LAKE OSWEGO, Ore. - Microsoft's latest update to the Windows operating system, called "Vista," is now in wide release and there's no better way to test it out than with a good game of solitaire.

But with one new PC, which is running Windows Vista Home Premium, there's a twist.

Instead of pointing, clicking, and dragging the cards with a mouse, Dan Gaul of Digital Trends.com taps on the screen and moves the cards around.

Lake Oswego-based Digital Trends runs a technology review Web site, and they got a sneak peek at the unique computer from Oregon-based Hewlett-Packard (HP) earlier this month while at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

HP then sent them a unit to review.

The HP TouchSmart PC uses a touchscreen, along with the usual mouse and keyboard.

It also has a pen-like stylus, although fingers work just fine.

The touchscreen adds a more "hands-on" way to work the computer, and may be an example of the way computers will work in the near future.

A spokesman for HP said at the Las Vegas show that they envisioned the TouchSmart PC as being located in a kitchen or family area, where family members could easily access it, leave each other messages, play music and do online shopping.

There's even an optional built-in photo printer available that prints 4x6 photos in just a few seconds.

Gaul says the new Vista operating system has some impressive new features, but consumers will need potent hardware to make it work.

Your computer must have at least 1 gigabyte of RAM and a 1 gigabyte processor to run Vista, and you'll need 15 gigabytes of free hard drive space to install it.

Microsoft Vista is available at several price points beginning at about $160 for home users.

Now that Vista is available to the public, HP is also launching the TouchSmart. It goes on sale Jan. 31 for about $1,800.