It was distinctive in being one of several only entertainment-minded laptops having a resistive digitizer display. HP has refreshed the tx1000 using the tx2000, which brings a technology refresh as well as a full active WACOM digitizer.
We discovered the design of the tx2000 to become strikingly similar to the previous design. While the prior model combined black and silver cues,
creating a piecemeal effect, the new model swaps the silver hinge with a black a single for much more uniform style. The exact same goes for that inside, where the black keyboard was replaced with a silver one, matching the base. The tx2000 also sports an 'Echo' imprint, which looks like crop-circles, on both the lid and the palmrests, unlike the 'wave' imprint that was present on the tx1000.
The speakers remain on the hinge itself, which is a superb design option. In real-world usage the classic laptop position is poorly suited for a number of activities, including watching videos. If you're on a plane, for instance, the normal laptop position is usually at odds with the seat before you. Try turning the monitor around and watching from that position. You'll be glad the speakers turned with the picture.
The keyboard remains nearly identical to the tx1000, which would be to say smooth with excellent tactile feedback. The crucial noise is about the loud side, but some break-in will most likely decrease that somewhat. The keyboard was changed to silver to match the base, and also the correct shift key was enlarged to full-size. The whole keyboard feels less cramped than the original. I have larger-than-average hands, making this high about the totem pole for me.
Fortunately, the touchpad is the exact same one we came to enjoy about the tx1000. It uses an fascinating inverted bump design for superb tactile feel, and a separate bar about the correct for scrolling. This appears to work much better than other laptops, which combine the scrollbar with the touchpad. Above the touchpad is a silver switch which turns the touchpad on or off, if you're using an alternate input device or to avoid accidental touch recognition.
We were interested to determine what the TL-66 could muster. It posted a Worldbench 6 score of 53, which isn't very impressive. 3DMark '06 scored a paltry 192 3dMarks. The Turion X2 processor helped post a more respectable 2313 using PCMark Vantage.
When placed into tablet form, the screen orients so the fan is facing directly toward you. That means you've got a significant amount of hot air blowing directly onto your leg. It looks like HP didn't have much of a choice, since the opposite end housed the energy plug. You need to pick between a energy cord jabbing your leg or a load of hot air. After 30 seconds of use, I decided on the power cord.
HP has been bringing some thoughtful design towards the laptop computer market within the last few years. This laptop computer is particularly distinctive -- it is a convertible notebook with an entertainment focus. The tx2000 seems a lot faster than the benchmarks it posted, and we didn't feel hampered by the AMD processor platform. Sadly image quality suffers about the touchscreen, lacking the clarity and vibrance of other displays. Also, we discovered the digitizer to become inaccurate when registering touches, even though the inking was simple to use. Calibrating the pen and the screen helped, although the hand writing recognition software discovered it hard to really read my handwriting. To be fair, it's not simple for me either.
As a laptop, this device is simple to recommend. However, I wasn't impressed with the accuracy of the active digitizer. I'd enjoy visiting what HP brings to the tablet with their next refresh. With a more consistent technique of transcribing penstrokes to electronic letters, HP will have a real hit on their hands. Until then, this laptop computer is only halfway there.
