This little puppy has all of the functions and power of its big brothers and then adds light-weight, a fully functional tablet and direct play ability. I have travelled for years trying to find that perfect balance of having the horse power I need, and not dread lugging the unit throughout my travels along with all my other devices (mp3 player, DVD player etc.). I have finally found the answer in The HP tx1120us. I have had my unit for about two weeks and the sheen has not worn off, I am still finding new ways of incorporating all of the functions for differing situations. This sub-notebook is fully outfitted for serious work (web and graphics design, presentations, programming and the usual office functions) but it is also versatile in the various ways it accepts input, The swivel screen not only acts as a tablet with character recognition, but can also be used in conjunction with the full sized key board as a touch sensitive (using your finger) pointing device. This comes in very handy when the person in front of you reclines their airline seat, and speaking of input the metal touch pad feels so much better than the typical ones due to the lack of “stickiness” I was used to. I have loaded the unit up with Office 2007 Professional, Photoshop, GoLive, Visual Studio, Authorware, SQL and a hand full of games including Myst and have not been disappointed in the systems’ ability to handle what I throw at it. The only additions I have added for hardware are extra battery and USB link to take advantage of the G3 tethered connection to my mobile phone. I can’t say enough about having found my ideal travel companion. And one that fits in a messenger bag along with all of my cables, thumb drives, DVDs, papers, portable drives, phone, sunglasses…… at a price that was well below what other similar but less versatile machines are selling for. Oh and did I mention the design looks pretty cool to !
An artfully designed convertible Windows Tablet PC priced at $1894 (as of April 11, 2007), the 4.2-pound HP
Pavilion tx1000 is geared for multimedia. This machine has some interesting and distinctive design touches, including a unique touchpad, but its abysmal battery life and excessively reflective screen make it a less-than-desirable traveling companion.
Among the tx1000′s many features are a built-in Webcam located at the top of the screen and a fingerprint reader set into the left side of the lid. It also comes with a three-in-one memory card reader, three USB 2.0 ports, and a dual-layer DVD writer. Indentations in the unique touchpad enable sensors to gauge your finger’s movements. A scrollbar with similar perforations sits to the right of the touchpad.
All of the ports are conveniently laid out along the sides; and helpful, readily visible gray icons identify the connections so you don’t have to hunt. Buttons for running HP’s QuickPlay software (which lets you play DVDs or music without having to boot Windows) and for rotating the screen occupy the area just below the screen.
Converting from notebook to slate mode is easy, and the 12.1-inch screen rotates into place firmly. One quibble: The screen jiggles a bit when the tablet is in notebook mode and that can be distracting if you are moving–say, if you’re on a train. The tablet comes with a responsive touch screen; but unfortunately the screen lacks an antireflective coating. In fact, strangely, it seems to have another kind of coating with a smoky hue that makes seeing anything on the screen at an indirect angle unduly difficult.
On WorldBench 6 Beta 2, the tx1000, equipped with a 2-GHz AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-60 processor and Windows Vista Premium Home Edition, managed a middling score of 64. In our battery tests, it ran down after just 1 hour, 45 minutes. Still, it’s nicely designed and comfortable to use, despite the screen glare. Just be sure to pack the AC adapter.
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Tags: HP, HP Pavilion, HP Pavilion TX1000, Pavilion, Pavilion TX1000