Ask Slashdot: All-In-One PC For Kitchen?

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."

Old school

[Anonymous Coward]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kitchen_computer_ad.jpg

Hate to agree with everyone else

[Grayhand]

An iPad is the elegant solution. You could even get creative and route out a place for one in a cabinet door so it was at eye level then use the adapter to keep it plugged in so you'd never have to charge it. They are instant on and if you have wifi set up you can download movies and music. Add in some bluetooth speakers and you get decent sound. Honestly you'll spend a nearly a grand getting a set up that will be bulky and take up counter space. Yes there are cheapie computers but they are large. I'm talking a nice machine that has a small foot print. I used to use Shuttle boxes which are around the size of a toaster but it's a build it yourself. Then you end up with a monitor and cords and it's not very portable. You even get Facetime with an iPad so you can do video calling. It's $500 bucks and you avoid a lot of grief and expense. If you leave it plugged in the battery life isn't an issue so it could easily last you five years with no maintenance.

Re:I know you don't want to here this...

[John Bokma]

Or a Kindle Fire. That's what my wife uses in the kitchen to follow recipes on YouTube and other sites.

Re:Maybe I'm getting old

[Theaetetus]

Nobody needs an All-in-one PC in the kitchen, nobody needs a web-enabled washing machine, nobody needs a beta firmware on its dishwasher, and nobody needs an LCD display on the fridge.
Those stuff just get obsolete after 2 years, and become "broken" even though their main utility would still work perfectly fine without the added useless complexity. I expect my fridge, my dishwasher and my washing machine to still work in 10 years.
Your gadget will wind up in the dump in a few years.

I've had a Mac Mini with a touch screen in my kitchen for 5 years. It acts as a media server for the whole house, shows recipes and email and lets us watch tv shows on iTunes, Netflix or Hulu while we cook. It's totally obsolete - I can't even upgrade the OS anymore - but we don't use it for anything except that "main utility".

I expect your expectations are wrong.

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[account_deleted]

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Re:I know you don't want to here this...

[sr180]

Acer A200. Should be able to get a better price, its a solid device and in the box with Android 3.1 with Acer provided 4.0 updates. This is the machine that finally convinced me to drop money on a tablet. The right machine at the right price.