Cheap HP TX2000

Hewlett Packard recently released a new model of its Touch Smart line of touch screen laptops. The HP TX2000 is the first of its kind to offer a digitizer display and distinguishes itself from the previous model, the TX1000 series, with improved tablet mode functionality and some system updates. This cool new laptop starts at around $1,700, the laptop physically resembles the previous model except for minor aesthetic improvements such as a more consistent body color and direction arrows at the hinge of the swivel screen.

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. The keyboard hasn't changed much either and resembles most keyboard designs of the Pavilion family. It remains sleek and the smooth tactile feedback makes the keyboard easy to use. The only downside is the noise of the keys are a little on the loud side but we can expect the noise to wear down after some use.

In connectivity, a/g/b WIFI is supported as expected with any laptop today but includes built in Bluetooth for any Bluetooth enabled device. Also included is a 5-in-1 card reader which is starting to become part of the HP Pavilion brand. The three USB 2.0 ports are placed nicely on both sides of the keyboard as well as S-video.

The 12.1 inch widescreen has a native resolution of 1280x800, which is comparable for such a small display. Clarity is only fair and off-angle viewing is well below average but shows improvement in brightness over the previous model. And while the ultra glossy screen looks nice, it is very reflective and not recommended for use outdoors or in very bright 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.

One of the pros in HP designs is the fan location underneath the base of the laptop which does a good job of mitigating noise during operation. Heat becomes an issue when the touch screen laptop is in full tablet form because the fan then blows the hot air directly onto the user's leg. The dual node display and sufficiently enduring battery life make this laptop a deal considering the price to feature ratio. The biggest thing to look out for is the recognition software of the on screen digitizer being off accuracy. Kind of defeats the features of being a touch screen laptop.