Touchscreen monitor for Windows 8: Is it worth buying an Acer T232HLbmidz MultiTouch?

Windows 8 is only really fun with a touchscreen monitor, for example from Acer, Dell or Iiyima. You can also operate the operating system without a multi-touch display and just use the mouse and keyboard. But the live tiles are designed for finger gestures. Anyone upgrading their desktop PC with multitouch should be aware of the advantages of touchscreen monitors for Windows 8. Is it worth buying an Acer T232HLbmidz MultiTouch for 500 euros?

Acer & Co. - suitable touchscreen monitor for Windows 8

Acer, Dell and Iiyama currently offer capacitive multi-touch monitors that are ideally suited for use with Windows 8. Acer in particular was an early adopter of touchscreens - and is currently represented on the market with two current multi-touch monitors:

1. Acer T232HLbmidz MultiTouch 58.4 cm (23 inch) IPS touch monitor - current price: around 500 euros.
2. Acer T272HLbmidz MultiTouch 68.5 cm (27 inch) VA Touch Monitor - current price: around 700 euros.

The small Iiyama ProLite T2250MTS 55.9 cm (22 inch) multi-touchscreen monitor is a bargain - it is currently listed in online shops for less than 300 euros.

The multi-touch monitors from Acer, Iiyma and Dell transform every PC and notebook into an optimal Windows 8 device.

Swipe & tap - how Windows 8 benefits from the touchscreen monitor

Windows 8 is equipped with a new interface consisting of live tiles, which is designed for touch operation. You can also use the interface with a mouse and keyboard, but it doesn't feel right. Somehow something is missing.

The new apps for Windows 8 are also specially designed for use with touch input. With a mouse and keyboard, you often have to rethink. Example?

For example, the Charms bar: On a touchscreen monitor, simply swipe from the left edge of the screen to the center to call up the central control element of Windows 8.

Without a touchscreen monitor, you have to use the key combination [Win]+[C]. Or use the mouse to "catch" the symbols in the right-hand area. So it is a little more complicated. If you use one of the supplied apps, it also quickly becomes clear that you could work much faster and more intuitively with your finger instead of the mouse.

Multitouch on the Windows desktop - but the mouse remains

Microsoft has adapted some parts of the system interface so that they can be operated very easily with a finger. Windows Explorer, for example, has a ribbon with large elements that can be accurately selected with a finger

So is the golden era of the computer mouse coming to an end?

Will we soon have to say goodbye to our standard input device?

Will we soon no longer be able to have a customized mousepad printed to give as a gift?

The clear answer is no. If you work intensively on the desktop, you will most likely still be more efficient with a mouse and keyboard under Win 8. With Windows 8, you quickly notice that the desktop interface, which still exists behind the new start interface, has only been partially optimized for touch operation. And there you work very well with a mouse and keyboard, as you are used to from Windows 7, Vista, XP & Co.

However, if you are working with your own fingers on a multi-touch monitor for Windows 8, the workflow increases even further.

Advantages and disadvantages of Windows 8 touchscreen monitors

Is it worth investing several hundred euros in an Acer T232HLbmidz MultiTouch touchscreen monitor? We have summarized the most important advantages and disadvantages:

The advantages:

• Faster working on the start interface.
• Windows 8 apps are easy to use, even for children.
• Perfect for creative entertainment in between - you can simply draw better with a pen and finger than with a mouse.
• Touch operation is the future.
• Subsequent versions of Windows 8 will also be designed for touch.

The disadvantages:

• Price for the monitor - for a little more money you can get a multi-touch device like the Microsoft Surface with Windows RT.
• Typing on the on-screen keyboard is slow and tiring in the long run, so you need a keyboard again for longer writing tasks.
• You need a lot of desk space and have to constantly adjust the position of the monitor.
• Depending on the angle of inclination, working with the monitor can be very strenuous after a long period of time.
• The monitor cannot simply be transported.

Multitouch pad & Win 8 - the alternative to the touchscreen monitor

With the Rechargable Touchpad from Logitech, you can add all touch functions to any Windows 8 PC at a slightly lower price. The touchpad allows simple gesture control, but not directly on the screen.

This feels better on the Windows 8 start interface, but still not 100% as it should be.

 (YouTube video above: Online hardware and software retailer NCIXcom tests an Acer with Win 8).