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Asus ET2040 All-in-One PC Review: Freedom and simplicity in a not-so-large package

The Asus ET2040 is an all-in-one system with a 1 hour power backup and an easily portable body.

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The Asus ET2040 embodies exactly what a desktop should be today. Decent specs, easy enough to shift to a different room, and a power backup. Clearly, Asus has put a lot of thought into it’s Indian consumer base for this one.

The ET2040 packs a 2.5GHz Pentium J2900 quad-core processor, 2GB RAM, and 1TB hard drive. It might not be the fastest system out there, but it’ll get the job done. The screen is a 19.5” 1366x768p HD display, that is sadly not touch enabled, a feature that is sorely missed on this device. Also packed in are a 1MP webcam, three USB 3.0 ports, three USB 2.0 ports, HDMI output, and a card reader. The PC runs a standard Windows 8.1

So what’s so special about the ET2040? Firstly, that it’s CPU isn’t a separate box taking up more space. If you’re using this as your general use home desktop, you’re not going to want wires everywhere, as is their standard fare. The All-in-one PC is simply a 14mm thin monitor/CPU, a power cable, and a USB keyboard and mouse. Oh yeah, and that monitor comes with a foldable kickstand of course. And even dear old Dad, with his inability to comprehend why his smartphone went blank (when he accidentally hit the lock key), can unplug and reassemble this computer in another room, should he need to.

The ease with which this device can be shifted is clearly the best thing about it, but there are other notable features too. Like the in-built battery, that gives you one hour’s run time. While this is handy in and of itself, it’s of particular use in India. This means that you can forgo another bulky piece of equipment for your desktop, the power backup, even if the area you live in is prone to power failures.

There’s also the hands-free gesture control to make up for the PC’s lack of a touch screen. The Hand Gesture Recognition Software (HGRS) can interpret your hand movements, using the in-built camera, from up to 5m away, allowing you a bit more freedom. While the responsiveness of this feature generally depends on how wildly you’re gesticulating at your computer (we apologise for your family committing you to a mental institution after they catch you doing this) there aren’t a lot of uses we can see. While gesture control on a tablet or smartphone makes sense, considering the size of the device you’re carrying around, the ET2040 is big enough to not let you, for example, sit it on the kitchen counter and watch a video as you cook.

At the end of the day, the ET2040 is a solid buy. The screen is as good as you’d expect for this price, and sound is clear with distortion noticeable only with a lot of bass. The volume is, in our opinion, enough for a room PC, but a simple set of wired speakers should fix that in even a small budget. And of course, it’s a computer that you can gift to your parents and have them not complain about how it’s too big or too confusing. That, frankly, is priceless.

What we liked:
Portability
Power backup
Simple to disassemble and put back together

What we didn't like: 
Not touch screen
Sound volume and clarity lacking

Key Specs: 
Processor: 2.5GHz Pentium J2900 quad-core
RAM: 2GB
Display: 19.5” 1366x768p
Internal storage: 1TB

Price: Rs 25,000

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