-
"Near perfect, HP has really raised the bar" on by reasonable
Pros: Once you try, you'll never again buy a non-penable notebook
Cons: would have liked more customizable options at time of my buying
Summary: This is a machine for the future. Forget the slate vs. notebook debate, get them both with the TC4200.
I love this machine. It has really changed the way I work and move about at both office and work. I find myself using the machine docked probably 50% of the time, another 15% as a mobile keyboard notebook, and increasingly (for things like reading and browsing) sitting on the sofa or a park bench using the unit as a tablet with pen input.
The machine looks and feels solid and is nicely styled. Nice feel to the keyboard (still not quite at thinkpad level, but very close and it has a WIN key), and fully packed with nice features like: 3 USB ports, built in secure digital card reader, and easy access buttons to turn wireless on an off, to mention a few. The screen swivels around easily to turn the notebook into a tablet, and it's easy to quickly tap to get the screen orientation you want. When docked I'm using extended deskptop using a second external monitor at a different and higher resolution (1280x1024). The built in graphics controller is customizable so I can control screen rotation on both screens (this allows you to either dock as a tablet or as a notebook screen).
I researched extensively before buying this machine. Go to the tablet forums and you will see that even experienced tablet users who started out being very wary of a convertible model (because they thought it might be too heavy or not have as nice a screen) are almost all becoming fast converts. They all end up falling in love with this machine.
I've owned 3 Dell's and 2 thinkpads, and I really feel that this is a step improvement over what I've owned before. Battery life is just amazing. They say you'll get 4 to 5 hours, and you do. I also seem to get much better wireless reception than my ibm thinkpad x31.
Given available technologies, the only areas for potential improvement that I see are for HP to allow more customization at the time of purchase. For example I did not want the built in bluetooth option which seems to add a couple hundred bucks (and I already had a USB bluetooth transmitter) but you had to get that option to buy one of the sonoma chips at or above 1.8ghz. Still, dollar for dollar, this is as good or better of a machine then some of the best similarly sized notebooks by IBM or Dell once you start comparing processors, disks and video and wireless. YET it's also a fully functional tablet/convertible with a great looking screen.
HP has really raised the bar. It won't be long before everybody insists on tablet functionality as a matter of course. -
"Greatest thing I ever bought" on by Thierry Lagueux
Pros: Writing recognition rocks!
Cons: Can't think of anything right now (I really tried to find something)
Summary: Never wrote a review for anything, but I have to this time... I am in love! Got it a month ago, and this device is changing my life! I can finally read on screen! I have no idea why anyone would buy a laptop anymore, people need to see more of the tablet PC in action. And I certainly don't understand why HP isn't showing it off to its potential. I compose music on the computer. And it's always been a "rough" experience with the mouse and keyboard. The pen has changed this completely. Working the staff is now as natural as working on paper. I also realized that I still need the keyboard, because typing is faster than writing. I would not want to answer all my emails with the pen. You still need to write fast. But I am amazed by ink recognition technology. I think it does a syntax Check, it won't write something that doesn't exist. And I can switch between English and French easily. The HP tc4200 has gone well over my expectations. It's fast and well designed. I really recommend it. I wouldn't want a CD drive in it, so it's not a con for me. I prefer buying the docking station. Overall the greatest the PC ever.
-
"The Swiss army knife of laptops" on by duncanish
Pros: battery life, wacom compatibility, durability and ease of use
Cons: needs some programmable buttons on tablet side for standard keyboard shortcuts
Summary: This is by far the best implementation of the tablet pc. I sacrifice nothing in terms of versatility and have all the benefits. The construction is solid and I get 5+ hours of battery life. This has a pressure sensitive pen very similiar to wacom tablets that (additional wacom driver downloadable)allows for drawing like a traditional pen and paper. Photoshop is very fun like this. The processor is quick and portability amazing. I recommend additional 512 mb of RAM and 3 yr accident protection.
-
"The Ultimate Professional Toy" on by onevoguer
Pros: Durable and Elegant with Best in Class Performance
Cons: No FireWire, No built in Optical Drive Available
Summary: I just got this about 1 week ago with the expectation that it was sub Thinkpad x.41 quality, because of the significant price difference. I was really surprised to have learned after making my purchase that this tablet actually has a better feel to it-- both on the screen, as well as ergonomics.
I tested out the new Thinkpad at O'hare airport recently, and after using my HP for a week, it felt like it was a cheaper/inferior machine. Performance on the HP is better due to the faster hard drive on the tc4200 as well as options for higher speed processors available to you due to the affordability.
Highly recommended. -
"Excellent, without Peer" on by Harimau
Pros: Ease of use, nice solid feel
Cons: Lack of an optical drive
Summary: An excellent tablet, there is only one drawback in my opinion, and it can be easily resolved. The only drawback is that it has no default optical drive, so unless you use external drives, you won't be able to run CD's. However, that can be easily solved by adding on the Multibay CD Rom when you buy the the tablet. The travel battery is excellent too, although on the heavy side.
The tablet itself has a nice feel to it, and so does the stylus, which comes with a tether, which i thought was a rather nice touch. The screen also has a nice feel to it, and the three buttons on the screen is also very useful. I particularly like the up-down rubber button on the side of the screen, which allows for quick scrolling of long pages.
Another thing that i particularly liked about this tablet was in its notebook mode, the "click" function of its mouse buttons. Usually other notebooks have a flat button for their left and right clicks for the mouse, but this one has a "click" which makes it difficult for you to press it accidentally while typing.
I generally had no problems typing in the notebook version, no complaints there.
The ease of switching modes from tablet to notebook is also another that i particularly liked, which involved just holding the screen and rotating it. No buttons involved. Turn it anti clockwise, and the screen orientates itself automatically. Beautiful.
As for applications, i generally use it for reading online comics and for studying. I'm a university student, and i plan on using this to take notes during lectures/classes, and to amuse myself while i'm bored. Using a PDF converter program allows me to edit pdf files, and then use the stylus to write my own notes in those documents. Gotta love it.
In short... This has to be my best purchase yet, i love it. The three year warranty was also a very nice touch. Once again though, i definitely recommend buying an optical drive to go with it, otherwise you'll find installing programs quite difficult.
PROMO TC4200 PM-1.73 512MB 40GB XPP 12 user reviews
Where to Buy
Pricing not available
