Oct. 14--THE GIZMOS: Touch-screen PCs and 3-D TVs.

COOL COPY CATS: While competition is king in the consumer electronics industry, cooperation is also part of the game. Rivals often work jointly to establish standards for new technology. And, quite often , a significant slew of companies "spontaneously" jump on a bandwagon in sync.

A couple of hot buttons:

TOUCH-SCREEN PCS: Hewlett-Packard introduced an appliancelike, all-in-one desktop PC with intuitive touch-screen operation a couple of years ago. Its wall-mountable TouchSmart computers are designed for the computerphobic, as a family communications center (with write-on-the-screen "post-its" and audible message storage), and as the PC you'd most want in the kitchen. A TouchSmart RecipeBox finds recipes and recites them. Microsoft has built touch-screen skills into the Windows 7 operating system, debuting formally Oct. 22. And several computer makers -- including HP, Sony and Gateway -- will be ready at launch date with spiffy new desktops (and some laptops) that build on this touch-'n'-go technology. Windows 7's new skills include launching applications with a touch, making handwritten notes, or pinching and spreading two fingers on the screen to zoom in and out of photos. Sony's Vaio L Touch HD PC/TV (base price $1,300) with Windows 7 Home Premium also offers entertainment you can summon up with a flick, pinch, twist and tap.

A built-in TV tuner receives HDTV signals for recording on the DVR-functioning hard drive and display on a 24-inch, "Full HD" screen. An HDMI input lets users connect a set-top box or game system. Drives to play and write Blu-ray discs are optional.

HP's new, third-generation TouchSmart PC 300 ($899) and 600 ($1,049) models build on 20-inch and 23-inch LCD widescreens. More than 20 third-party firms have collaborated with HP to develop customized, touch-access versions of their software to work with TouchSmart. Among them, Hulu, Netflix, Rhapsody, Pandora and Twitter.

Upgrades over prior models include a swivel mount, a more flexible webcam and, for the 600, an HDMI input and optional Blu-ray drive. Both versions boast Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, with touch computer standbys like a wireless keyboard and mouse.

Gateway will offer the lowest cost of entry ($720) with its 20-inch ZX4800 series Touchscreen Desktop. The line tops off with the ZX6810, "starting" at $1,400 with a 23-inch, high-def wide-screen, game-ready quad core processor, TV tuner with remote control and 1 TB hard drive, plus 64 GB solid state drive.