The new products include two new additions to the HP Envy line, each with 10-point multitouch screens, a SpectreONE with a wireless touchpad , and a new non-touch Pavilion 20.

SpectreONE

HP's TouchSmart line has been a mainstay of touch-centric computing, so the ways in which this manufacturer chooses to implement the touch-optimized Windows 8 is built on experience.

The SpectreONE features a 23.6-inch flush-glass full HD display with a unique curved back. The company said the screen was "one of the thinnest" all-in-one models available on the market today.

To interact with the tile-based interface in Windows 8, the SpectreONE offers a wireless trackpad designed for the model, for scrolling, swiping and tapping, in addition to a keyboard and mouse.

The product has an optional ExpressCache and optional SSD, which together offer fast boot-up and application start times, an Nvidia 1-gigabyte graphics card, near-field communication technology, two USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports, HDMI-in, and an unspecified "latest Intel processor."

It comes bundled with Beats Audio, HP TrueVision HD webcam, full versions of Adobe Photoshop Elements 10 and Adobe Premiere Elements 10, a two-year subscription to Norton Internet Security, and 90 days of complimentary support.

Solutions for Windows 8

Ross Rubin, principle analyst with Reticle Research, noted that Vizio has also chosen the wireless touchpad on its all-in-one as its solution to taking advantage of the touch-optimized tile interface mode in Windows 8.

He pointed out that a touchpad "provides a large interface for touch interaction," while avoiding problems of arm fatigue that desktop users could encounter.

The Envy 23 and Envy 20 TouchSmart PCs can sense up to 10 fingers on their 23- and 20-inch high-definition displays. They feature optional ExpressCache and solid state drives, up to 3 terabytes of storage, and a "latest Intel processor."

Included in the Envy 23 and 20 are Beats Audio, HP TrueVision HD webcam, HP Connected Photo, HP Connected Backup, and HP Connected Music powered by Meridian. The 20 model also includes HP Connected Remote, which turns a smartphone or tablet into a remote control so that the computer can more easily be used as a "lean back" playback device.

Touchscreens and wireless touchpads in all-in-ones are among the form factor solutions that computer makers are offering for Windows 8's touch possibilities, but a variety of others are also emerging.

Last month, for instance, a menagerie of laptop hybrids from HP, Samsung, Asus, Toshiba and others were shown at the big IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin. They largely demonstrated variations of how a laptop could also be used as tablet. The hybrids included HP's own Envy X2, in which an 11.6-inch screen attached to the keyboard via a magnetic latch. When unconnected, it became a tablet.

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