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"Great with a couple of caveats?" on by sbrickell
Pros: Great design, tablet functions well, good port options for an ultra portable.
Cons: Can be occassionally a bit quirky, HP tech support is less than stellar, significant amount of bloatware.
Summary: I?ve owned this laptop since mid December, 2008 (not sure about this review that mentions a February release). My configuration included the following:
Update:
64 bit Vista Ultimate
AMD Turion(TM) X2 Ultra Dual-Core Mobile Processor ZM-82 (2.2GHz)
4GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
250GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
Webcam + Fingerprint Reader
As far as issues, I still occasionally experience problems with the keyboard not working at all when transitioning from tablet to laptop mode. This requires the laptop to be powered down and the battery removed for a few seconds; I found this fix via on-line forums as the many hours of tech support were useless. They never provided a solution and wanted me to ship my laptop back to be repaired (I had only received the laptop ~ 2 days earlier). The OS is slow, but I don?t attribute this to Vista, but to the configuration and all the added bloatware. Once I uninstalled the useless software and made some performance configuration changes to Vista, I noticed a considerable improvement to the OS.
This is my first tablet and I was intrigued by the multi-touch of the tx2z and I have not had any issues with its functionality. It took me a few days to master the gestures, but I can type remarkably fast with the virtual keyboard and am now proficient with browsing the web and manipulating my photo library using my fingers. I very seldom use the pen. I assumed the finger print reader was more of a gimmick, but I can say I use it all the time, including storing web site account information. It is especially handy when in tablet mode without access to the physical keyboard.
If you purchase this tablet with an open mind and level set expectations, you will be pleased. But seriously, don?t complain when you get finger prints on the screen? are you kidding me? It?s a touch screen, so you?re going to have finger prints. Also, other negatives I have read from other reviews but have not personally experienced:
Loud fan
Bottom getting too hot under heavy usage
I have not had the above problems at all, but others apparently have.
Updated on May 20, 2009
The issue with the keyboard not working when transitioning from tablet to laptop was resolved via a bios upgrade. -
"Once you update All is good." on by dgelwin
Pros: Laptop works like a charm, multi touch is flawless, the price wasn't all that bad, very stylish, small and easy to carry, i got mine with 8 freaking GB of RAM and the thing hasn't so much as hiccuped at anything ive tossed at it
Cons: 1.- Gets very hot
2.- Best config is really expensive
3.- You will have to update ALL Software and Drivers for it to work
4.- Battery life isn't the best but not the worst eitherSummary: As soon as you receive yours the first thing you should do is update EVERYTHING, the Bios, All Drivers, and the touch software. Once that is finished this thing flies like a butterfly.
cant wait for Windows 7 let see how well it sports that baby. -
"A BAD CHOICE FOR DIGITAL ARTISTS" on by jfunknastyb
Pros: the hard drive size is nice, video is okay, the processor speed is good and the touch screen is accurate
Cons: this computer does not work with ANY of the major art programs (photoshop, painter, etc) it does not recognize pressure sensitivity in those programs. it has many digitizer problems that have to do with Ntrig, the screen maker. Avoid this computer!
Summary: if Hp would take some responsibility and fix the driver issues this computer would be top class. as it is its functionality as a tablet pc are worthless for any digital artist. The computer needs a major overhaul on a lot of seemingly little issues. none of which are fixable from a consumers position.
avoid this computer. -
"Great Buy. Good to Very Good with a Screen Protector" on by vinuninans
Pros: Very Good Touch Response
Good Processor which allows for applications to run fast
Very Smooth Keyboard + Textured Tracking Pad
2 audio out ports
Remote
Buttons next to for screen rotation, and quick settings change
Paint.net pressure has sensitivityCons: The screen is grainy but a $20 screen protector that i purchased has made the screen much less grainy and glossy (details in bottom line).
Gets hot but a cooling pad fixes that.
Only 3 USB portsSummary: This is a great laptop for students, who dont want to carry around notebooks; professionals who need mobility; and touch screen enthusiasts. I have had this laptop for a while now and after daily heavy use, there has been no damage to the laptop in any way. It is well worth the money and its honestly not that expensive now, if the laptop lasts a day for every dollar i spent on it, i consider it to be a good purchase; so far its lasted 216 days for me and its still running like the day i unboxed it.
The screen was grainy, but i purchased a photodon glossy screen protector to remove the grainyness and that also keeps the screen from getting damaged. The touch interface is great, not the HP provided media smart software, but just the interface itself. The HP touch smart software is pretty much useless, but vista has its own gestures that it recognizes and windows 7 which i plan on getting and is now available as a free upgrade with new purchases will be even better with touch.
The laptop works great in class for me as a notebook and i would have been utterly lost without it. I am a bio major, but I have friends who are computer science, psychology, math, engineering, and art majors who use this laptop. I can do light gaming, new games like cod 4 and crysis will not work except on their lowest settings, but blizzard games includeing WoW(not that i play it, just tested it), Starcraft, Warcraft 1,2, and 3, and Diablo 1 and 2 all work. This laptop has dualed as a portable dvd player and movie player for me as well on trips. I get roughly 3 hours on the 8 cell battery using power saver settings with full time movie playing, i recommend getting a second battery for the road though.
If you are planning on getting a case, i dont suggest that you buy it with the laptop because I dont think that a standard 12.1 inch case will hold the laptop with its battery; I recommend going to a store with the laptop and making sure that it fits before you buy one.
As I have previously said, the laptop does get hot (not very hot just a little bit too warm), and the fan does run alot, but its not like a jet or something and you can deal with it, I have opted to buy a cooling pad, and it has helped reduce the fan run time. When buying a fan make sure that it is a fan that blows air up and not sucks it down, the laptop gets air for its vents from the bottom and if a pad that sucks is put under it, there may be some problems caused by the laptop not getting enough air and it may in fact overheat. I have bought the belkin cooling pad.
The tx2z is not meant to be pressure sensetive, and it is not for most application like adobe photoshop and ms paint, but it does somehow recognize pressure sensitivity in paint.NET which is a free application that is very similar to adobe photoshop.
Screen Protector: http://www.photodon.com/p/MXA-HPTX2X.html
Cooling Pad: http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-F5L001-BLK-Laptop-Cooling-Black/dp/B001GNC9IQ -
"full of features, complete lack of performance" on by mukhis
Pros: dual core processor w/ 3 GB RAM
250 GB HDD
very decent graphics card
good tablet functionality
wifi w/ webcam
excellent keyboard
flash card slot
remote
S-video output
express card slot
3 USB ports
inexpensive
looks goodCons: came with vista, freezes frequently
gets very hot within short time
battery life just horrible
a 12" laptop should not be so heavySummary: i have bough this tablet/laptop because of its features for the price, however, this HP beauty reminds you what people say, "you get what you pay for". an absence of performance kills this deal.
my experience with vista has been terrible and for some reason, vista is even worse with this tablet. with such a high config., speed is just "absent".
gets very hot within short time and even w/o running multiple tasks. you cannot just use it as a "laptop".
why make a laptop w/o good battery life?
bottomline: i would not recommend it at all. HP keeps upgrading config. for this tablet w/o improving the basics. i am sure you would not like it until HP fixes the basic requirement for a tablet/laptop, i.e., reduces the weight, gets you a better default battery, takes care of the hardware so that it performs and does not get hot easily. what's the point in buying a computer that comes with dozens of features with complete lack of performance? and a heavy laptop that gets super hot after short time and kills the battery?
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