Who says a family PC should not be fully loaded?
By Zatni Arbi
JAKARTA (JP): As our economy continues to slide further into uncertainty, who would be interested in forking out money for a family computer when the same sum of money could buy a decent used car?
Maybe some would. And why not? Those who are paid in foreign currency will certainly find the HP Pavilions currently being offered in Indonesia a great bargain. In the U.S., the prices of Pavilions start at US$1,499. And these are great machines, too.
For the majority of us, for whom the idea of acquiring a new PC is at the moment almost as implausible as a picnic in Monas Square, perhaps a close look at the handsome home PC by Hewlett- Packard may still be worthwhile. At least it gives us some idea of where the industry is heading. It also highlights the fact that the term "home PC" by no means refers to an anemic computer that cannot perform well enough to run demanding business applications efficiently.
Courtesy of Hewlett-Packard, I was able to play with the top model in their Pavilion line of home PCs that they have introduced to the Indonesian market, the Pavilion 8215. As usual, we find more things to show us the direction the industry and technology are going when we test-drive the high-end model, as it is always the one with the most bells and whistles. Over time, these bells and whistles trickle down to the mid-range and low- end models.
Just take the CD-ROM drive as an example. In the beginning only the most expensive PCs would come with a CD-ROM drive. Today, you have to place a special order if you want a PC without a CD-ROM drive, even when you're buying a low-end model. In the same manner, while today only the top model of Pavilions has a DVD-ROM drive, I bet that in a few years' time almost all PCs will come with a DVD drive.
Spacious
The first thing I noticed about Pavilion was that its CPU casing was larger than its rival, Compaq Presario. HP told me that the spacious casing was meant to give the machine better air circulation and heat dissipation. To me, the biggest advantage is certainly expandability. With a bigger casing, Pavilions offer more slots for additional expansion boards, including perhaps a network interface card.
By the way, if you think the idea of having a network of PCs in your house is too far-fetched, think again. The low-cost network kit provided by HP, Intel and others are very easy to set up, and they may even allow more than one PC to access the Internet using the same modem and phone connection. It will help you solve a lot of problems if you have several PC-loving members in your family.
Now back to the 8215. This machine ran on a Pentium II 300 MHz. The raw power of the processor was obvious right from the moment I turned it on. I was able to play Video CDs full screen without the help of any hardware decoder. I even ran an older version of IBM's voice recognition software, VoiceType 3.0, and had a lot of fun with it. What this software does is turn spoken words into text, and the process requires a tremendous amount of computing power. Thanks to the Pentium II 300 MHz processor, it didn't take long before the words I spoke into the microphone appeared on the screen. With a less powerful processor, dictating a short memo with the help of this software would be as painful as a root canal with inadequate anesthetics.
This model also came with a spacious 17 inch monitor. The microphone was located on the monitor's top bezel, and it was sensitive enough for voice commands. In fact, you could easily add a video camera on the provided space on top of the monitor and have a video conference. The speakers were made by Polk Audio, one of America's leading speaker makers. HP even put Polk's label on the speakers, which can be attached to both sides of the monitor or placed on their own base anywhere you like. To produce more realistic sound, this home PC is also equipped with a amplifier.
If you still find the 17 inch monitor not large enough for screening Godzilla, you can connect the PC to a large-screen TV using the supplied cable. To produce better sound effects, you can also add a subwoofer. As for DVD playback, no comment would be necessary.
Keyboard
Another thing that I liked about this family PC was its keyboard, and I would say that this would represent a trend in the future. HP started putting nifty extra buttons on their keyboards when they launched Brio, their business PCs. With the Pavilions, the keyboard boasts a round knob that controls the volume. I like it very much, because it gives me a natural means to control the loudness of the sound that comes out of the speakers. Turn it right to pump up the volume, or turn it left to save your children's ears. Because the volume control is software-based, your toddler will never damage the knob even if he or she keeps turning it to the left after the sound have been muted altogether.
There are other small and useful buttons on the keyboard as well, including buttons for controlling CD playback, launching your Internet browser, and invoking preset applications.
My test unit came with a large 6.2 GB hard disk, a 56 Kbps modem with voice capabilities, and a dual Universal Serial Bus. Anybody could put it together out of the box without any help, as all the connections and cables were color-coded. You wouldn't insert the plug for the speakers' cable into the jack for the microphone, for instance.
My only complaint about this machine is its bluish gray color. I wish HP had chosen a more lively color that would immediately attract the attention of young children and would fit the colors of a typical living room more nicely.
Apart from that, it's hard to find fault with Pavilion 8215. It is a well-built family PC with amenities that will satisfy even a very demanding computer aficionado. The Pentium 300 MHz provides more than enough power to run most applications, including 3-D games and creative imaging. The problem is, even though its price is a real bargain when converted into U.S. dollars, perhaps only a handful of very lucky Indonesians can afford to buy it these days.