HP Envy Rove 20

HP joins the small but growing number of PC makers entering what I call the tabletop PC space. That's shorthand for a big-screen all-in-one desktop PC that includes a battery for short-haul portability, plus an ability to lie flat on a surface, creating an optional face-up view. These are essentially megatablets with either built-in kickstands or desktop docks, and represent one of the only truly unique and interesting things going on in desktop computer design right now (at least until Apple's Mac Pro hits).

The $899 HP Envy Rove aims to bring a big 20-inch tablet/desktop to the masses at a very mainstream price. It does this by keeping the CPU on the low end, with a new fourth-generation Intel Core i3, and restricting the 20-inch display to a middling 1,600x900-pixel native resolution (some competing systems have full 1,920x1,080-pixel screens).

Sony's very similar Vaio Tap 20 offers essentially the same deal (including the 1,600x900-pixel screen), although the Core i3 offered is a last-gen chip, and upgrading to match the HP Rove's 1TB HDD brings that system up to $949.

Other entries in this field are either larger or smaller, with the Dell XPS 18 dropping two inches from its screen size, and the Lenovo Horizon 27 bumping it up to, you guessed it, 27 inches. The Lenovo Horizon, while a favorite, is a much different animal just based on its size (and $1,500-plus price), but Dell's version presents an interesting choice.

A comparable model is $100 more, $999, and has a last-gen Core i3 CPU and only 500GB of HDD storage, and, of course the screen in smaller (although it's a full 1080p screen). The interesting part is that while the HP Rove and the Sony Tap 20 both weigh around 12 pounds, the XPS 18 manages to be an essentially similar machine at only a bit above five pounds. If you put them side by side (as we did), it's a pretty stunning difference, making one an essentially desk-locked system you can lug from room to room occasionally, and the other a reasonably portable lap-size tablet that can also stand upright when needed.

But if weight isn't your main concern, the HP Rove does has some serious advantages. The built-in kickstand is rock-solid and adjusts to different angles easily, while the Dell XPS 18 relies on a couple of wimpy plastic fold-out fins (or you can buy a $99 metal docking stand). The Rove also features HP's standard Beats Audio subsystem, more USB ports, and a clever on-demand screen rotation button that keeps Windows 8 from flipping the image around every time you jostle the screen.

I think this is a very interesting and growing field, with plenty of practical family and entertainment possibilities. The lie-flat tabletop PC is an entirely different animal, with features of a personal computer, a piece of consumer electronics equipment, and even living-room furniture. Not everyone needs a tabletop PC on their coffee table, and I'd be inclined to lean toward the smaller, lighter Dell or the massive 27-inch Lenovo, but HP's new Rove 20 also gets a nod for providing the best price, most hard-drive space, and the latest Intel processors.

Price	$879	$1,699	$999	$1,349
Display size/resolution	20-inch, 1,600x 900 touch screen	27-inch, 1,920x1,080 touch screen	20-inch, 1,600x900 touch screen	18-inch, 1,920x1,080 touch screen
PC CPU	1.7GHz Intel Core i3-4010U	1.8GHz Intel Core i5-3427U	1.7GHz Intel Core i5-3317U	1.8GHz Intel Core i5-3337U
PC Memory	4GB 1,600MHz DDR3 SDRAM	8GB 1,600MHz DDR3 SDRAM	4GB 1,600MHz DDR3 SDRAM	8GB 1,600MHz DDR3 SDRAM
Graphics	32MB Intel HD Graphics 4000	2GB Nvidia GeForce GT620M	64MB Intel HD Graphics 4000	32MB Intel HD Graphics 4000
Storage	1TB, SSHD hard drive	1TB, 5,400 rpm hard drive	750GB, 5,400rpm hard drive	1TB, 7,200 rpm hard drive
Optical drive	None	None	None	None
Networking	Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n wireless, Bluetooth 4.0	Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n wireless, Bluetooth 4.0	Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n wireless, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC	Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n wireless, Bluetooth 4.0
Operating system	Windows 8 (64-bit)	Windows 8 (64-bit)	Windows 8 (64-bit)	Windows 8 Pro (64-bit)

Design and features
The Rove 20 is closest in design to the Sony Vaio Tap 20, so much so that the pair feels like an old Spy Magazine "Separated at Birth" column. Both models take a large 20-inch glass screen and match it with the kind of thick metal-backed body you'd see on a typical all-in-one desktop, then add a heady duty metal fold-out kickstand.

It's that kickstand that certainly adds some of the thickness and weight to the Rove 20, and it serves to make the entire system feel very secure at almost any angle, even though it's easily adjusted with one hand. It's my favorite of the kickstand designs so far (I found the one used on the Lenovo Horizon clunky and hard to deal with), because once you reach behind the screen and depress a large hand-size trigger, the spring-loaded C-shaped hinge deploys and offers easy adjustment.

The hinge is stiff enough to instantly stay at any angle between fully flat and just short of 90 degrees, but also gives enough that you can push it back with the firm press of a single finger. The trade-off is that it weighs about double what the 18-inch Dell tabletop PC does, although that system has just two fixed-angle plastic flippers that are not nearly as secure.

The Rove 20 includes a matching wireless keyboard and mouse set. Both are fine but plasticky, and oddly, the designs of the two components don't seem to mesh perfectly -- the mouse is made of glossy black plastic, while the keyboard is matte black plastic. Unlike a lot of other pack-in keyboards, or most laptop keyboards, the keys here are deep and offer a satisfying click under the fingers. The curved mouse is ergonomically friendly and fine for casual surfing and even basic gaming.

The 20-inch screen is an LED-backlit IPS display, and looks great, with bright colors and good off-axis viewing. It's covered by edge-to-edge glass that extends across the thick black screen bezel, and touch is, as on nearly every Windows 8 machine to date, very responsive.

The big complaint here is the the screen's native resolution is only 1,600x900 pixels, and for such a big display, anything less than full 1,920x1,080 feels out of place. Its still fine for Netflix and HD video viewing, but you won't be seeing the full resolution of 1080p content.

Like most midrange and up HP systems, the Rove 20 includes a Beats Audio technology, along with dual speakers and a subwoofer, making it a great-sounding portable PC that gets plenty loud without distorting, and with decent bass.

Video	None
Audio	Stereo speakers w/subwoofer, combo headphone/microphone jack
Data	3 USB 3.0, SD card reader
Networking	Ethernet (via USB dongle), 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
Optical drive	None