VIA Technologies has joined a number of companies offering systems with a touch-based display for finger-driven user input.

Available now, the VIA VIPRO VP7710 touch-screen panel PC is aimed at developers rather than end users, but demonstrates the growing interest in touch-screen technologies across various industries.

The device is suited to human-machine interface industrial applications such as factory automation and control, according to VIA.

"Intuitive information delivery has quickly become a necessity for today's modern kiosk and vending machines. The VIA VIPRO addresses the need for a flexible and reliable solution," said VIA Embedded vice president Daniel Wu.

The VP7710 is based on VIA's 1.6GHz Eden or 1.0GHz C7 processors with up to 1GB of memory, support for IDE and SATA 2.5in hard drives and a compact Flash socket.

Network options include Gigabit Ethernet and an optional wireless module, and the system boasts a comprehensive set of PC ports, including USB, serial and PS/2.

The system is integrated into a chassis with 10.4in TFT display that meets IP65 ratings for water and dust resistance, while the chassis is shock resistant up to 50G and can handle vibrations of up to 5G, according to VIA.

VIA said the new system is compatible with Windows XP, XP Embedded, Windows CE 6.0 and Linux, but may also be able to run the forthcoming Windows 7 which includes built-in support for touch-based displays.