Jul 03 2009

HP TouchSmart Touch Screen Laptop Adds A New Member to the Family

Published by John Dart at 6:28 am under laptop articles

by John Dart

The HP TX2000 is unique in entertainment touch screen laptops in that it is the only touch screen laptop to have a digitizer display. It's distinction from the previous TX1000 model is a handful of system updates and improved functionality in full tablet mode.

The laptop has been improved aesthetically with a more consistent body casing color and added arrows at the hinge pointing out the direction of the swivel screen to. Not much else has changed and it very closely resembles the previous model.

Some well designed features remain unchanged, which is a good thing. The speakers are built into the hinge so they rotate with the screen to point the speakers correctly at the user when watching media in tablet mode. Standard laptop speaker positions point the wrong direction when transformed into tablet mode.

Despite being a touch screen laptop, it will still work in standard laptop mode most of the time. For this reason the keyboard will still be used heavily and users can look forward to the same smooth tactile feedback keyboard. The only problem is the noise of the keys which will wear down with some use.

On the networking front this laptop comes with a network interface card that supports a, g, and b WIFI standards. There is also built in Bluetooth connectivity and a 5-in-1 card reader. For universal device connections the laptop has three USB 2.0 ports as well as S-video.

The screen is quite nice even for an HP which tends to have bright screens. It is 12.1 inches widescreen with a resolution of 1230x800 which is standard for the small display area. Clarity is moderate and angle viewing is horrendous. The ultra glossy screen is attractive but also very reflective in bring environments.

Weighing 4.26 pounds sounds nice but considering it is only 12.1 inch laptop, that is actually pretty heavy. Most models come with 2 gigabytes of RAM but different customizations are optional up to 4 gigabytes. In general, the speed is average and the graphics is below average for an entertainment focused machine.

The fan is built under the base of the laptop which is a great noise reduction design during normal use. Once in tablet mode, however, heat becomes an issue. Especially when used on a lap the fan blows hot air directly onto the user's leg.

Over the past few years we have seen some thoughtful designs brought to the market and this laptop is especially unique by being entertainment focused. The dual node displays and impressive battery life are a pleasant surprise for a laptop of this price to feature ratio. The biggest downer for being a touch screen laptop is that the on screen digitizer is not exceptionally accurate.

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