An artfully designed convertible Windows Tablet PC priced at $1894 (as of April 11, 2007), the 4.2-pound HP Pavilion tx1000 is geared for multimedia. This machine has some interesting and distinctive design touches, including a unique touchpad, but its abysmal battery life and excessively reflective screen make it a less-than-desirable traveling companion.
Among the tx1000's many features are a built-in Webcam located at the top of the screen and a fingerprint reader set into the left side of the lid. It also comes with a three-in-one memory card reader, three USB 2.0 ports, and a dual-layer DVD writer. Indentations in the unique touchpad enable sensors to gauge your finger's movements. A scrollbar with similar perforations sits to the right of the touchpad.
All of the ports are conveniently laid out along the sides; and helpful, readily visible gray icons identify the connections so you don't have to hunt. Buttons for running HP's QuickPlay software (which lets you play DVDs or music without having to boot Windows) and for rotating the screen occupy the area just below the screen.
Converting from notebook to slate mode is easy, and the 12.1-inch screen rotates into place firmly. One quibble: The screen jiggles a bit when the tablet is in notebook mode and that can be distracting if you are moving--say, if you're on a train. The tablet comes with a responsive touch screen; but unfortunately the screen lacks an antireflective coating. In fact, strangely, it seems to have another kind of coating with a smoky hue that makes seeing anything on the screen at an indirect angle unduly difficult.
On WorldBench 6 Beta 2, the tx1000, equipped with a 2-GHz AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-60 processor and Windows Vista Premium Home Edition, managed a middling score of 64. In our battery tests, it ran down after just 1 hour, 45 minutes. Still, it's nicely designed and comfortable to use, despite the screen glare. Just be sure to pack the AC adapter.
Carla Thornton