HP TouchSmart tx2-1275dx

Many in the cutting edge field of mobile personal computing gadgets would agree that touch screen is definitely the hot new way to interface with computers. A touch screen laptop computer offers the user a great way to interact and operate their fully functioning laptop computer in a manner that is foreign to many. Having a touch screen can be both fun and exciting but as some manufacturer’s push the limits of affordable consumer technology there are some significantly noticeable drawbacks.

To illustrate a point, we will take a look at the TouchSmart tx2-1275dx which is one of the newer models in a line of HP touch screen laptops. While most computers offer options with improved specs at increasing prices, the tx2-1275 comes as a single configuration model. While it offers a multi touch capable rotating screen as one of the greatest perks to this machine, there are some areas where serious laptop users might not be able to look past.

The first problem with this touch screen laptop by HP is that the 2.2GHz AMD Turion X2 does not offer the same performance as the Intel Core 2 Duo processors that many other laptops in the same price range are built around. For the starting price of $849 retail, you would expect a little more processing power. On the other side of the coin, it is quite the power sucking machine. For being an ultraportable device with its 12” display you would expect more than the two and a half hours on a six cell battery under normal usage.

Also as an ultraportable device that weighs in at almost 5 pounds, that is a little on the heavy side. In fact, it is among the heaviest of its size class. The best part, as we mentioned earlier, is the multi touch technology that this laptop offers. Sometimes we can sacrifice the power consumption and weight for the thrill of multi touch.

HP Touch Screen Laptops | TouchSmart tx2

The new HP touch screen laptop is called the HP TouchSmart tx2 Notebook PC. For those who are familiar with non-touch screen laptops, the screen is a little smaller than the base so it closes unevenly. Despite the manufacturer’s attempts at making this touch screen laptop look cool, it’s more unsightly than sleek.

The HP touch screen laptop comes with a very nice 12.1 inch wide screen with HP’s high-definition BrightView display technology. There is also a built-in web cam for face-to-face chat and video capture. Next to the screen on your right hand side is a built-in fingerprint reader that functions the same as what some Sony laptops feature. The screen is designed to swivel and twist up to 180 degrees making it easier to share without physically picking up the laptop. It can also fold backwards and flat for handwriting directly onto the screen. It’s a fully functioning table PC when it comes with a stylus for writing and drawing directly onto the screen.

The touch screen laptop is cool because it recognizes pinching, pressing, flicking, tap, and dragging of media with two fingers using HP MediaSmart software. The controls mimic what users have come to accept from Apple’s iPhone and iPod touch.

It comes with built-in wireless as all new laptop models are. If you buy a laptop without built-in wireless something is terribly wrong. What’s great with HP is the integrated remote control. I don’t know anyone who actually finds it useful, I just say it’s great because there’s a nifty compartment on the side to store it so for whatever reason in the future the remote doesn’t get lost. The touch screen laptop is built with SRS Premium Sound as its audio hardware. They’re on the upper end of laptop speakers, but as well all know, that’s not saying much.

For the eco-aware people among us, HP claims the TouchSmart is Energy Star qualified and ships in recyclable packaging with EPA SmartWay carriers. It does have a pretty cool imprint and finish as HP is way ahead of Dell prints in that department. The quality of the material is something most people enjoy about the new HP touch screen laptop.