A720, a Windows 7-based all-in-one desktop with a 27-inch touch screen.

Windows 8 touch screen desktops