Tablet PC

HP tx2000z Preview Review

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At the 2008 CES, I was given an opportunity to test a production HP Pavilion tx2000z Entertainment Tablet PC*.

What a delight!

The exclusive HP case is replicated here. Dubbed ‘Echo’ this black, high-gloss, imprinted finish is aesthetically pleasant, a departure from the mostly utilitarian choices out there.

It still has the same number of ports, the dual microphones, the webcam integrated into the lid, and that distinctive and most usable of touchpads.

This review unit came with Microsoft Windows Vista™ x64 installed with the full 4GB of RAM.

HP is listening
The change to an active digitizer is a sure sign of that. Over the late summer, HP asked for feedback from the community, and I am pleased that they incorporated that into this system, while keeping the price low. I commend HP for not resting on their laurels, and immediately coming out with an upgrade, knowing that competitors must have their copiers running full blast.

Since one of the most visible upgrades in the tx2000 series was the change to an active digitizer, I immediately opened up Microsoft Office OneNote in an attempt to see how well this system performs.

The use of an active digitizer optimizes the touchscreen user experience, allowing for better inking. As with all hybrid/convertible Tablet PCs, the tx2000’s touchscreen rotates 180 degrees for conversion to slate mode.

I was able to write, doodle, draw, and perform a variety of tasks that would have been somewhat laborious with its predecessor.

One of the design targets of this system is for use as an entertainment PC. There, this machine shines. The HP QuickPlay software, coupled with the included remote control offer access to a numerous combination of entertainment options, with the microphones, webcam, and media stored on the hard drive or integrated DVD drive – with LightScribe versions available.

An innovative feature of the extended battery in this system is the way it functions as a grip when the Tablet is in slate mode. Very nice.

While the tx2000 is developed as an entertainment Tablet PC, this system’s appeal goes well beyond that. I definitely see it as the ideal system for students, and other professionals with a requirement to acquire and save drawings, notes, and inking. Healthcare providers, realtors, and insurance agents immediately come to mind.

My thanks to Terri Stratton of TheTabletPC.net and Michael Reyes of HardwareGeeks.com for the use of their review units for this preview.

The HardwareGeeks.com review is here and you can find TheTabletPC.net’s review here.

I eagerly await my own review unit in order to test in our own usability scenarios, and bring the results of those tests to you.

*As I informed you of here, the tx2000 series units are the evolutionary upgrades to the class-defining HP tx1000 series which won both the SmallBizVista.com Editor’s Award, and the much-coveted HardwareGeeks.com Editor’s Choice Award.

The HP tx1000 Review

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I have been reviewing the new HP tx1000 Tablet PC.

I reviewed the HP tx1000 in three phases: as an entertainment Tablet PC, as a mobile information worker’s replacement laptop, and as a Tablet PC replacement for the Acer C100 Tablet PCs that are currently placed at client healthcare providers’ offices that are at the end of their operational life.

Unboxing and looks

In the box was the tx1000, a remote control, an additional battery, and two sets of stereo earbud-style headphones.

The sleek, black tx1000 is a very welcome departure in design from the normally utilitarian looks of Tablet PCs and notebooks, apart from the Ferrari series of notebooks from Acer.

This unit has quite a few little design elements that speak to the desirability of the unit. The touchpad, for instance, is of an entirely new design, and the most comfortable I have ever used. It also comes with an integrated fingerprint reader, a 1.3 megapixel webcam, dual microphones built into the lid, and dual headphone jacks, for the included headphones. The stylus has a lanyard for securing it to the system. Going further along with the entertainment theme, the tx1000’s stereo speakers are located on the lid, allowing the user the full benefit of the speakers even when the unit is in slate mode. A dual-layer LightScribe 8X DVD drive completes the package. An added vig is the remote control.

The system also has a plethora of I/O ports, from three (3) USB ports, Ethernet, modem, external monitor, S-Video, ExpressCard, and a 5-in-1 memory card reader.

Configuration & Performance

Configuration

The tx1000 has both 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi and Bluetooth built in. In fact, it has a very nifty switch built into the system that allows you to enable/disable wireless connectivity on the fly!

This system came with a 60-day trial of Microsoft Office 2003 Student & Teacher (why?) and Microsoft Works (again, why?). A 6-day Norton Internet Security 2006 package was also in the box (why, why, why???).

I promptly discarded the Norton, AOL, Works, and Office 2003 software, RealRhapsody.

I then installed the Logikworx Standard Desktop Suite 2007.

Performance

The tx1000 is based on the speedy dual-core AMD Turion TL-60 CPU running at 2.0 GHz and an NVIDIA GeForce Go 6150 with 128MB.

This system has a Performance Index of 3.0 and more than that, feels pretty fast, for a compact Tablet PC.

Testing

Suitability to task 1: Default configuration (almost) aka Entertainment Tablet PC

As an entertainment PC, the tx1000, out-of-the box (OOB), has a range of multimedia software included, such as Muvee AutoProducer DVD edition, and Sonic Digital Media Plus.

The system just rocked. The IR remote control allowed me to make the most of it and the speakers were quite loud, even in a crowded airport. Using the headphone was another plus, as I was able to get two test subjects (John-III & Trevor) to quietly watch Callou, Bob the Builder, and other content quietly…..

Suitability to task 2: Mobile Information Worker’s Tablet PC

In this test, I tested the suitability of the tx1000 to the task of being the primary workstation of a mobile information worker, such as insurance agents, real estate agents/brokers, or a drug manufacturer’s representative.

I completely wiped the system and performed a clean install of Windows Vista Business and the Logikworx Standard Business Desktop 2007*……

Suitability to task 3: Healthcare Provider’s Tablet PC

I made the tx1000 into a dual-boot system by installing both Windows XP and Windows Vista™, since some of the target PM software required Windows XP. In the Vista™ partition, I tested the tx1000 using the two most common PM and electronic medical records (EMR) software suites among our clients in both a direct install, and running in a Windows XP Virtual machine…… (Please see notes below for information on Windows XP on the tx1000)

Conclusion

HP has a winner here.

In the tx1000, HP has a Tablet PC with an impressive feature list and at a price point that is easily palatable to most users, small businesses, and enterprises. It is compact, powerful, relatively-inexpensive, and durable enough to be used daily.

Apart from the relatively short orientation for the passive display, I found it to be a very capable machine. In fact, compared to our reference Toshiba Tecra M7, which cost over $1,000 USD more than the tx1000 in a virtually similar configuration, the tx1000 more than held its own.

It is in this vein that we are awarding it the SmallBizVista.com Preferred award, and making it the recommended Tablet PC for all our customers.

In closing, I would like to thank HP, and AMD for the opportunity to I got to review this desirable unit. My only negative feeling about is the fact that the tx1000 has to go back. Sob, sob……

The full SmallBizVista.com tx1000 review is here.

*The Logikworx Standard Business Desktop 2007 consists of Microsoft Office 2007 Professional, Microsoft Office OneNote, Microsoft Windows Defender, Microsoft Windows Live OneCare, Microsoft Expression Web Designer, Paint.NET, Spybot Search & Destroy, v1.4, ahead Nero v7.8, Microsoft Tablet PC PowerToys, and InterVideo WinDVD v8.

The HP tx1000 is a Windows Vista-only system and is available with either the 32-bit or 64-bit versions of Windows Vista ONLY.

My installation of Windows XP was for demonstration purposes ONLY.

Windows XP is an unsupported configuration for the HP tx1000.

If you downgrade to Windows XP, you will do so at your own risk, and your system may either cease to function, or lose functionality.

Hewlett-Packard (HP) will NOT support you or your system in this configuration.

© 2007, John Obeto II for SmallBizVista.com®

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© 2005-2009, John Obeto for SmallBizWindows

Redeem your Vista Express upgrades soon!

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Thanks to a post by Ed Bott, I just remembered that I had a Vista Express Upgrade due me from Toshiba for the Tecra *M7.

That offer is due to expire at the end of this month.

I immediately sent out emails to clients I know purchased personal systems during the period of time in the offer was in place, and will be sending out spam an email blast to all contacts later today to remind them of the impending expiration date.

BTW, I also redeemed my Vista Express upgrade, to Vista Business Edition from XP Tablet PC Edition, and I am awaiting the media, which costs $10+coins delivered.

Thanks Ed.

*I ordered the dual-core Tablet PC on December 19, 2006 and it didn't get delivered until January 8, 2007. Yeah, shame on them.

© 2007, John Obeto II for SmallBizVista.com®

© 2005-2009, John Obeto for SmallBizWindows

Mobile PC World

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Terri Stratton, Editor-in-Chief of The Tablet PC, had just unveiled hew newest site, Mobile PC World.

Mobile PC World will encompass all aspects of mobile devices: Tablet PCs, UMPCs, Laptops, and other connected devices.

Ms. Stratton is a Microsoft MVP for Tablet PCs, and a Microsoft Featured Community, and will bring her (very) extensive knowledge of mobility devices to this new site.

Logikworx is pleased that she has done so, for we tap her expertise in laptops and Tablet PCs as the primary source for our recommendations on those devices.

Mobile PC World can be found at http://forums.mobilepcworld.net

Congratulations Terri, and MobilePCWorld.net.

© 2007, John Obeto II for SmallBizVista.com®

© 2005-2009, John Obeto for SmallBizWindows