The Toshiba DX All-in-One PC (model 1210-ST4N23) is Toshiba’s first desktop offering in the United States since 2001. In Japan it is called the Toshiba All-in-One Dynabook Qosmio DX. This sleek and black all-in-one desktop benefits from the expertise in miniaturization that Toshiba learned from its extensive experience with laptops. The all-in-one format is attractive to customers who are initially attracted to the idea of a large laptop as a desktop replacement. With an all-in-one PC such as the Toshiba DX, you don’t have to deal with where to put the computer box because the central processing unit (CPU) is built into the monitor. And it is easier to use than a large laptop because you can move the keyboard to the position that makes the most ergonomic sense. It wins the TopTenREVIEWS Gold Award for all-in-one PCs.
It is praiseworthy that Toshiba produces this all-in-one PC to meet important environmental specifications. It is ENERGY STAR qualified and RoHS compatible. RoHS is the European Union Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive, which took effect in 2006. RoHS restricts six hazardous materials from inclusion in various electronics.
This all-in-one PC boasts an Intel Core i7-2630QM processor running at 2.0GHz or 2.9GHz with Turbo Boost Technology. The operating system is Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit. Standard memory is 4GB. Sixty-four bit operating systems move us up to a whole new level of computer power. The previous generation of 32-bit operating systems only took advantage of less than 4GB of RAM. With the right operating system and enough RAM, this Intel Core i7 processor could theoretically use 18 billion gigabytes of RAM. The Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit operating system imposes an artificial licensing restricting of 16GB of RAM, a moot point considering that the Toshiba DX can have a maximum of 8GB. In any case, we really don’t have mainstream applications that can take advantage of more. But they’re coming. For now, the Intel Core i7 swimming in 4GB of RAM represents strong computer processing power.
Windows 7 Home Premium includes most of the big Windows 7 features. There is Aero Peek for previewing programs and clearing the desktop, and Aero Snap if you want to resize a program window. It includes the Aero skin with translucent Taskbar and window borders. It also has a less well-known Windows 7 feature called Aero Shake, which lets you clear the desktop by clicking and holding the window for one program and lightly shaking it, which hides the other open windows. In comparison with Windows 7 Professional and Ultimate, Windows 7 Home Premium can only support one CPU and it cannot back up to a network. And unlike Professional and Ultimate, Home Premium lacks a Windows XP mode and doesn’t encrypt its file system or support location-aware printing or a remote desktop host.
The storage drive on this PC is 1TB, and there is an optical disk drive, a SuperMulti DVD drive that supports 11 formats. A digital TV tuner is built in. The system adjusts the color, brightness and contrast to enhance standard definition video in real time. With all of these features, it is good that there is a slot for a security lock, so that the system doesn’t grow legs and walk away.
The system is loaded with the following Toshiba software and utilities:
- TOSHIBA Bulletin Board
- TOSHIBA Bluetooth Stack for Windows
- TOSHIBA Disc Creator
- TOSHIBA DVD Player with Resolution+ Upconvert Technology
- TOSHIBA eco Utility
- TOSHIBA Face Recognition
- TOSHIBA HDD/SSD Alert
- TOSHIBA HW Setup Utility
- TOSHIBA Media Controller
- TOSHIBA PC Health Monitor
- TOSHIBA Recovery Disc Creator
- TOSHIBA ReelTime
- TOSHIBA Service Station
- TOSHIBA Sleep Utility
- TOSHIBA Value Added Package
- TOSHIBA Video Player
- TOSHIBA Web Camera Application
Toshiba also includes quite a bit of third-party software:
- Adobe Acrobat Reader
- CyberLink PowerCinema 7.1 Touch Software
- Google Toolbar
- Google Chrome
- Internet Explorer 8
- Corel Digital Studio™ for TOSHIBA
- WavesMaxxAudio
- Microsoft Touch Pack
- Microsoft Office Starter 2010
- Microsoft Windows Media Player 12
- Microsoft Silverlight™
- Microsoft Live Essentials
- Photo Gallery
- Messenger
- Writer
- Movie Maker
- Norton Internet Security™ (30-day trial subscription)
DOLBY Advanced Audio speakers by Onkyo are built in. The speakers face downward to create a wider soundscape by reflecting sound off of the desktop. The sound system includes Waves MaxxAudio processors that create a full and crisp sound. Toshiba’s Sleep & Music mode lets you use the speakers even when the PC is not turned on, although this mode will compromise volume and sound quality. The keyboard and mouse are wireless. There is a microphone and a 1.3-megapixel webcam. Local area networking is Gigabit Ethernet. Wireless networking is Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, the latest Wi-Fi standard. A memory card reader supports many formats. There are two USB 3.0 ports and four USB 2.0 ports. USB 3.0 supports transfer speeds that are almost ten times faster than USB 2.0. With USB flash drives as large as 64GB, the slower speed of USB 2.0 is now becoming a problem that USB 3.0 solves. Toshiba’s Sleep & Charge function lets you charge USB devices when the PC is off.
The touchscreen display is a 21.5-inch diagonal widescreen with native support for 1080-pixel content. If you want to use this beautiful high-definition display for a Blu-ray player or game console, it has an HDMI port. The advent of touchscreen technology gives us novel ways to interact with PCs. In the beginning we told computers what to do by toggling switches and feeding them with punch cards. Then we added keyboards, but we left the QWERTY keyboard layout intact, even though the QWERTY keyboard was designed to slow humans down as much as possible so that mechanical typewriters could function. The invention of the mouse by Douglas Engelbart at Stanford Research Institute gave us a giant leap forward in ways that we use computers to augment human intellect. With touchscreen technology we are interacting with computers in the most direct fashion to date. The screen on the Toshiba DX All-in-One PC is not just a touchscreen. It is a multi-touch screen that supports pinch to zoom. Multi-touch is the technology that Apple first exposed to the mass market in the form of iPhones in 2007.
Toshiba supports this all-in-one PC with a one-year warranty. You can reach customer support by telephone.
The Toshiba DX is Toshiba’s first desktop computer for the United States market since 2001. This all-in-one PC is beautiful inside and out. The design is attractive and space-saving. Inside it has tremendous computer processing power and an unusually large hard drive. Toshiba packages a staggering amount of software with the Toshiba DX. The extensive input-output features make no compromises: huge touchscreen, wireless keyboard and mouse, built-in microphone, 1.3-megapixel webcam and USB 3.0 ports. In the never-ending leapfrog game that PC manufacturers play when it comes to all-in-one PCs, right now the Toshiba DX All-in-One PC is the ultimate digital hub.
