Seven leading PC makers have announced or been reported to confirm plans to release touch-screen PCs running Windows 7 according to an article on ComputerWorld.

Here’s a list of the announced and the reports of companies planning on Touch computers:

• Hewlett-Packard introduced a touch-screen TouchSmart computer in January 2007.
• Dell sells the touch-screen-enabled Studio One all-in-one consumer desktop.
• Lenovo Group Ltd. has said plans to release a touch-enabled version of its new all-in-one PC, the IdeaCentre C100, after Windows 7 ships.
• Acer Inc. plans to launch three touch-enabled computers with Windows 7 according to the Taiwanese publication Digitimes last week.
• Micro-Star International (MSI), another Taiwanese PC maker, was reported by Digitimes to be planning to release a touch-enabled Windows 7 netbook.
• Sony Corp. said last month that it plans to release touch-enabled Vaio PCs for Windows 7.
• Asustek Inc. reported planning to release a Windows 7 version on the Eee T91 netbook with a swivel LCD screen.

NextWindow Ltd. said that its optical touch-screen overlays, which are already used to touch-enable Dell's and HP's PCs, are being adopted by a number of PC and monitor makers for all-in-one PCs running Windows 7. NextWindow's optical touch is suited for desktop monitor-size touch screens from 17 to 24 inches.

Bruce D. Kyle
ISV Architect Evangelist | Microsoft Corporation

Special thanks to ComputerWorld: Windows 7: The OS that launches a thousand touch-screen PCs