Tablet PC
HP TouchSmart tx2z Tablet PC (New Arrival from HP)
HP Tablet
The HP TouchSmart tx2z stands alone as a rare example of a consumer-focused convertible tablet PC. We’re not sure if this is because non-business-related laptop users don’t see the value of a touch-screen tablet, but hopefully they’ll catch on soon.
The tx2z is an evolution of HP’s previous tx1000 and tx2000 models (from 2007 and 2008, respectively), adding the TouchSmart moniker and going beyond the digital pen and single-finger input by adding multitouch commands.
The majority of the keyboard is a good size for regular typing. The only bit of funny key reshaping was the function keys that are comically small. If you don’t feel like navigating directly on the screen with pen or finger, there is a small, but serviceable, touch pad.
The 12.1-inch wide-screen LCD display offers a 1,280×800 native resolution, which is standard for a screen this size. Of course this being a tablet, the screen is a little more important than a standard laptop LCD. The tx2z has a dual-mode display, meaning you can use a digital pen for drawing and taking notes as well as your finger for navigating, opening apps, and flipping through your photos.
The multitouch works fine, but frequently there’s a noticeable lag between making the gesture and the laptop actually doing the task. For example, launching HP’s MediaSmart interface for accessing CDs/DVDs, photos, music, video, or Internet TV requires a specific curvy-line multitouch gesture that we’re still trying to figure out the secret to. Or you can press the launch button on the screen’s bezel; we vote “button,” as it works every time. Similarly, why would you bother to use an awkward gesture to maybe rotate a photo when there’s an onscreen button you can tap and get the same result, guaranteed?
The display is on a single, rotating hinge (to the left only, please) and this model’s tiny-but-decent-sounding Altec Lansing speakers are built into the bottom of the display. The screen will auto rotate, but there’s a rotate key on the bezel should you need it, along with Windows Mobility Center launch button, the aforementioned MediaSmart button, a fingerprint reader, and a Webcam.
There’s not a lot of room on this chassis for ports and connections, but HP managed to include just enough to impress us. HP offers plenty of configuration options for this system. Despite having the highest-end, dual-core AMD processor HP offers for the tx2z, the 2.4GHz AMD Turion X2 Ultra Dual-Core ZM-86, this laptop managed only average performance, on par with a 2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P8400.
The TouchSmart tx2z ran for 3 hours on our video playback battery drain test, using the included extended 8-cell battery. It’s a large battery that adds considerable weight and bulk to the dimensions of this otherwise ultraportable notebook, but powering a multitouch tablet screen would likely drain a smaller battery very quickly.
Check out my other guide on : Laptops Notebooks