Packard bell onetwo l

Weighing up whether or not to recommend buying the Packard Bell OneTwo L is a tricky decision. Don't get us wrong - it's a very decent PC and easily one of the best all-in-ones we've seen. It's packed with loads of features too, bar the exclusion of a Blu-ray drive and optical digital audio.

So what's staying our hand from stamping a big TechRadar recommendation all over this product?

The big problem is Windows 7 - it's a great operating system, but it's just not cut out for touchscreen controls. Icons, buttons and text are just too small to comfortably use with a touchscreen, and if you find yourself using the keyboard and mouse over the screen, what's the point in paying extra for it?

Sure, the Packard Bell TouchPortal makes a valiant effort to improve the usefulness of the touchscreen, but it's not the smoothest solution, and ends up locking away a lot of Windows 7's more advanced features.

What the Packard Bell OneTwo L really needs is an operating system that's been designed for a touchscreen, with all the power of a full version of Windows 7.

Of course, this is exactly what Microsoft is working on with Windows 8.

In a year or so, if the Packard Bell OneTwo L came with Windows 8 out of the box, we'd definitely recommend it. As it is, if you buy it now you may feel you'd need to shell out on upgrading to Windows 8 when it comes out. We're not sure at the moment how much this upgrade will be, but we'd recommend waiting until Windows 8 is launched.

We liked

The components inside the Packard Bell OneTwo L are certainly powerful, and for day-to-day computing and media playback it works smoothly and flawlessly. The 23-inch screen is also fantastic, if just a tiny bit too shiny, and the ability to plug in a Blu-ray player or games console and turn it into an HD TV is a massive boon.

We disliked

For a machine that's so good at playing media, it's a shame that it doesn't come with a Blu-ray drive or decent audio-out options, meaning that it's not quite as future-proof as we'd have hoped. Also Windows 7 just doesn't work with the touchscreen, and the Packard Bell TouchPortal interface isn't quite good enough.

Final verdict

Looking for a small HD TV and a computer for your bedroom or living room? Then the Packard Bell OneTwo L is easily one of the best all-in-one PCs on the market, and a worthy investment. Want a powerful desktop PC for graphic editing, playing games or working on? You can get a lot more power for a lot less money elsewhere. Once Windows 8 arrives, however, this could be a very tempting purchase for all.