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Ricardo Bilton & Gloria Sin

HP TouchSmart tx2 laptop brings upgraded multitouch to tablet PC; $799

By | October 13, 2009, 8:38am PDT

Summary: HP unveiled its updated TouchSmart tx2 laptop, a 12.1-inch model that sports Windows 7 multitouch and starts at $799.

Rounding out Tuesday’s announcements, HP unveiled its updated TouchSmart tx2 laptop, a 12.1-inch model that sports Windows 7 multitouch and starts at $799.

The tx2’s capacitive touchscreen display rotates 180 degrees for use as a tablet, and the multitouch capabilities also support the use of a stylus.

Inside, the model is a mild refresh: memory is doubled to 4GB and the hard drive upgraded to 320GB and a higher 7,200RPM spin speed. It keeps the 2.2GHz AMD Turion X2 processor and ATi Radeon HD 3200 graphics, as well as its 4.65 lb. weight.

The tx2 is preloaded with TouchSmart software suite, which is similar to the one that ships with the company’s newly-announced all-in-one TouchSmart PCs and includes the same partner apps, including Hulu, Netflix, Twitter, Pandora and Rhapsody.

The HP TouchSmart tx2 will be available Oct. 22.

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Andrew J. Nusca is editor of ZDNet and SmartPlanet.

Disclosure

Andrew Nusca

Andrew J. Nusca does not hold any investments in the technology companies he covers.

Biography

Andrew Nusca

Editor

Andrew J. Nusca is an editor for ZDNet and SmartPlanet. As a journalist based in New York City, he has written for Popular Mechanics and Men's Vogue and his byline has appeared in New York magazine, The Huffington Post, New York Daily News, Editor & Publisher, New York Press and many others. He also writes The Editorialiste, a media criticism blog.

He is a New York University graduate and former news editor and columnist of the Washington Square News. He is a graduate of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He has been named "Howard Kurtz, Jr." by film critic John Lichman despite having no relation to him. He lives in his native Philadelphia with his wife, cat and Boston Terrier.

Follow him on Twitter.

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good idea about android
gavin.chan 1st Oct
A good post. Thanks for sharing.Hi, do you own a tablet pc? We supply kinds of tablet computers, including 7 inch touch screen tablet . Buy a 9.7 inch android 2.2 from China at wholesale price.rkREv
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Nice price point (NT)
P. Douglas 13th Oct 2009
.
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If its good enough, might replace the fujitsu's that cost a small fortune each.
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why oh why
blackhawk556 13th Oct 2009
Why did you keep the same processor hp, why? sad

I was going to buy one in august for school but read bad
reviews on its performance so I decided to wait for windows
7. Looks like I'm going to have to skip the tablet and get
something else now. For $800 I can get something with a
better processor and graphics.

Why don't these things come with intel core 2 duo
centrino?????????????
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Wait for the Reviews
bjterry62 13th Oct 2009
I wouldn't be so hasty. Wait till the reviews to decide and pay close attention to what the differences really are. What performance do you need for school? I mean..... REALLY. My son is an engineering major and the most taxing thing he uses his laptop for is PC games! He has a 17" HP with a Turion RM72
and HD3200 IGP. Haven't heard a gripe out of him yet. As a matter of fact, he comments on how well it performs against his gaming buddy's lappy with NV dedicated graphics.

I use an AMD DC laptop and have never had an issue with it's performance. In all honesty, the only thing I would change on mine is the battery life. But since I got it for only $400, I guess I could upgrade the battery with what I saved. All I'm saying is I think people get really caught up in the numbers and don't really look at the machine as a whole.
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But...
Ceridan 13th Oct 2009
Games are needed to relax between those Physics and Mat classes...


PS: Planning to probably buy this one... to replace my old DV50XX laptop... the older one served me well but it's starting to fall appart... damn those Montreal lunar like streets... damn them...
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ok
blackhawk556 13th Oct 2009
I dont need a big powerful laptop for school. the only reason why I'm bring up performance is because for 800 dollars I can buy something that IS more powerful. If they use the same processor as the current model out there why should I wait for the reviews?

The reason I want a tablet is for taking notes in my physics class. Yes I know this doesn't require a lot of power but I'm more interested in performance while doing other stuff at home.
I really want to buy a tablet or a Mac, but if they are keeping the same AMD processor as the current model I might as well get a Mac. IF I get a Mac what's the first software I'm installing?...............windows 7 happy
The reason why I want a Mac is because I can kill two birds with one stone (S.L. and 7 in one purchase)
.
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you're right but
blackhawk556 13th Oct 2009
what I meant was that instead of spending $800 on this AMD powered tablet I'll just use the money to buy a Mac instead and forget about a tablet.

Still deciding though
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No Buts...
RobbCab Updated - 15th Oct 2009
I've been looking at these for a while (got some hands on time with the old one at the local office depot) and it seemed fine for every day computing. Granted, I wouldn't run high-end 3D Rendering apps or the most resource intensive games, but it's solid, plays video just fine and the touch features are awesome. I would love a Core2 option to make it even better, but the AMD is fine and helps keep the cost down.

As far as using that $800 on a Mac, you're out of luck. You could pay $200 more for a slower processor half the ram and half the HD for a MacBook or the same $800 on a mini with half the ram (+ keyboard, monitor and mouse), but really the HP will preform just as well or better plus you get to take your notes.

Just my 2% of a dollar
looking on HP's website and you can get the almost the same configuration for the exact same price. the one difference is 7200 rpm everything else is the same. seriously, what are they introducing?? this laptop with windows 7? I could have installed the OS myself
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ummm
srikanthjanga 13th Oct 2009
Well, it does have a capacitive touch screen as opposed to a resistive one.
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really
blackhawk556 13th Oct 2009
i thought the old ones had a capacitive touchscreen also???
This machine CAN run modern games at lowest settings. Right now there are a couple of key pieces missing, the final Win 7 video driver and the final N-trig digitizer drivers. Even without those you have a nice machine but the multi-touch isn't QUITE there with the RC N-trig drivers. They should be out at Windows 7's release as I was told this by an N-Trig rep.
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question
blackhawk556 13th Oct 2009
does your machine have a capacitive touchscreen??
srikanthjanga says the new one does but I thought the older models like yours did also.

Answers to Common Questions About Prom Dresses
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Are the speakers any good?
0 Votes
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Speaker Quality?
worldwideguy 18th Oct 2009
Are the speakers any good? I would like something that is capable of playing music or movie audio, at an adequate volume to enjoy, in a moderately noisy environment. Are they up to such a task?
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good idea about android
gavin.chan 1st Oct
A good post. Thanks for sharing.Hi, do you own a tablet pc? We supply kinds of tablet computers, including 7 inch touch screen tablet . Buy a 9.7 inch android 2.2 from China at wholesale price.rkREv

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