The good: Unique design; integrated optical drive; one of the few entertainment-focused tablet PCs; mini remote control included; hybrid digitizer screen.

The bad: No HDMI; heavy and thick; lackluster battery life.

The bottom line: An entertainment tablet PC with a hip design, the HP Pavilion tx2000 is now equipped with a hybrid digitizer screen and low-light VGA Webcam--among other improvements. A pity the battery life is still rather inadequate and there is yet no HDMI port in sight.

Read full review of the HP Pavilion tx2000 »

By Darius Chang, CNET Asia
Mar 31, 2008

When the Pavilion tx1000 was launched, it caused a minor sensation. Not only was it reasonably priced (going for S$2,299 (US$1,633.28) at a time when other tablets cost over S$3,000 (US$2,131.29)), but it was also one of the first tablet PCs with entertainment features. Moreover, there was a special education promotion in Singapore which saw the HP tx1000 sell for only S$1,499 (US$1,064.93).

The latest iteration, the HP Pavilion tx2000, may be based on the same chassis design, but that is where the similarity ends. The cover has been given a new look, while a whole new bag of tricks have been introduced which brings this Pavilion into a new era. Unfortunately, the consequence is that the price, though still affordable, has been bumped up significantly, while the lackluster battery life is still an issue.

Design

Like the rest of the recent Pavilion series, the HP tx2000 is decorated with HP Imprint technology christened "Echo". Though it's available only in black, we feel that this initiative speaks volumes when it comes to personalization rather than merely offering a choice of colors. The silver-and-black color theme combined with the Echo design are certainly attractive, but may be a little too much for the office.

However, if you habored hopes of carrying this convertible tablet PC on your rounds, give it up now. At 2kg, with a footprint of 306 x 224 x 38.7mm, it is heavier than some dumbbells used in aerobics classes. However, the flipside is that there are hardly, if any, compromises made in terms of features. It even has an integrated optical drive under the hood.

Like most convertible tablets, buttons for commonly used functions are conveniently located around the display. There are discrete keys for screen rotation and a shortcut to the Windows Mobility Center. But unlike its competitors, this Pavilion's entertainment focus is apparent with its use of touch-sensitive multimedia control buttons on the left of the LCD. Though the latchless design is all the rage, we like the fact that the tx2000 bucks the trend and uses a latch to keep the display firmly in place.

Features

One of the major upgrades over its predecessor may not be readily apparent, but it makes a big difference in terms of functionality. While the Pavilion tx1000 had a simple touchscreen (passive digitizer), the tx2000 now comes with a hybrid digitizer LCD. Using the active stylus stored in a spring-loaded slot, the screen can detect heavy and light strokes as well as know when you are using the reverse end to erase onscreen drawings. Should you forget to bring your stylus, you can still move the cursor using any pointed object, including your finger nail. This is a feature which we first saw on the Dell Latitude XT and we are glad it appears on the tx2000, which is almost half the price of the former.

Forget the megapixel race. Though many laptop Webcams are in the 1.3-megapixel range, this Pavilion uses a low-light VGA camera. So despite the fact that the resolution may be inferior on paper, in terms of performance we feel it is on par, if not better, than most. This makes video-conferencing indoors a pleasure, especially coupled with the dual digital microphones which remove ambient noise during conversations. For the fun stuff, Cyberlink YouCam is included which allows you to take videos and photos using special effects (much like those Purikura (Print club) booths which were popular a few years ago).

Rate It Now

Rating guidelines

HP Pavilion tx2000 tablet PC (AMD Turion 64 X2 processor 2.0GHz, 2GB RAM)

Rate this product:
1 - Abysmal 2 - Terrible 3 - Poor 4 - Mediocre 5 - Average 6 - Good 7 - Very good 8 - Excellent 9 - Spectacular 10 - Perfect

Need help? Read our guidelines for what each number rating represents.

Submit your opinion

User Reviews

• Most Popular

• Upcoming

Latest Downloads

 

What's Hot