Hewlett-Packard has introduced an all-in-one Touchsmart PCs with a dual function; it can be used as a regular desktop, or one with sensory technology and touch-screen interaction–a trend that’s really taken off thanks to smartphones and tablets. With this innovative product, Hewlett-Packard tries to bridge the gap between mobile devices and desktops, a contributing step towards the standardization of applications among devices.

The product is considered to be a trend-setter, at least from the manufacturer’s perspective. “You will see a more cohesive relationship between pads and towers, all-in-ones specifically. This is where the whole industry will migrate to,” said Xavier Lauwaert, director of product marketing of consumer desktops at Hewlett-Packard. The new device features a larger screen and a more processing power.

The launch of the Touchsmart PC precedes the launch of new mobile devices on the WebOS mobile platform. Linux-running WebOS was acquired from Palm in 2010 and it is an important aspect of HP’s device manufacturing.  Although Hewlett-Packard saw a decline in PC sales in the fourth quarter of 2010, the webOS mobile platform is expected to help the company catch back up.

For the Touchsmart, developers will be able to work under a single platform where they can write heavy applications for PCs and create a lighter application for tablets. For example, developers will be able to create two versions of an application, like a presentation, for use on PCs and tablets. “It’s almost like a pocket office versus a full-blown office,” Godkin said.

The launch of Touchsmart PCs is not singular in the competitive “bridge-making” market, as Motorola’s Zoom is expected to hit the stores in 2 weeks.  Complete with Google’s new Honeycomb 3.0 OS, the Xoom is guaranteeing an improved experience for mobile users, and its presence exemplifies the dual-ended goals of Google’s Android OS, app distribution and marketing.  Apple and Google both launched web stores for their market apps, namely the Mac App Store and Google’s Android Web Store, the latter incorporating an in-app payment support, following Blackberry’s model.