Ask Slashdot: All-In-One PC For Kitchen? 156
New submitter brabq writes "Now that I have a couple of CableCard tuner devices in the house (including the network-based HDHomeRun Prime), I'm thinking of buying one of those all-in-one touchscreen PCs for our kitchen (yeah, something I've always sworn against for future repair reasons). The idea is that it would be used primarily for (1) watching TV, via the aforementioned Prime and WMC, and (2) light web surfing (recipes, some sort of video chat possibly). Does anyone have any experience with these types of devices in a kitchen-like setting (where I'd like to use a touchscreen over having a keyboard/mouse on a kitchen counter)? I keep hearing that Windows 8 is going to have some added benefits to this type of setup — is it worth waiting for its release? My end goal is it has to have a high WAF ... if my wife doesn't like its appearance on the counter or finds it useless, then the whole thing will be a waste."
I know you don't want to here this... (Score:5, Informative)
But just buy a fucking iPad.
HP TouchSmart 610 (Score:5, Informative)
I'd vote for an HP TouchSmart 610 myself, since it comes with a TV tuner and a remote controller. It also has a built-in Blu-Ray player and comes with a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse along with a touchscreen. I'd think that I would fit into a kitchen fairly well.
The only downsides I see is that TouchSmart's aren't cheap, and they do not have official Linux support. That said, I see them on sale all the time.
Instructables to the rescue! (Score:5, Informative)
Got a Touchscreen PC for the kitchen 3-4 yrs ago (Score:5, Informative)
We have an HP TouchSmart PC in the kitchen, where the microwave used to be. No cable, just ethernet & it's used primarily for seaching for recipes. Can't user her iPad, as the grandkids commandeer that when we get home! It's also good for measurement conversion, Calorie counts, Product warnings/recalls, etc. There's a wireless mouse/keyboard & it's stayed clear of the flour/sugar problem we likely would have had by having it up higher than the countertop. With our own PC's elsewhere in the house - it's convenient just for what it was purchased for. If you want it to be static - get a PC, if you wish to have portability, then a tablet. Depends upon your expected usage & whether you're already WiFi or not.
Re:I know you don't want to here this... (Score:5, Informative)
If you're a cheapskate like me, I'd recommend the ~$300 ViewSonic G-Tablet running VeganTab (based on Android 2.3 Gingerbread).
Overclocks to 1.4Ghz, and breezes through Netflix, YouTube, even random websites with Adobe Flash videos. I like WinAmp for streaming radio. It has built-in stereo speakers, but for the kitchen you'll probably want to plug it in to bigger speakers. It also has a USB jack so you can plug in a real keyboard for whatever reason.
Plus, these tablet things probably wipe down cleaner than whatever All-in-one PC you might find.
There's also a pretty good Android 4 ICS port done by TeamDRH [teamdrh.com] which is in beta right now, but VegaTab still works better/faster/more stable at the moment. Multitasking is a bit nicer, but the memory footprint is too high for the G-Tablet to multitask well.
Yeah go with a tablet - iPad is a good choice (Score:4, Informative)
I have a tablet, namely an iPad, which I use in the kitchen on occasion. I would recommend a few apps for that: The All Recipes app; the Epicurious app; the Food Guru app. I'm sure that there must be apps about wine selection, and maybe even about beer, too.
For browsing, I'd recommend iCab. Atomic Web Browser is another good one. (iCab, as one of its many features, can synch its bookmarks with Dropbox, which I don't know if Atomic can, as of yet.) Either of those offers some more features than the conventional Safari mobile browser, in a pretty reliable browser platform. (App crashes seem like less of a concern, on the tablet platform, I think)
You can also take it outdoors with you - weather permitting, of course. There's pUniverseHD for iPad, when it comes to stargazing after dinner ;)
As far as TV, then, there's Netflix on iPad - it's close enough for my tastes ;) If you're into sports - Olympic sports, namely - Universal Sports has also put together an app for the 2012 Olympics kicking off in July. In the more "mainstream sports", and for existing cable subscribes - as I recall - there are apps from ESPN, also. Then there's RedBull TV, for the extremophiles in the family. If you're an existing cable subscriber, there are apps from HBO and I think from Cinemax, as well.
Lastly: For hanging it from the kitchen counter, Belkin makes a nice little temporary mounting bracket, and I'm sure there are more permanent options available. The major technology retailer, BestBuy, carries the Belkin bracket, in their iPad section.
Entertainment and utility abound on the well supported mobile platforms, these days - enjoy!
Re:I know you don't want to here this... (Score:5, Informative)
You can buy magnetic iPad mounts so that you can stick it to your fridge (e.g.FridgePad [woodforddesign.com]; I'm sure there are other options). You can also buy protective coverings or sleeves that still let you operate the touchscreen (e.g. Chef Sleeve [chefsleeve.com]), though in practice we've found that it's not really a problem (a touschscreen is pretty easy to wipe clean).
A monitor and a bluetooth keyboard (Score:4, Informative)
That's what we did. Got a 21" wall mount monitor, above the fray, attached a bluetooth keyboard/mousepad combo ($25 off ebay) and youi're golden. A couple of speakers and you can do whatever you want. And best of all the only thing that can get trashed is the keyboard; you can keep spares in your drawer if you really want.
And yes we do use it as music background and to stream internet radio of all sorts.
Not iPad -- no HD channels with Cable Card (Score:5, Informative)
I'm surprised by the number of people suggesting mounting an iPad or similar tablet. Yes, this does make a lot of sense. It makes even more sense to have a mount where you can put the iPad while you're cooking, then take it with you when you're done--this is ideal if you want to have an iPad anyway.
The problem is that you can't currently watch HD channels on an iPad. There is an app for $18 that will let you watch SD channels, but apparently the processor in the iPad can't do HD MPEG-2, or at least the writers of the app in question haven't figured out how to do it.
So with TV being the primary function, you need something that can handle TV.
Another issue is how your cable company sends the channels. Are all the channels you care about set to copy freely? If not, then you can only use solutions that are Cable Labs certified (that probably rules out any tablet apps or Linux solution).
Now, having said all that, I think I need to find a mount for our iPad to put on a cabinet in the kitchen.