Touch Screen Monitors Research - Acer T232HL 23" and Acer T272HL 27" Versus Dell S2340T 23" Versus Philips 273P3LPHEB 27"

Since the Leap Motion Launch has been pushed back to 22 July 2013, I've been on the lookout for a Touch Screen Monitor.

Reason being, I would like to utilize the Windows 8 software that I've bought, as well as to get a semi-entertainment/TV kinda kick-ass monitor in my room.




I wanna play games like "Cut The Rope",




zoom in on Photos and Maps with my fingers and

surf the web with my hands and watch HD Videos.




Even play a digital piano on screen. 

I guess it's really just for fun and to learn new technology that involves swiping and other defined hand gestures on screen. 



A recent trip to Funan Shopping Center in Singapore led to the discovery of these new shortlisted Touch Screen Monitor Products. If you would like to test try the actual product displays, it's located at the top level, Challenger store.

Shortlisted Product Listing
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. S$599 - Acer T232HL 23" (23 Inch Touch Screen Monitor)

2. S$799 - Acer T272HL 27" (27 Inch Touch Screen Monitor)

3. S$769 - Dell S2340T 23" (23 Inch Touch Screen Monitor) , Previously USD899

Another Monitor That Caught My Eye, though not Touch Screen:
4. S$499 - Philips 273P3LPHEB (27 Inch Monitor , Non Touch Screen)

Shortlisted Product Images 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. S$599 - Acer T232HL bmidz 23-Inch Touch Screen LCD Display (23 Inch Touch Screen Monitor)

2. S$799 - Acer T272HL bmidz 27-Inch Touch Screen LCD Display (27 Inch Touch Screen Monitor)



3. S$769 - Dell S2340T 23" Multi-Touch Monitor (23 Inch Touch Screen Monitor) , Previously USD899

Another Monitor That Caught My Eye:
4. S$499 - P-line 273P3LPHEB - LCD-Display - TFT (27 Inch Monitor , Non Touch Screen)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------










Shortlisted Product Videos-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. S$599 - Acer T232HL 23" (23 Inch Touch Screen Monitor)

2. S$799 - Acer T272HL 27" (27 Inch Touch Screen Monitor)



3. S$769 - Dell S2340T 23" (23 Inch Touch Screen Monitor) , Previously USD899







Another Monitor That Caught My Eye, though not Touch Screen:
4. S$499 - Philips 273P3LPHEB (27 Inch Monitor , Non Touch Screen)

Can't find any video on this model on Youtube.



Conclusion:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Out of all the models that I've listed above, I'm going for the:
S$799 - Acer T272HL (27 Inch Touch Screen Monitor)

-->

I think the price is cheaper than Dell's 23" model and the design of the display was better than Dell's as well. It has a floating design and looks slim. It's also easy to maneuver the tilt of the display.

Acer Flyer at PC Show, Singapore, 6 - 9 June 2013 with Price List:

The Price, Design and Function won me over.


However, it is currently out of stock. Will have to wait about 2 - 3 weeks before I can get my hands on the monitor. It's been a long wait since Feb 2013. Been researching and looking for monitors and monitor sensors for about 5 months.

Brand and Product Comparison, What I've Learnt...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I was kinda surprised that the Acer Monitor was cheaper than the Dell Monitor, coz my perception was that Dell was the brand that offered the lowest entry level pricing for computer peripherals.

The initial Dell 23" Touch Screen monitor that I found on the web around Feb to Apr 2013, cost around USD 899, so the price seems to have dropped to S$769, which was an improvement.

However, it's still kinda pricey when you compare it to the Acer displays. The design of the Dell monitor is also more bulky looking.

Dell also offered only the 23" model. (S$769)
Acer had more options for the consumer: 27" (S$799) model and 23" (S$599) model.

1. I can save about S$170 (769 - 599 = 170) if i buy the Acer 23" (S$599) instead of Dell 23" (S$769) model.
2. This means for S$30 more, I could have upgraded the from 23"(DELL)  to 27" (ACER).
Which is really a good deal.


The S$499 - Philips 273P3LPHEB (27 Inch Monitor , Non Touch Screen) was also kinda cool, as it had an ergonomic design that allowed you to adjust the height and it also swiveled easily to suit your eye level and angle that you're sitting at.






I was tempted to buy the Philips Model at first, coz its $499 for 27" but non touch screen. But I realised, if I just topped up about S$100 more, I could have a 23" Touch Screen Monitor from Acer at S$599.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Update 9 Nov 2013:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It's been about 3 months since
I bought the Acer T232HL bmidz 23-Inch Touch Screen LCD Display
 (27 Inch Touch Screen Monitor).
Wanna do a post review on my purchase.

Overall, I'm very happy with the purchase. Wish I bought it earlier. :)
Love the big screen and I've been watching a lot of YouTube videos on it.
It's sort of like a TV to me now.

I think I was using the Touch screen function for the 1st two weeks only.
Playing games and experimenting.
But once things returned to normal, or my novelty wore off.
I used it mainly as a monitor.
I occasionally zoom things with my fingers on screen for fun.

Additional thing I found out about the Monitor is that it was 3 usb ports at the side,
which was great as I could just attach my usb drive easily.

I think the main gripe I have is:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. The tilted stand at the back of the monitor.
It's kinda difficult to move into the slot that was intended.
I had to use a lot of strength and I was afraid of "hurting" it.

2. Swiping is difficult across a big screen. Not as easy as a phone or tablet.

3.  I can't find a 27" screen protector easily or cheaply.

4. There are fingerprints left on the screen if I use it frequently. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Overall, I love the monitor. It has changed the way I use my computer and my lifestyle as well.
I'm now officially a YouTube junkie.
Loving all the HD videos!



 In addition, my SO sometimes uses his MBP with the monitor.
It works perfectly and resembles an iMac.
So the monitor alternates between a Mac and Windows platform depending on our needs effortlessly.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

But for touchscreen functions for Mac, you will need to install/purchase a driver at
http://www.touch-base.com 

Won't recommend it.
We tried it, but the Mac software
is not really configured for touch screen functionality.
So when you touch the screen, you can't drag, slide, pinch or zoom.
The touch function acts like the mouse cursor.
Can't scroll with 2 fingers.
You have to touch the scrollbar on the right and move your finger down on it.
So there's no point.

Touch function is better for Windows 8.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

End. 

Leap Motion - Is it a Scam?

I found www.leapmotion.com on the web while I was researching on touch screen monitors, since I just bought Windows 8. I though it looks very promising. Here's a short video of Leap Motion Technology.

On the website and in some interviews, it's stated that they will release this device to the market in May 2013. It is now 16 April 2013. There's a pre-order page on the web site and I'm itching to buy it, yet I'm afraid that this may turn out to be a scam. Sounds too good to be true. at US$79.99.

Leap Motion (US$79.99) or Touch Screen Monitor (US$899)?

I will wait around for a month more before I dive in.

Some videos on the Dell S2340T 23-inch Multi-Touch Monitor with LED that I was keen on before I chanced upon Leap Motion.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Update on 5 May 2013 :
On the Leap Motion Site, they have indicated that they have postponed the shipment to 22 July 2013.
Hmmm...

Here's an excerpt from the link: http://blog.leapmotion.com/

Release Date Update

25 APRIL, 2013 46 COMMENTS NEWS

I wanted to reach out to update you on the status of our ship date. After a lot of consideration, we’ve decided to push back the date and will now be shipping units to pre-order customers on July 22nd.

This is not a decision we take lightly. There are hundreds of thousands of people in over 150 countries who have pre-ordered Leap Motion controllers, some as long as a year ago. These people are part of our community and there is nothing more important to us than getting them devices as quickly as possible.

We’ve made a lot of progress. When we first started taking orders back in May we were twelve (very tired) people in a basement. Now we are eighty (although still tired and possibly still in a basement). We’ve manufactured over six hundred thousand devices and delivered twelve thousand to amazing developers who are building applications that let people do things that just wouldn’t have been possible before.

These developers have given us great feedback that we’ve used to make huge improvements to the stability and polish of the product. We’re really proud of Leap Motion as both a company and a product.

The reality is we very likely could have hit the original ship date. But it wouldn’t have left time for comprehensive testing. This will come in the form of a beta test that will start in June. We will give the 12k developers who currently have Leap Motion controllers access to the feature complete product including OS interaction (today developers only have access to the SDK). We will also invite some people who are not developers to join the beta test.

Ultimately, the only way we felt 100% confident we could deliver a truly magical product that would do justice to this new form of interaction, was to push the date so we would have more time for a larger, more diverse beta test.

I really appreciate your patience. I know it’s been a long wait. Everyone at Leap Motion is working tirelessly to make sure that the wait is worth it. Thanks so much for your help and support.

David and I will be participating in an open video Q&A using Google Hangout tomorrow at 11:30am Pacific time. To join our hangout, please visit our Google+ page. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact our support team at support@leapmotion.com or my personal email (buckwald@leapmotion.com). As always, we will not charge pre-order customers’ credit cards until the devices have actually shipped.

Thanks again.

Michael Buckwald"Sounds very suspicious to me. I have my doubts. Let's wait till July 2013 for more news.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Update: 26 July 2013

I've already gotten my touch screen monitor from Acer.
But decided to check back on the Leap Motion Delivery that was slated for 22 July.

Quick Search on the web and here's a good link for reference
from a writer at ZDnet published on 23 July:
http://www.zdnet.com/leap-motion-begins-shipping-about-a-year-ahead-of-its-time-7000018410/


Excerpt:
"The Leap Motion controller began shipping this weekend and I received mine in the mail today. Although some people that place pre-orders got theirs over the weekend, Leap just posted the software today. "


"It's early yet, but I like what I see. It feels like the future.
Leap Motion is novel in these early days but I can't wait to see what kind of innovative applications are developed to exploit its innovative sensors. Someday when motion sensors are built into every computer (Leap Motion has announced partnerships with HP and ASUS), it's conceivable that we won't touch our computers at all, but instead just point, swipe and gesture in the air in front of them.
"



But I have not seen many articles written by real users beyond the ones written by editors.