Mostly evolutionary The concept of the desktop PC that folds flat like a tabletop is catching on. HP was first, with its Z1 workstation, but Lenovo brought the technology to consumer all-in-ones with its very sexy IdeaCentre A720. Now Asus has adopted the idea for its new ET2300 series (we reviewed the model ET2300INTI-B022K). Asus’s ET2300 isn’t as sleek as Lenovo’s A720, but it delivers plenty of features Like the A720, the E2300 tucks all its components inside the base of its display; but for whatever reason, Asus needed more room than Lenovo. The E2300’s base is thin enough at the front, but it slopes up to about 1.5 inches high in the back. Lenovo’s A720 is less than an inch thick all around. Asus makes very big claims for the ET2300’s audio performance, as in “the best audio experience ever in an AiO.†Uh, no. Asus did go farther on this score than most manufacturers haveâ€"the ET2300 has a four-speaker array augmented by an internal subwoofer, and you can buy an optional (and proprietary) outboard subwooferâ€"but this all-in-one sounds only slightly better than the nails-on-a-chalkboard A720. Plan on using headphones for a personal audio experience, or external powered speakers to fill a room. This model ET2300 costs $400 less than Lenovo’s A720, but its 23-inch IPS panel is much smaller than the 27-inch VA panel that Lenovo delivers (both models deliver the typical resolution of 1920x1080, and both provide 10 touch points to support Window
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