HP TouchSmart tx2

Is this the coolest laptop ever built?

Well, maybe not the coolest, but close
enough. The HP TouchSmart tx2 brings multi-touch to your laptop and thanks to the swivel screen, you can twist it to suit any
angle you fancy, even busting a 180 degrees. What’s more, you can even collapse
the laptop with the screen facing upwards. This provides a (albeit thick)
tablet experience which perfectly suits the touch screen navigation and stylus
sensing screen. But before we delve into the particulars one thing should be
made clear from the outset: this getup is actually affordable (relatively
speaking) at $1200. Traditionally, companies tend to lord new technology over
consumers, tantalizing us with innovative features and yet keeping them out of
the average consumer’s grasp with an exorbitant price tag. Well, evidently
someone over at HP was brought up in a different business school, because not
only does the tx2 offer a multi-touch interface, it equals other laptops in its
price range in processing power and features. All that, and it’s packaged
together in a sleek, glossy design.

The tx2 comes with HP’s patented TouchSmart
software, which allows for touch-sensitive Windows navigation as well as
web-browsing. There’s even a cover-flow like approach to picture viewing that
on the 12 inch screen kind of feels like you’re physically browsing through a line
of photographs. Multi-touch features allow you to twist and rotate objects,
such as rotating a photo from portrait to landscape by twisting your digits. Also present is the pinch
zooming popularized by the iPhone which functions on photos as well as web pages. The software is even capable of recognizing
symbols, such that drawing an ‘M’ on the screen brings up the MediaSmart
software.

Tucked into the side of the unit is a
stylus pen for scrawling out notes on screen. And slipped into your ExpressCard
slot is a nifty little remote for controlling your media when the screen is out
of reach (they’ve really thought of everything!).

All this for a highly competitive $1,149!

Just…wow…

For video of the tx2 in action, check out slashgear’s hands-on footage here. Otherwise, read through for the full specs.

Full Specs:

• A range of AMD Athlon X2 Dual-Core Processors from 2.1 GHz to 2.4GHz

• Genuine Windows Vista Ultimate, Genuine Windows
  Vista Home Premium, or Genuine Windows Vista Business

• 12.1-inch diagonal WXGA (1280 x 800),
  Integrated touch-screen, Convertible display

• ATI Radeon HD 3200

• Up to 8GB DDR2 SDRAM System Memory (2
  SODIMM; 64-bit OS)

• 160/250/320/400/500GB 5400 rpm SATA Hard
  Drive

• SuperMulti 8X DVD±R/RW with Double Layer
  Support, or LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD±RW with Double Layer Support

• 802.11b/g WLAN, 802.11b/g WLAN and
  Bluetooth, Wireless 802.11a/b/g/n WLAN, or Wireless 802.11a/b/g/n with
  Bluetooth

• Dimensions: 12.05″ x 8.82″ x
  1.23″-1.52″ (with 4-cell battery)

• Weight: starting at 4.33lb

• Battery: 4-cell, 6-cell, or 8-cell options

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Steve | My Bio & Articles

Steve is a self-confessed gadget addict with a soft spot for all green gizmos. He has a BA in English Literature and is currently completing his MA in Communication and Rhetoric.