HP Pavilion dv5t

Its been a rather long time since HP updated the popular dv6000 series. Dell has been quick with its updates which have given them advantage over HP in the current market. But things could change rapidly with the introduction of HP Pavilion dv5t which is based on the latest Intel Montevina Centrino 2 technology. The chipset has many advantages over its predecessor such as powerful dedicated graphics.

HP Pavilion dv5t specifications :

• Processor : Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 processor 2.26GHz

• Display : 15.4-inch WSXGA+ Infinity display
• RAM : 2GB DDR2-800 RAM (2x 1GB)
• Hard Disk : 160GB 5400RPM hard drive
• Graphics : Nvidia GeForce 9600M GT 512MB DDR2 RAM
  
• Battery : High-capacity 6-cell Li-ion battery
• OS : Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit
• Approx. price : $1300

Design has got a major overhaul and if the dv6000 had stylish looks, this one has killer looks. HP has put a lot of effort and thought into the design and added a futuristic look to it. The notebook is streamlined and has rounded corners. The display rests only on one large hinge instead of two. The surfaces are glossy and reflective pretty much similar to dv6000 series. The palm rest and base is metallic rather than plastic leading to a much better build quality.

The touch buttons are now a bit farther off from the keyboard but that does not affect their functionality a bit. The HP logo on the lid is backlit now, which adds a whole lot of class to this new notebook. The build quality which was not great in dv6000 series, has been looked after and dv5t has a compact and strong build.

The display resolution has also got a bump from the standard 1280 x 800. It now supports a resolution of 1680 x 1050 which is great for viewing movies especially HD ones. Also it leads to more viewable area and hence less scrolling is needed for large documents. There are two types to displays to choose from : standard BrightView and BrightView Infinity with the latter making the display borderless. Display quality is a strong point of HP notebooks and that goes for dv5t too. It produces clear and perfectly saturated images.

The speakers on the dv5t are the branded Altec Lansing ones which offer decent sound quality. There are standard stereo speakers without any subwoofer. Volume is high but not necessarily the sound quality. The media remote is the same that came with dv6000 series having good functionality to control the PC from a distance. The webcam produces clear images and handles video conferences smoothly.

Heat and noise are two issues that have also been addressed with the dv5t. The earlier series used to idle above 40 degrees even when idle and touching 70 degrees on full load. But the dv5t idles at around 30 degress and goes upto 65 degrees on full load. The graphic card though runs very hot under full load. The fan does not produce whirly sound even when running at full speed, although you can hear it running. The fan positions remain unchanged which means you need to have a solid base when running the notebook under load for optimal cooling.

Keyboard wasn’t of good build quality with the dv6000 and the keys felt wobbly. This has vanished with the dv5t as it uses a high build quality keyboard which offers tactile feedback. The feel of the keys is smoother and glossier. Overall a much better keyboard than dv6000. The touchpad is pretty much the same. It has a glossy finish and inlaid into the palm rest area. I have never been found of touchpads and this one is no exception.

The notebook has Ethernet, HDMI, VGA, e-SATA, IEEE 1394 mini-Firewire, ExpressCard slots. The right side has the optical drive with USB ports and TV tuner/modem fillers. At the front is IR Receiver along with couple of headphone jacks. Addition of eSATA is refreshing as eSATA devices are slowly making their presence felt in the market.On the wireless front, you can customise to upgarde to a wireless card having N band capability. Otherwise you get the standard 802.11b/g Broadcom card. You can also upgrade to High-capacity 6-cell from standard 6-cell battery. Battery life is low at about 2 hours when watching a movie.

You can choose not to add a graphics and use the onboard Intel X4500 Integrated graphics, good enough for casual gaming and running Vista with full effects. HP offers both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows Vista. The performance of the notebook is great with DDR-800 memory and Nvidia 9600GT graphics card. The processor is also top notch and performs well. The graphics card ensures you can play games at latest games at medium settings. Overall the dv5t is a great performer.

Pros :

• Great configuration
• Affordable price
• Good build quality
• Excellent display
• Excellent keyboard
• Runs cool and quiet
• Great performance
• eSATA, HDMI port included

Cons :

• High graphics card temperature
• Low battery life
• Average touchpad

Final Thoughts

The HP Pavilion dv5t is a excellent upgrade from the dv6000 series and manages to address most of the issues. Apart from the battery life, this laptop is a perfect blend of style and performance. It offers great performance at an affordable price.

Rating : 4.25/5

HP Pavilion dv5 (dv5z)

The newest 15-inch notebook from HP arrives just in time to make a big impact for back-to-school shoppers in 2008. The HP Pavilion dv5 features the latest AMD dual-core processors, cutting edge graphics that slaughter the competition, and a price that's so competitive you'll have a hard time coming up with reasons not to buy this notebook. Take a look at our full review and find out what makes this notebook so impressive.

HP Pavilion dv5 (dv5z) has the following specifications:

• Processor: 2.1GHz AMD Turion X2 Ultra dual-core processor ZM-80
• Graphics: ATI Radeon HD 3200
• Operating System: Windows Vista Home Premium with SP 1 (64-bit)
• Screen: 15.4" WSXGA+ High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1680 x 1050)
• Memory: 2GB (up to 4GB configurable)
• Storage: 160GB SATA HDD (5400rpm)
• Optical Drive: SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
• Wireless and Communications: 802.11b/g WLAN
• Battery: 6-cell Li-Ion (10.8V, 47Wh)
• Dimensions: 14.05" (W) x 10.2" (D) x 1.37" (min H)/1.65" (max H)
• Weight: 5.84lbs
• Warranty: 1-year

Build and Design

The dv5z has a new and improved design, replacing the long-lasting and much-loved dv6000 series chassis design. The display cover has the durable plastic Imprint finish, which holds up quite well to minor abrasion without scratching. The body of the notebook is smooth with rounded edges, making it extremely comfortable in your hand while carrying it around. The screen also sports a latchless design, making it easy to open the notebook with one hand. Although the lid lacks any latch to keep it held shut, the hinges feel fairly strong, keeping the lid secure. Pressing firmly onto the back of the screen cover will produce some ripples on the screen ... but you must apply significant pressure to cause this.

The plastic chassis is quite rigid and suffers from no flex or creaks even when twisted between my hands. Although I don't recommend tossing your notebook down a staircase, the dv5z should survive years of daily travel in a backpack or the occasional drop off a desk.

Our dv5z features the "Mesh" Imprint Finish which looks the name implies: a fine gray mesh pattern over a black surface. The Imprint Finish on the dv5z is much more subtle than the previous designs we've seen on HP notebooks. I suspect most average consumers will find the mesh pattern more acceptable in workplace environments than the older generation patterns. While the dv5z still looks like an attractive consumer notebook, the Imprint Finish isn't quite as "splashy" or "busy" as it used to be.

The bottom of the dv5z is quite simple with some nice heat vents located in strategic positions to help keep the laptop cool. The access panels on the bottom of the notebook make it easy to upgrade RAM, replace the hard disk drive, or replace the motherboard battery if needed. This arrangement makes it simple for the novice user to make upgrades, but more serious users will have to remove the entire base of the chassis in order to access the rest of the motherboard.

Screen

The 15.4-inch diagonal WSXGA+ High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1680 x 1050) is quite simply one of the best 15-inch screens I've seen on any notebook. Detail is amazing, colors are rich with deep contrast, backlighting is even across the entire surface, and viewing angles are good. There is some color inversion when you view the screen from below ... but how often do you tilt your screen back and view it that way?

Input and Output Ports

The dv5z has an impressive number of ports with some nice additions you won't find on most consumer notebooks. Here's a run down of the ports:

• 3 USB 2.0 ports
• 1 eSATA port/USB port
• ExpressCard/54 slot
• HDMI 1.3 connector
• 5-in-1 multi-card reader
• Microphone in, two headphone/audio out ports
• 1 Expansion Port 3 Docking Station Connector
• 1 RJ -45 (LAN)
• 1 VGA out
• Kensington lock slot

While three USB ports might not sound like enough for a 15-inch notebook, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. First, this budget notebook comes with an eSATA/USB port which allows you to connect either a USB device or an eSATA device. Although USB is still a great connection method for accessories USB cannot provide fast data transfer rates for huge amounts of data. We need a faster way to transfer files as more and more consumers start storing their family videos, digital photos, and personal media collections on 2TB and larger external hard drives. This is where eSATA comes in. Without getting too technical, an eSATA port can transfer data to and from an eSATA-equipped external storage drive six times faster than USB.

The second important feature to consider on the dv5z is that HP still includes a dedicated docking station connector on their laptops for those of us who use our laptops as desktop replacements. This is far more important than most people realize. Most other notebook manufacturers have removed dedicated docking ports and now only offer USB docking stations. USB is great for connecting one or two devices at the same time, but if you are trying to transfer data, video, audio, and perhaps even your Ethernet connection over a single USB port you will suffer a major reduction in speed. The dedicated Expansion Port 3 on the dv5z can handle all of your docking station needs all at the same time with virtually no reduced performance.

HP deserves serious praise for adding the eSATA port and keeping the dedicated docking port when most of the competition doesn't offer these features on consumer notebooks.

While we're on the subject of ports, it's worth mentioning that the HDMI port also supports audio as well as video via a standard HDMI cable. Many laptops with HDMI ports only support video, but the dv5z supports both video and audio. To test this I connected the dv5z to my 1080p HDTV. As soon as I connected the HDMI cable the computer recognized the connection and asked if I wanted to extend my desktop or duplicate my desktop (I chose duplicate) and then I inserted a DVD into the notebook's drive.

The dv5z upscaled the DVD movie to a full 1080p resolution and upscaled the movie to 1680 x 1050 resolution for the built-in display. The video playback was flawless with no skipped frames and the audio synched perfectly with the action on the screen (or screens). This is quite impressive and is something you just don't expect to see on a budget notebook.

Performance and Benchmarks

HP offers the new Pavilion dv5z with a range of AMD processors, including the older generation 1.9GHz Athlon X2 QL-60 dual-core processor. However, the big news this year is the availability of AMD's new "Puma" platform with improved processors and graphics. The new AMD Turion X2 Ultra ZM-80 2.1GHz dual-core processor is an obvious evolution of AMD processor technology, but the real news is the integrated graphics.

It isn't very often that we get excited about an integrated graphics processor (IGP). Every IGP on the market is painfully inferior to a dedicated graphics card and every IGP on the market struggles to handle high definition video and 3D video games. Not so with the ATI Radeon HD 3200. For the first time ever consumers have a low-cost IGP that offers flawless 1080p video playback and can even play many 3D video games at reasonable frame rates!

Keyboard, Touchpad and Media Controls

The keyboard on the Pavilion dv5z has zero flex and excellent key travel with quiet presses. I can't say with absolute certainty, but I suspect the keyboard is the same part used on the dv6700t (or at least the dv6780se we previously reviewed).

The keys have a durable coating which makes the keyboard look and feel better when typing. The slight glossy texture of the keys won't develop the typical "shine" that begins to show up on keys after extended use.

The dv5z also features attractive touch-sensitive media buttons that seemingly vanish behind the "liquid metal" surface when the computer is turned off, but light up when the notebook is turned on.

The palm rest area features the same "Mesh" Imprint Finish used on the lid. The touchpad is nice and large and features a durable and responsive surface that is also covered in the HP Imprint Finish. The marked vertical scroll section is likewise accurate and responsive. The touchpad buttons have deep feedback and produce quiet, cushioned clicks.

One of the nice features found on HP touchpads is the touchpad on/off button. If you press the small button above the touchpad you can disable it ... perfect for people using an external mouse. Although the touchpad is quite nice I would have liked to see the same style of touchpad that HP started using on the tx1000z, tx2000z, tx2500z and HDX notebooks ... perhaps on next year's notebooks?

The reason I mention the touchpads on the other HP notebooks is because I have mixed opinions about the glossy touchpad on the dv5z. The touchpad surface feels nice and smooth, but if you have even slightly moist fingertips your finger with stick to the touchpad and you won't be able to drag the cursor in smooth, straight movements. As long as you have extremely dry skin (or use an external mouse) this won't be a problem.

Another added bonus is the inclusion of a media remote. This little remote tucks away in the ExpressCard slot and is great for moving through slide presentations or for controlling the notebook when it's connected to your HDTV.

Speakers

The speaker quality was "above average" for a notebook without a built-in subwoofer. The speakers for the dv5z are located at the top of the keyboard area beneath the media buttons.

There's not much to write home about the Altec Lansing speakers. They get loud enough with minimal distortion and the sound isn't as "tinny" as is the case with nearly all laptop speakers. However, the speakers don't produce the kind of output that "fills a room" the way you might want if you're listening to your music collection on the built-in speakers. On the brighter side, both audio out ports delivered crystal clear audio to my earphones during the test period.

Heat and Noise

The Pavilion dv5z does a reasonable job keeping heat under control. The system fan and heatsinks in the notebook do a great job managing heat when the system is under load ... as we discovered when we ran multiple benchmarks back to back. Below are images with temperature readings listed in degrees Fahrenheit:

Noise was likewise a non-issue with the fan on the dv5z. The fan moved a significant amount of hot air but the noise was reasonably quieter than what we hear on most budget notebooks. When the fan is on low it is perfectly silent. When the fan is on high (such as when the system is stressed while playing 3D video games) you can hear it running in a quiet room but it's still not as loud as many budget notebooks we've reviewed. Of course, the manufacturer of the cooling fan in your notebook might be different and the dv5z will produce more heat if you configure it with a dedicated graphics card, so your mileage (or decibels) may vary.

Battery Life

We knew it was too much to expect a budget notebook to be perfect, but we were a little disappointed by the battery life from the dv5z. The 6-cell 47WHr Li-Ion battery provides sub-par battery life for the dv5z. With Vista's power management running in "balanced" mode, screen brightness set to 50 percent and wireless on, the 6-cell battery delivered 2 hours and 22 minutes of battery life. By comparison, most budget notebooks can deliver more than two and a half hours of battery life on "high performance" mode with the screen set to maximum brightness.

There is also an available high-capacity 6-cell Li-Ion battery for those users needing extended battery life. It's odd that there is no 9-cell or 12-cell battery option at the time of this writing, but that may change in the future.

Conclusion

As I mentioned in our First Look, there are a lot of reasons to be excited about this notebook. First, we're just glad to see HP release a new notebook chassis design since they were using the same old dv6000 series design for several years. More importantly, we're in complete awe over the performance of the integrated graphics on this machine.

Sure, you can get better gaming performance if you spend more money for a notebook with a good dedicated graphics card, but you would have to purchase a mid-range or high performance dedicated card to surpass the performance of the integrated graphics in the dv5z. For the first time consumers shopping for a budget notebook don't have to sacrifice performance in order to have a low-cost laptop.

In the end, the HP Pavilion dv5z left me more than a little frustrated. The simple reality is that this budget notebook packs the best integrated graphics solution we've ever seen inside its sleek chassis. However, battery life was far too limiting. In fact, this notebook would have received an Editor's Choice Award if it could have managed at least 3 hours of battery life ... but 2 hours and 22 minutes is just unacceptable.

Also, it's hard to understand why HP doesn't allow consumer to purchase this notebook with a Blu-ray drive unless the system is configured with a dedicated graphics card. The new ATI Radeon HD 3200 IGP is perfectly capable of running a Blu-ray drive, so it makes no sense for HP to require consumers to purchase a dedicated graphics card.

If you can live with the poor battery life and lack of Firewire it's hard not to recommend this notebook to anyone and everyone needing a laptop for less than $900.

Pros:

• Amazing integrated graphics performance!
• Great design and build quality
• Amazing integrated graphics performance!
• Fabulous screen
• Amazing integrated graphics performance!
• Great keyboard and media buttons
• Amazing integrated graphics performance!
• Includes HDMI and eSATA ports
• Did I mention the AMAZING integrated graphics performance?

Cons:

• Poor battery life
• No Firewire port
• No built-in TV tuner option at time of this writing
• No Blu-ray option with integrated graphics even though the HD 3200 IGP can handle it
• Touchpad surface is either great or "sticky" depending on how dry your fingers are.

HP Pavilion tx2500

The HP Pavilion tx2500 is the much needed update to the tx2000 Tablet PC. That's right, the tx2500 has an updated processor and graphics. HP finally answered our prayers and added the new AMD Puma processor and ATI Radeon HD 3200 integrated graphics into the same great design. So let's see how much better it performs.

HP Pavilion tx2500 Tablet PC specs:

• AMD Turion X2 Ultra ZM-86 2.4GHz processor
• 3GB DDR2 RAM
• 160GB hard drive
• Mobility Radeon HD 3200 IGP
• 12.1" WXGA Display with dual active/passive digitizer (1280x800)
• 8X DVD multiformat burner with LightScribe
• 802.11 a/b/g/n WLAN with Bluetooth support
• Windows Vista Business OS
• Integrated gigabit Ethernet and v.92 modem
• 6-cell battery
• Integrated webcam, fingerprint reader, Mini Remote Control
• ExpressCard/34 Slot
• 1 x Multi-format card reader
• 3 x USB ports
• 2 x headphone out and one microphone-in
• 1 x Expansion port
• 1 x VGA and S-video
• Weight: 4.5 lbs

Design and Build

The tx2500 has a solid chassis and design. The overall design is the same as the tx2000, with the glossy "Echo" imprint finish which extends onto the silver keyboard. It has a very sleek appearance, but be careful it is a fingerprint magnet.

Weighing in around 4.5 pounds the tx2500 is perfect for students. It gets a little heavy to carry around in tablet mode all day, but it's great for sitting on your desk and taking notes and you can always substitute in the weight saver if you don't need the optical drive.

The tx2500 still has the touchscreen and active digitizer, which makes navigating the Web easy. You can use your finger or the pen. The tx2500 also has great entertainment features, like Altec Lansing speakers, a mini-remote control and quite a few media buttons. For the price this tablet seems to be packed full of features.

Display

The 12.1" WXGA display is kind of grainy, but this is very common with tablets. It is glossy and reflective, but nothing major if you like the high-gloss screens. The screen is hard to read in the sunlight and well lit rooms. The viewing angles are average, but can be awkward depending on how the tablet is tilted, sometimes making it very hard to read because the colors bleed.

The tx2500 has both a touchscreen and active digitizer, it's a real tablet. The screen automatically changes orientation when rotated into tablet mode and the small hinge is surprisingly sturdy. The pen feels nice as well and I prefer it when navigating over my finger because it is more accurate. At the highest setting the screen is bright and the colors are bold, but you can't tell what you are setting it too because there isn't an on-screen indication for brightness levels, which would be a nice feature to have on this high-gloss display.

Performance and Benchmarks

The tx2500 features the new AMD "Puma" platform which includes both the updated Turion X2 Ultra dual-core processor and the all new ATI Radeon HD 3200 integrated graphics processor (IGP). The Radeon HD 3200 is a remarkable IGP because it is the first integrated graphics solution that is genuinely capable of playing 1080p video without skipping frames or playing many 3D video games with reasonable frame rates. While most tablets with integrated graphics produce a 3DMark05 score of less than 1,000 the HD 3200 IGP is theoretically capable of two or three times that level of performance.

However, since the Radeon HD 3200 is an integrated graphics solution, it suffers from the same potential problems as any IGP. Namely, it shares the system resources (RAM) and is soldered directly to the motherboard (so it cannot be replaced without replacing the entire motherboard). In the case of our tx2500 review unit, we encountered an unexpected problem. While most people using notebooks and tablets with the new Radeon HD 3200 are reporting 3DMark05 scores of more than 2,919 3DMarks (including our own editorial team testing the new HP Pavilion dv5z) our tx2500 review unit never reached these impressive scores.

After a week of constant attempts by our editorial staff of technical experts to diagnose the problem (including multiple driver updates and replacing the system RAM), it was determined that the Radeon HD 3200 in our review unit was not operating properly due to a hardware malfunction. In other words, our tx2500 is going to have to go back to HP for repair or replacement.

Tablet Features

There are plenty of multimedia buttons for watching DVDs, listening to music or viewing your photos. There is even an optional Webcam, which makes this tablet great for chatting with friends over the Web, especially with the productivity that comes with the new Puma processor. It converts into tablet mode with ease and when in tablet mode the speakers are still accessible, a definite bonus

The tx2500 has both a touchscreen and active digitizer, so now you are getting the best of both worlds for under $1,000. You can take notes on the screen with the pen, which has nice feedback and is easy to navigate with, or use your finger to navigate through windows as well.

Heat and Noise

The tx2500 does tend to get warm, especially when running benchmarks or working hard. I didn't notice much heat when browsing the Web or going through emails, but the bottom does get a little warm. When the tablet is running multiple applications or benchmarks the fan kicks on and the heat comes blowing out the vent and the exhaust is hot to the touch. This is after a few hours of being on though. None of the parts of the tablet were so hot that they were uncomfortable to touch, except for the bottom under extreme working conditions.

I didn't notice any noise from the tx2500 either. The only time the tablet was noisy was when I ran benchmarks and that is when the fan kicked on high. It was annoying and sounded like a hair dryer. Besides that the fan didn't kick on much and even when it ran on a low setting it was quiet.

Ports

The tx2500 comes packed with a great variety of features and ports. I don't think most users will have a complaint in this department. The entertainment features alone make this tablet more like a notebook, which you don't see on many Tablet PCs.

Front view - Power Slider, 2x headphone jacks, 1x microphone jack, Wi-Fi slider

Left side view - 1x DC jack, 1x ExpressCard/34 slot, 1x multi-format card reader, DVD drive

Right side view - 1x USB, 1x Gigabit Ethernet, 1x Expansion Port 3, 1x VGA out, 1x S-Video out

Back view - 1x modem jack, 2x USB, 1x Lock

Underneath view - Vents and battery

Battery

I found the battery life to be acceptable on the tx2500. It came with a 6-cell battery that sticks out slightly from the back, but can be used as a nice handle when using it in tablet mode. When the battery was set in High Performance mode I got around 1.5 hours of usage with full screen brightness and Wi-Fi on. The number increases to about 3 hours in Balanced mode with Wi-Fi on. I didn't try out the Power Saver mode because the screen gets very dull and you don't get much performance, but I am sure it improves battery life slightly as well. If you want more battery life, I recommend getting the 8-cell battery for longer computing times.

Speakers

The tx2500 is fitted with Altec Lansing speakers, which produce good sound quality for listening to music or watching movies. That was HP's focus; I mean the tx series are called entertainment notebooks. If you compare the speakers to your standard notebook, they produce comparatively loud, clear sound, but they don't compare to the higher-end multimedia notebooks equipped with subwoofers.

Even in tablet mode you still get that loud clear sound from the speakers because they don't get covered like on other tablet models, which is a bonus. The headphones come in handy too, if you want to watch a movie or you don't want to disturb your co-workers.

Wireless

I had no problems staying connected where ever I traveled. The tx2500 worked well at my house and my office. The WLAN 802.11a/b/g/n with Bluetooth is a good option to have and coverage doesn't seem to be a problem. I don't live in a rural area though, but still think it should work fine. The consumer level Infrared for controlling media functions via the included remote is a plus because you can watch movies while laying in bed too.

Conclusion

Overall I am impressed with the tx2500. The updated AMD Puma processor and ATI Radeon HD 3200 graphics are a big plus. Web pages render faster and surfing the Web is a breeze. Even though our tx2500 had some problems with the integrated graphics it still performed better then most tablets on the market now and we are sending it back to HP to fix. College students and other consumers should be happy with all the features the tx2500 packs, especially considering it's available for under $1,000. The active digitizer/touchscreen combo is very nice, even though the screen is a little washed out. Watching movies on it is still a lot of fun and it still maintains the same sleek design as its predecessor.

Pros

• Inexpensive
• Touchscreen and active digitizer
• Entertainment features
• Solid design
• Improved GPU

Cons

• Washed out display that can be very reflective
• Hight heat output when system is stressed

HP Pavilion tx2000z

Tablet PCs have hit the scene lately with a bang and most of the credit goes to HP for bringing in new innovations regularly. HP Pavilion tx2000z is the successor to HP Pavilion tx1000. Although it is quite similar to its predecessor but there have been subtle changes made by HP which makes it much better. And the icing in the cake being the same base price as we had on tx1000.

HP Pavilion tx2000z specifications :

• Dimensions : 12″ x 8.8″ x 1.5″
• Processor : AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-62 2.1 GHz
• Display : 12.1″ TFT with 1280 x 800 resolution
• RAM : 2GB DDR2 SDRAM
• Hard Disk : 160GB SATA-I 5400rpm
• Optical drive : DVD±RW/DVD-RAM
• Graphics : Nvidia GeForce 6150
• Altec Lansing speakers
• Dual headphone jacks
• 6-cell Lithium ion battery
• Approx. Price : $1300

The first thing you notice about HP Pavilion Tablet PCs is their rotating screen. They swivels around the centre and it can be folded over the keyboard. HP has taken good measures to ensure that the hinge feels sturdy and solid and also does not make any creaky sounds.

The big improvement in the tx2000z is the introduction of an active stylus instead of a dummy pen. That simply means that the touch screen coordinates much better with the stylus and works with it for better and more accurate input. This has led to better handwriting recognition. You can use the stylus as a pencil with one end acting as the pencil tip, letting you draw stuff while the other end as a eraser.

The keyboard is not affected by the small size of the laptop and has all the keys of normal size. Also HP has its media keys at the side of the lid making them accessible even when laptop is in tablet mode. The touchpad has good sensitivity and also can be disabled via a button so as to not interfere when typing.

The display has a resolution of 1280 x 800 with a screen size of 12.1″. As with other HP Pavilion notebooks, this one also features a glossy display which is great for watching movies. The processor is an AMD Turion which is not quite popular among laptop manufacturers but does a good job and helps reduce the overall cost of the laptop.

The battery lasted close to 3 hours while watching a DVD-quality movie which is quite impressive. You also get extras such as webcam and fingerprint reader which are always handy. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are present as expected. And the standard HP remote control is also an added bonus with the tablet.

Pros:

• Active stylus
• Good display
• Great battery life
• Remote control
• Media control buttons
• Good pricing

Cons:

• No Firewire support
• Bit bulky
• Limited configuration options

Final Thoughts

The HP Pavilion tx2000z is a great tablet PC and has hardly any significant flaws. You can live without a firewire port and also a bit of weight. The active stylus takes the tablet experience to a new level. Overall it is a very good buy if you are looking for a tablet PC.

My Rating : 4/5