Samsung Debuts Windows 8 All-in-One PCs

As the release date for Windows 8 draws near, and the holiday shopping season begins to creep up on us, you can expect device manufacturers to reveal details about new hardware, starting right about now.

Today, Samsung introduced its Samsung Series 5 and Series 7 all-in-one PCs running Windows 8.

Designed for use in the home, the Series 7 line is definitely on the higher-end of the spectrum, and includes a 27-inch model for $1,699 and a 23.6-inch model for $1,099. Both feature 1,920 x 1,080-pixel multi-touchscreens, so you can take better advantage of Windows 8’s touch-friendly user interface.

As with smartphones and tablets, you can now zoom in on photos and Web sites using the pinch-to-zoom gesture, and scroll through pages by swiping the screen.

In addition, Samsung has added five hand-gesture-recognition features that enable you to perform functions without even touching the display. For example, you can adjust the volume on a movie by rotating your palm clockwise or counterclockwise, or turn the page of an e-book by swiping left or right. The hand gestures work as long as you’re within three feet of the computer.

Both computers offer a one-terabyte hard disk drive and an optical drive for DVDs. The 27-inch all-in-one is equipped with a third-generation Intel Core i7 processor and eight gigabytes of memory, while the 23.6-inch model features an Intel Core i5 processor and 6GB of memory.

The Series 7 all-in-one PCs come with a wireless keyboard, mouse and remote control, and are better suited for the living room or home office.

Meanwhile, Samsung envisions the Series 5 all-in-one in the kitchen. It has a smaller, 21.5-inch touchscreen that offers the same gesture support as the Series 7, but its base has a more open design, so you can slide the keyboard and mouse underneath the display when not in use, to conserve space.

The Series 5 costs $749 and comes with a third-generation Intel Core i3 processor, a 500GB hard drive, an optical drive and 4GB of memory.

All three models are expected to launch alongside Microsoft’s latest operating system on Oct. 26.