HP's TouchSmart IQ816 is a media center computer-in-a-screen built around a 25.5-inch 1920 x 1200 touchscreen LCD monitor. The system can be used as a desktop model, or the monitor supports wall-mounting for integration into living spaces. At the heart of the IQ816 is an Intel Core 2 Duo T8100 processor running at 2.1GHz and with 4GB DDR2 memory. For graphics power, the system uses a DirectX 10-compatible 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GS, supporting Blu-ray acceleration. Along with the slot-loading Blu-ray drive and greater-than-full-HD resolution monitor, the system comes fully equipped for HD movie viewing.

The IQ816 sports a bevy of inputs, including five USB ports, a flash card reader, firewire, and an antenna connection for use by its ATSC digital HDTV tuner. For networking options, the system offers gigabit Ethernet and draft-N wireless interfaces. Storage comes in the form of a single 750GB SATA drive. HP installs the system with a 64-bit copy of Vista Home Premium with an additional UI that takes advantage of the touchscreen, providing easy navigation through media libraries. Emphasizing the stylish design of the system, HP has engineered in little details to enhance the user experience, such as putting a variable-color light in the bottom of the screen to illuminate the keyboard in dark conditions.