While Hewlett-Packard’s TouchSmart user interface software for Windows has been available on all-in-one PCs for consumers for some time now, the company is now taking a more proactive approach to selling these systems to business customers via channel partners.

Randall Martin, chief design strategist for HP’s PC division, says a wide range of businesses from doctors’ offices to hotels want to deploy touch-enabled systems as a kiosk that multiple users can easily share and access.

The 23-in. screen TouchSmart 9300 Elite PC tilts to a 60-degree angle to give customers the ability to interact with the system from a number of sitting and standing positions. Martin says business customers wanted a touch-screen PC that did not require a user to always touch the screen from the same angle.

In general, PC manufacturers are trying to extend Windows with technologies such as TouchSmart as part of an ongoing effort to differentiate their wares. That may require application vendors to extend their offerings to support those extensions.

The TouchSmart 9300 Elite PC runs Windows 7 and can be configured with the latest Intel Core processors and up to 16 GB of memory. The system is scheduled to be available in May.