Customer Reviews

HP TX2-1020US TouchSmart 12.1-Inch Laptop (2.2 GHz AMD Turion X2 Ultra ZM-82 Dual-Core Mobile Processor, 4 GB RAM, 320 GB Hard Drive, Vista Premium)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

I'm pleased with it.

I'm a heavy Mac user; I purchased this to keep different parts of work separate from one another, and to make it easier to work with clients and students. I needed something small so I could carry it and a 17" MacBook Pro.

RUNDOWN:

Bulk: It's thick for its size. BUT, most of the outlying thickness is due to the touchscreen. Tradeoff.

It doesn't have Firewire or HDMI. Don't know if either is common in SMALL notebooks. Tradeoff.

The processor speed seems fine to me. But I'm not trying to play first-person shooters or run Maya or Mathematica on the thing.

The keyboard is a real pleasure compared to a lot out there. I wanted small, but mini-notebooks are too tiny for my paws. The trackpad works nicely. The buttons seem a little misplaced, but I may just be used to the over-sized one on the MacBook. YMMV. The fact that you can manually lock out the trackpad is nice.

Sound volume gets loud enough, thank you. The DVD drive is removable to cut weight. Sometimes DVD playback doesn't synchronize video and sound, so you feel like you're watching a 70's Kung Fu movie.

(Waaatchah!)

Another reviewer complained about the battery jutting out from the back. I find it useful, and I think it was done on purpose, because it makes it easy to hold the computer when you're using it as a tablet. Otherwise the screen would have to be small for the lid, or your thumb would be on the screen at all times.

The screen image is very pretty. Sharp, bright. Good contrast. The built-in software controls are easily accessed via a button on the lid, so you don't have to go bird-dogging through Vista to chase it down. The touchscreen is unresponsive on battery power if you're not using it frequently. Also on startup. It is multi-touch, for what it's worth. It took some getting used to. But if you don't have sausages for fingers, you'll be fine. In fact, I enjoy it so much, I find myself jabbing in vain at the MacBook's screen.

The fingerprint reader is annoyingly on the face of the lid (next to the screen) instead of on the body in front of the keyboard as on most laptops with these things. So you have to use your thumb. Since mine's the size of a Norway rat, it's a little tough to hit the sweet spot. But then, tradeoff. It has to be there to be accessed while in tablet mode.

It can get cookin'. I use the Targus HeatDefense pad to perfect satisfaction.

Use OneNote instead of HP's drawing software if you ever want to get a usable file out of it.

The neck seems durable enough when you're doing the Exorcist thing with it.

I haven't been a WIntel user much since Windows 3.11, but I found the Vista 64-bit Home Premium to be perfectly adequate and was glad to have it instead of the 32-bit version. Not that I know the difference. Goodies! Aside from the usual Mac-user whining about interface design, poor organization, and the use of so many detailed icons it goes from wayfinding to hieroglyphics, it's navigable enough. (Simplify! Use color to organize, not to merely decorate!)

The big downside: battery life is miserably short. I suppose more juice is going to the monitor than usual, but the 17" MacBook Pro's battery is nearly 2 years old and it still outlasts this thing at least by half. I hear there are better batteries out there, but that's the kind of consolation prize you get when you buy a $1000 laser printer and the salesmen tells you they went to the effort to supply you with a tiny toner cartridge, instead of just producing more of the most common one and charging you what it's worth. It's also environmentally irresponsible.

I am generally pleased with this purchase.

Cons:

1.) The only con I have come across has already been mentioned: the huge amount of bloatware hp puts on the machine: it does impinge upon machine performance.

Middle of the Road things:

1.) The screen would be the biggest thing. It is a little grainy and reflective, but I am told that is normal with tablet pc's. It does not bother me but it is noticeable.
2.) Second is the fan constantly running. It's also not so bad, but noticeable. HOWEVER it should be mentioned that the heat control on the tx2-1020us is the best that HP has been able to achieve with their turion based tablet pc's. The other models were recorded as running extremely hot. This one is normal, as far as notebooks go.
3.) Thirdly, the function keys ARE pretty small, but I have small fingers.
4.) Finally is the battery life. It is not bad, but not great. With the 6 cell battery I can eke out about 3 1/2 hours of battery life from the machine with the screen at full dimness and simply doing word processing. (The 8 cell battery could probably get you somewhere between 5-6 hours.) Part of the reason for this battery life I attribute to HP not developing some good power management software for their machines.

Before I mention the pluses I should mention that I did not purchase this unit for using the touchscreen. I purchased it for its use as a tablet pc. I also find the touchscreen features to be difficult, but for me that is not an issue simply because I don't plan to use it. When Windows 7 comes along ... who knows?

Pros:

1.) As a tablet this machine works very nicely indeed. I used it with Microsoft OneNote and the pen works very well indeed. I really like the screen controls on the "frame" of the screen itself when in tablet mode. Very convenient.
2.) The overall look of the machine I find very pleasing aesthetically - but I have liked the tx tablet series overall "look" for some time now.
3.) The notebook itself is made of strong material, and the keyboard is a delight to type on. I use an external wireless mouse, but I like the trackpad as well. It functions nicely and normally, as one would expect. It is a little heavier than most tablet pc's comparison wise, but for me it is not bad at all. (My previous machine was a 15.4" screen laptop weighing a little over 8 pounds.)
4.) The cpu and 4gb of RAM have been sufficient to handle any tasks I have thrown at it thus far and in good time.
5.) The wireless card works very nicely - and I appreciate the a/b/g/n compatibility. Bluetooth works fine as well.
6.) The speakers of the machine are the best I have had on a laptop - and while I know laptop speakers are never amazing things (unless you pay through the nose for premium stuff), still, these speakers are very decent in my opinion.
7.) The expandability of the machine to 8gb of RAM is also nice for future upgradeability.
8.) One thing I have especially appreciated, however, and which is something that should be mentioned, is the compatibility of the version of Vista Home Premium 64 bit with 32 bit applications. I am a sys admin of a small office and one member recently purchased another hp laptop with the Vista Home Premium system OS on it. I ran across some programs that would not install on it. However, when I tried to do these same programs on the tablet pc they installed without a hitch. I believe HP did something to the OS to make it more compatible with 32 bit software, possibly because some of the tablet based pc software they include with the machine is 32 bit based. The end result, however, is the advantage of 64 bit processing without the difficulty of 32 bit programs resisting install.

Conclusion:

I would recommend this as a tablet pc to anyone who does not mind the average to slightly above average battery life of the machine. Ultimately that to my mind is the only thing that would be a serious hindrance in purchasing this machine.

Overall I like this machine and would purchase it again.

Postscript notes:

Finally, a few things that were delightful surprises from amazon. In purchasing this machine the cpu was listed as an Turion ZM-80. When my machine arrived in the mail it was actually a Turion ZM-82. A nice unexpected bonus of a little more speed than I thought I was paying for. Also, I chose the Super Saver option from amazon. It said it would be shipped in over two weeks. It shipped out the next business day (a Friday) and arrived at my door the next business day after that (a Monday). So I basically got free 2 day shipping!

I was very excited about my purchase. The machine specifications are really very good for the price. When I got it, I was satisfyed: the computer is beautiful, stylish, fast, etc. The display appearance is OK, the touch screen works perfectly, more than I expected, and the pen is amazing (even if you are 2-3cm from the screen, it gets your position, so you know exactly where you are going to click when you touch the screen. Very good for drawing non-professionally). The keybord is good, with a good size. The screen frame is thicker than other computers, so I think that, although it's a 12''laptop, it has the size of a 13'', which reflects in a normal-sized keyboard.

Now, the cons: in the third day of use, the screen started to show a very unpleasant malfunction. When the computer gets hot and you rotate the screen, it starts to blink, turning on and off. You have to find a position that works, but it's generally an uncomfortable position. Besides, the computer is not finding the fingerprint reader anymore. I am in contact with HP to find out what to do. Detail: I purchased the computer in US, but I am not there anymore, and HP haven't released the TX2 series in my country. I don't know if I will get warranty assitance.

Another thing: I intended to use the SPDIF connection, but HP doesn't show, anywhere at all, that the SPDIF connection is optical (not coaxial), which doesn't work for me. They don't have this information ANYWHERE (manuals, website, forums, etc). I had to find out by testing.

For what I read about the computer before purchasing it, it shows a lot of deffects. People complain about screen and keyboard malfunction mostly. So, my advice is: it is a good and stylish machine, but be prepared to use the warranty, because it has a lot of malfunction problems.

HP TouchSmart TX2-1025DX is hailed as the first consumer multi-touch laptop that is marketed to a mass audience, but does it do its job well enough to satisfy the majority of the people? When I first heard about this, I was excited. I switched over to Mac because it provided me with what I wanted: a high performing computer with a cool factor. I since then gave my MacBook to Jonathan and migrated over to this PC laptop, and my deciding factor was the multitouch feature. I've owned a tablet PC before, and thought they were cool, but something was always missing. I always wanted the ability to manipulate things on the screen directly without the use of a special tool. My last pen broke on me several times which prompted me to just use my tablet as a standard laptop.

I can type directly on the screen which gave it a futuristic feeling. The touch response has been mostly excellent. I say mostly excellent because it lags a bit when Windows boots but only just a few seconds. I have an anti-glare screen protector placed (I ordered something larger and had it cut down to size) so I can easily clean the screen, it helps with the pesky glossiness that PC laptops are notorious for, and it prevents the screen from being accidently scratched. When I have the pen near the screen touch is disabled to prevent accidental button pressing which is a neat and necessary feature.

Windows 7 RC was installed on this computer, but be forewarned, update your computer before upgrading, and I would recommend that you upgrade and not do a clean install. Why? Because all the drives will have a better chance at working. I did a clean install the first time, only to have it restored because the driver to the fingerprint scanner didn't work. The fingerprint scanner works fine when logging into Windows, but the software is a little buggy when it comes to using Internet Explorer. It doesn't recognize that you already have those sites saved in the program so it asks every time you scan your finger. If you're a Firefox user, this shouldn't be a problem as scanner works flawlessly.

As far as speed and performance between Vista and 7 goes, 7 outperforms Vista hands down. I have a small server in my home that all my computer connects to, and the rate of transfer has doubled. Logging in and shutting down the computer is much quicker. When you open the laptop from sleep, I noticed that the time it took for the computer to wake up was much quicker. The weight of the computer is comparable to that of a MacBook. The screen is slightly smaller but I hardly noticed the difference, and its size makes it easy to carry around in a book bag.

I'm writing this review in the position of an academic and a researcher. NVivo and SPSS work fine on this computer. I have no problems running my data or coding my data. All the Microsoft Office 2007 products work fine on this computer. I'm not a graphic designer or artist so I can't speak to the functional needs of those who are.

Despite a favorable review, I did find some noticeable things that might bug people. Those limitations are listed below.

Improvements that can be made to this laptop (or any laptop in general):

- Develop better batteries. Seriously the technology exists. Does Apple hold a patent on Lithium-Polymer batteries? This is one area that all PC laptops should explore to better improve their chances of being bought.
- Develop batter anti-glare screens. I hate the glossy nature of PC screens. It makes it near impossible for me to take this laptop outside, and that's one of the reasons why I bought a MacBook. Now since then, I bought a anti-glare screen protector and that has improved the viewing when there are lots of lights, but that should already be included in this laptop and all laptops.
- Fan. It's not as noisy as people make it out to be but it does make noise.

Despite these flaws, HP did a great job at introducing an affordable multitouch PC to the market, and I hope this catches on to the point that all PCs are equipped with this kind of technology.

I want to start out by saying that Im not an expert on these things by any means. But I do my fair share of "playing" with computers. I was looking for a laptop for use with my photography and of course was looking at getting the 18.4" monitor with the truck battery weight. Man was I surprised when I looked at them! They are Enormous! And incredibly heavy. I rethought my plan and decided to go with a smaller computer and ...well....lets just say I bought this one.
I really like it so far. The keys are fine for me and the screen is bright and sharp. I havent found anything that I dont like as of yet except that I can't find an internet security suite that works with 64 bit Vista yet.
I got 4 gigs and will upgrade to 8 in the future. The hard drive is big enough for me as I dont keep everything in here anyways. I like the weight distribution as well. The battery does stick out a bit in the back but it doesnt affect the handling now. It does take a bit of getting used to. It has many of the features that the full sized models have so I am impressed. The price is right as well. Enjoy it.

I bought this laptop as a replacement for one that was getting older and wasn't going to meet the demands of med school tasks. Touchscreen capability was on the top of the list of priorities for my purchase. Hands down, this is the best TS capable computer for the price, especially considering all of the features. I know Dell has the LatitudeXT, but you do not get nearly the same core features for the price. (Dell = Smaller HD, only 1-2 GB RAM)
The processor definitely completes all of the tasks I can throw at it, and extremly fast as well, due to the 4GB of RAM. It is an AMD, so it definitey runs hotter, but I have had no failures and it seems HP has finally figured out how to control their cooling fans better to prevent failure.
For those wanting a beautiful HD screen to look at, this comp isn't the top choice. The screen has a bit of an artifact that can be distracting, but only at certain times when certain images are on the screen. However, if you are reading this, you probably are more interested in the TS, which works beautifully. Writing recognition starts off good and goes to great as the software learns, especially if you take the time to run through the training module. The tablet/TS combination will undoubtedly help complete the tasks I have in mind for it. One of the nicest parts about the TS is never needing a mouse, but still having MUCH MUCH better control/speed/ease of use than with the touchpad.
Does come with some bloatware, but I removed that quickly during the initial setup and don't have to worry about it anymore. Vista is Vista...so we all know what goes on there, but I am excited to see what Win7 has in store for the multi-touch capabilities of this PC.
Overall, I couldn't be happier with the purchase.

I've had three different HP laptops over the years, and honestly, I've never been disappointed with them. They have great media bundles, and come with some very cool, and generally, useful features. That being said, I'll list some of the pros and cons to the TouchSmart laptop.

Pros:

-The touchscreen: Fantastic. I've heard that are two different screens being put out on the market, a matte finish and a gloss screen, and I have the gloss. The resolution is surprisingly sharp, for a touchscreen, though it isn't anywhere near a sharp and pixilated as a regular desktop high-res screen. Still, the screen is clear and bright, and very responsive, with multi-touch facilities (like swiping, holding, drag-and-drop, etc.). There is a provided pen, which has sensors built-in to detect the screen BEFORE you touch it. That means that the pen acts like a mouse and can hover over your selection before you select it, which makes using the pen very accurate and clean. The screen swivels and lies flat, turning the entire screen into a writing tablet, which I, being a college student, have found incredibly useful, since it's usually faster and more convenient to write notes than type them. The handwriting recognition is pretty accurate, as well, and it's even customizable, so you can train the computer to recognize your own individual style. There is also a fingerprint feature, which you can use to lock the computer, provide permissions for programs, etc. All in all, the touchscreen experience is fantastic. HP did an excellent job on the hardware for it.

-Keyboard: One of the things I've always really enjoyed about HP's laptops is the keyboard layout. The keys are large, spaced nicely, and have a very nice tactile feedback. There are function shortcuts for dimming the brightness of the screen, volume, DVD functions, internet shortcuts, and most are also programmable to suit your own needs. The one complaint I could have is that the keys can pop off, though mine only did so because my cat walked across the keyboard, and got stuck when I tried to pull him off. A friend of mine with the same model had a key pop off randomly, though they're easy to pop back on. I've honestly never had that happen with any of my other HP's, so it might be a model-specific thing. Otherwise, it's a great keyboard.

-Software/Programs: HP comes with all kinds of neat programs, usually media options, which are not really necessary, but make for a fun experience. There is a handwriting tablet that stays tucked out of the screen, and pulls up when you scroll over it with the pen or mouse, and allows for handwritten entries while browsing or imputing passwords. It does come standard with a media platform, like a DVD player, Sling media, and various others. It of course comes with Windows Vista, though you do have to pay for a final version. (I have a corporate deal that allowed me to install Premium free, and that works well enough. I haven't had any errors with Windows.) There's nothing really huge, but enough for an average media user.

-Hardware: The hardware features are decent. There is a webcam, which sets up nicely (and usually automatically) with other programs, like Skype, and also takes pictures, though the camera isn't anything to write home about. There are also neat things you can do with the webcam, like change the borders and play with the images; just something fun. The DVD player works well, even with the HP provided programs, though sometimes the resolution can be a bit grainy in full-screen mode, though given that most laptops have the pixilation issue, it's nothing huge. The DVD player can also be removed and replaced with a lighter insert, for travel, to reduce the overall weight.The speakers are actually pretty decent little things, with a very nice volume range, though not much balance in all registers. The mouse pad, also, is actually pretty cool. Unlike their usual metal finish mouse touchpads, HP decided to just dimple in the plastic, and put the sensors below, which is a really great tactile feedback for when you're actually touching the pad. Occasionally it's actually oversensitive, and picks up finger touches when you're actually just clicking the hard buttons for selection, but it's actually a really nice touch. I wonder why they don't put it on any other models.

-Construction/Appearance: HP decided to go with a very solid plastic construction, dark metal, with light metal flourishes for finish, which I don't mind, since it gives the laptop a personalized appearance, but makes the laptop appear rather feminine. That's probably a personal thing, probably, but I would certainly say it gives the laptop a very feminine sort of air. I don't think the model comes with another finish, but if you don't care about that sort of thing, then it won't really matter. The laptop is a bit thicker than other models, but the touchscreen and the swivel aspect accounts for most of that. Still, it's a pretty compact little package, very solid, and doesn't feel terribly bulky, even with the extra girth. The battery life is decent, and can get through about 4-6 hours on a charge, depending on the settings, though a bigger, longer-lasting battery is available, and probably recommended, especially if you sit for hours, like I do, without a wall energy source. Overall, I love the construction.

Cons:

-Software: HP put A LOT of bloatware upon initial purchase, and defaults a lot of programs to run automatically upon start-up. This, combined with the lag for Windows Vista anyway, due to the absurd amount of free memory space that Vista requires, makes for a very, very slow start up, unless you or someone else can remove the bloat, and change the automatic settings. There are also some HP MediaSmart issues, and random error messages will occasionally pop up, though I've never had serious issues with any of them, since usually it doesn't affect whatever I'm doing, and I never actually know what apparently had an error. The computer will also occasionally freeze, and require a complete restart, for no apparent reason, or a program will continue running, even after it's been closed (Firefox does this often, and I don't think it's a Firefox bug), which also requires a complete re-boot to reset the program, since it doesn't appear on the task manager while it's "running". Really, with all the great things HP software is capable of, I don't know why they put so much useless extra stuff on the computer initially. You can customize what you receive or have installed on the computer by ordering the computer directly from HP, but that's going to cost you extra. If you're willing to do that, I would honestly go that route, because dealing with all the trialware and bloat is just annoying.

ALSO: I ended up going with this HP because normally, I've edited my MP3s and other music features with the media bundle. I've been able to change the files, and convert them without using another program, and for some reason, HP didn't include that option on this model, which is actually a big thing for me. I can't edit most file information, and can't convert formats. I've had to go and find other third party programs with the capabilities to change and convert audio and visual files, which is really disappointing. Why HP took that out, I don't know, but I'm very disappointed about that exemption. If you don't care about that sort of thing, it won't matter, but for HP media fans expecting the same abilities as prior packages, you will be disappointed.

And other than the software bugs, and various other freezing issues with Windows? The laptop is a great deal, not terribly expensive for the experience you get, and a very fun package. Heavy corporate laptop users, I wouldn't recommend this model, since it's much more of a fun, media experience, but for anyone looking for a little laptop with some great functional abilities, this is a pretty decent bet. I'd recommend it.

I highly suggest that if you get this laptop that you download and install the RC of Windows 7. Win7 is a multitouch wonderland and after using this laptop with it for several weeks, I will never go back to Vista. With Win7 you can browser the web with simple swipes of your finger, much like a jumbo iPhone.

Battery life is better than I expected after reading these reviews. Using the Power Saver option, I almost always get 3 hours of life and that's with using WirelessN the whole time.

My major gripe is that the case has a cheap feel to it, and the LCD bezel feels thick and empty. It's likely there is some multitouch stuff in there but it gives the laptop a hollow and cheap feel. The keyboard on the other hand is superb. I was a netbook user for a year, but this machine is so much better. I can run a good OS, get multitouch, and maintain close to the same weight and size as my 10" netbook. And it doesn't completely choke on Youtube and other Flash based sites like Atom based PCs.

I bought these touchscreens to conduct surveys for work. So far, 3 of the 4 have had major problems and have needed to be replaced. All 4 have had significant problems that our IT department was able to fix, but there was significant downtime while the laptops were repaired. Don't buy this laptop.

The price on this laptop can fluctuate a lot. Have seen it for as little as 900-950. This is not an inexpensive machine by any standard but you do get a heck of a lot of features and functionality. I bought this for my daughter who will be going to college soon and needs a powerful machine to get her through the next 4 years.

What I like about the TX2:

Good build quality as far as I can tell until now
Swivel screen - turn it sideways, turn it all the way around or turn the whole thing into a tablet computer
Fingerprint reader - does not work every time but often enough and makes logging on much simpler
Plenty of memory - 4GB ram, 320 GB hard drive (some configurations have larger hard drives)
Works 3 ways - keyboard & touchpad, stylus and finger
Good speakers
Nifty remote control
Plenty of ports
8 cell battery gives nice amount of work time when away from a power source (extra purchase, not included)

What I don't like:

Screen needs some getting used to. Has a weird look to it as its touch/stylus sensitive. Some call it grainy, I would say its like there is an extra layer of not quite transparent glass on top of the display. Could be a deal breaker for some.
Kind of heavy and a little bulky for the size
Fan seems to run all the time, occasionally reminding me of a travel hair dryer
A HDMI and/or eSata port would have been nice

All in all this device is something I would have expected Apple to come up with first. Slick, innovative and packs a punch - especially for the price. Something like this from Apple would probably cost at least $500 more. Touch works quite well not only with the HP Touchsmart user interface, but with Vista in general - unless you have really big fingers.

UPDATE 5/7/09
There seems to be an ongoing issue with the screen. Seems that HP has some tx2's out with a glossy screen and some with the matte /sparkly effect that I have on mine. Shoppers have mentioned that Best Buy will have the glossy type on display yet it seems HP is now only shipping the matte/sparkly kind.