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f advancements in telecommunication technology make the world smaller, the revolution in computer technology makes it even bigger, at least if the small bedroom or office cubicle is your world.

But you’ve probably heard that repeatedly, especially with the never-ending flow of all-in-one PCs on the market. What you probably don’t hear too often is how some of these PCs are sold at highly competitive prices, well, at least one of them.

We take out hats off to HP’s latest Touchsmart 600, dubbed one of the most reliable all-in-one PCs out there when it comes to dashing Windows and playing games, especially because everything runs on Windows. But when HP said it was releasing a more affordable version, which by affordable we mean low, low priced starting from US$409, we just had to check it out.

And so we went straight to HP’s headquarters to see how far this Compaq Presario CQ1 can go.

At first glance, there’s no way one could call the Compaq CQ1 a low-end model. Although it has a wired USB keyboard and optical mouse, it has an 18.5 inch widescreen TFT panel and everything else literally packed within its thin monitor back, making it a space saver.

The uncompromising black frame looks slick with no buttons in sight, cleverly concealing the build-in stereo system under the screen while hiding the round start blue-led button, the dual-layer DVD burner and the six-in-one integrated Digital Media Reader behind it.

Eight USB 2.0 sockets are more than enough to groove you up, but six of them are set in an inconvenient location behind the monitor along with an Ethernet jack, which is nothing to complain about actually, as it seems to have run out of surface space for anything else.

What makes the Compaq CQ1 a convenient PC, like most all-in-one PCs, is obviously the part where you have to turn the thing on.

As having everything else located on the back, it omits the cable that connects the monitor to the graphic processing unit. This too omits the monitor’s need for a separate power cable. You do need to plug in the USB keyboard and mouse, yet the dedicated two USB sockets are more conveniently located than the other six, making the entire package visually stunning if not simplistic.

And then comes the power cord, which is the only cable you will need to plug into the power strip. Press the start button and voila, you’ve got yourself a free MS-DOS.

Luckily, the Compaq CQ1 we tested is the 1007d, the one with a Genuine Windows 7 Starter in it. Outfitted with a dual-core Atom D510 processor -- a netbook processor that though more frugal, was said to be of no better performance than the previous D330 --, CQ1 is also equipped with Intel’s Graphics Media Accelerator 3150, an integrated graphics card found within the processor’s package. Upgrades to Fermi-based GPU will be the first important step for gamers.

On the plus side, the standard 2GB DDR2 memory is more than enough to keep things going. The 160GB (7200rpm) hard disk drive is also more than enough to maintain all your files, both with additional slots available.

“Being the affordable type of HP releases, the Compaq CQ1 is intended to replace the regular desktop computer, with a growing market from companies and schools,” said Jane Ritonga, the market development manager of HP Indonesia.

“And this product is readily available in every HP store in Jakarta, with the biggest stores located in Pondok Indah Mall and Taman Anggrek,” said HP Indonesia trade marketing manager Fitra Rifai.

A perfect marriage between a regular PC and a laptop, the Compaq CQ1 has the positive traits of both, but also some of their cons. For one, the integrated 10/100 BaseT network interface can automatically find available wireless networks in the neighborhood just like a netbook does. The integrated webcam is also convenient to use, with adjustable angle and crisp built-in speaker. The thing doesn’t take up much space and is easy to set up. Weighing a total of five kilos, it can be easily mounted on a wall or carried from one place to another.

While gamers and enthusiasts will normally require a power supply of between 450W and 1400W, CQ1 only requires 65W to 90W to run, making it a huge energy saver.

The well packed netbook hardware sizes, on the other hand, will make it more of a hassle to disassemble, slightly more expensive to upgrade and definitely not gamer friendly. Yet, not everyone loves the idea of disassembling their PC, especially one that looks as stunning as this one.