How would you change HP's TouchSmart tx2z?
By Darren Murph 
posted February 6th 2009 11:16PM
posted February 6th 2009 11:16PM
posted February 6th 2009 11:16PM
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What i would like to be improved is:
* Higher responsiveness of the touch/mutitouch keyboard.
* Discrete graphics, eg, 3400 series/3600 series with Hybrid Crossfire.
* A better cooling solution, the internal heatsink is only facing the two vents on the corner of the laptop, more vents on the other corner would be appropriate to spread the heat.
* Improved Fingerprint Reader
* More stabilized screen when in tablet mode.
* Eraser on pen, even though the screen might have to be changed.
* Less grain screen.
* AMD is great and their Puma Platform is fantastic for a consumer laptop, however an Intel Montevina Platform with nVidia graphics would be nice too.
Im planning on buying the tx2z as soon as i find a company that sells it with the specs i want to the middle east, currently very difficult to find! But hopefully the HP Touchsmart "tx3z" will be much better, it would probably come out with the AMD Shrike Platform which will be introduced later this year, the 45nm AMD mobile processor and the HD Mobility 4000 series would make it a certain performance killer!! :D
I really admire your help in telling how to make these desired changes.
I got a older tx2517, and my 2 big problems is that stupid battery that sticks out and the ammount of heat it blasts.
make it my dell latitude xt =)
i would make it panda friendly
Problem is HP wants to have two lines; a consumer (this series) and business (2730p series). People not so easily niched will never be happy; they will not make a thin, light, sturdy, subtly designed (non glossy) model with the jazzy features. So I don't expect to ever have an HP convertible, though my next computer will be a convertible.
My friend just upgraded from the TC1100, and went back to it. The glossy screen on the TX2 is idiotic. The first tablet screen from HP that responds to touch from your finger, and they make it glossy so it just gets full of smudges when you use it! Really, HP?!
They need to put a matte finish screen in there, like the one on the TC1100. That screen is amazing! It has nearly a 180 degree viewing angle and I almost never have to wash it. It's like teflon to fingerprints.
i have the tx2-1025dx which is basically the tx2z for bestbuy. The multitouch is a gimmik regardless, i mean you won't be using it later either; because a mouse is easier to navigate. The multitouch are a littly faulty and laggy (due to vista probably). The laptop takes a while to start up (vista again). I like the concept of the active digitizer, which btw is my fav component of the pc; so its a true tablet. The complain with the pen would probably be is that they removed the eraser function (the one where you could just turn your pen around and it will erase). They have a strike out feature for writing (i think its BS). Another great thing is the remote that comes with it, its amazing when i have to do a presentation. I love using it in class (grad level), i have to write a lot on ppt and the teachers keep on changing it. So i can bring this beauty to class and just download a ppt right before we start. What i really don't like about it would be the keyboard issue, i mean yeah it starts working once you take the battery out and unplug it, and restart the computer (who really has that much time when you actually need to use it)- the problem has only happened to me once, it seems it happens when you are in tablet mode from start up. I hate the buzzing sound when the laptops screen is running, apparently its due to the fact being its a tablet, from what they told me. The battery does stick out, but i actually like that; because it gives you something to grab onto when writing. Oh btw i love the fact that this laptop has SPDF (audio) because i can hook it up to my home theater system on the dock and run the music using touch only (love the HP media player- which imports you're info from i tunes BTW), this looks really cool and very stylish as well. Hopefully windows 7 will make it smoother running, only time shall tell. Overall i think this laptop was a great investment for me, being a student or a professional who needs everything in one place, without carrying tons of papers; this is for you. Other than that i don't see the masses using it that much. Oh before i forget the fingerprint reader rocks :-)
I bought this tablet because of the AMD chip! and it is nice to have 4 hrs of battery life when you use it as a tablet. one thing i would change is make the work just like the dell latitude xt so we have windows 7 multitouch support, oh and fix the problem with the touch screen not comming out of sleep mode right some of the times
I have a tx1420us. Very frustrating to use with the lockups and excessive heat until I switched to Ubuntu. Now it runs fantastic, but can't get HP to give me a work-around for the touchscreen. I know it can be done but I don't have the technical sophistication to get it working yet. With Vista the hardware is just not enough. With Linux it SCREAMS. It also works with my HP printer, which Vista doesn't.
I have a Tx2150us..I guess its the same with fingerprint reader.. "How would you change HP's TouchSmart tx2z?"
well...the VISTA OS! to Linux or a well robust & stable OS. My computer crashed twice with data on it with a BCD boot error. In both instances, it crashes while in idle or when it gets windows updates. I still did not determine which windows update crashes the computer. I cannot find resolution at microsoft site. It does not happen often...but it happen twice too much. I have the laptop for 9 months now. Not a good track record in my book.
I ended up reinstalling my system. I'm trying to pull & recover some data off before i send the laptop back for warranty repair.
so...I think they should change the Vista O/S to Linux. It's more stable and reliable. I say... Otherwise...this will be a great little TabletPC.
Vista is leaving a very bad taste in my mouth at times. I'm trying to Give Vista a chance...
cheers!
get rid of the tacky "hp imprint". Can pc makers not realize that not everyone wants swirly crap all over their stuff?
Also...HP need to fix that darn...HP quickplay feature on Vista..It does not work or take it out I say...I know it probably works great under XP but not under Vista.
I'm guessing that HP S/W Engineers are not too keen on Vista implementation of HP QuickPlay.. I'm sorry to say..
Where's that promise of no need to boot to run HP QuickPlay??
I loved this feature on my last XP based HP laptop. Where's the Love HP people?? Where's the Love?? :(
Whoa is me...whoa is me...
HP quality is going downhill especially in the notebook area, serious QC issues, they are using marketing and fancy touches to hid the fact that underneath the design is serious quality control problems in their entire line of consumer notebook.
A lot of user interface adjustments could be made:
1) Customizable "Quick Launch" buttons near monitor. Who uses any of them but the rotate one?
2) Volume keys that aren't software managed -- you can't mute on bootup or lockup.
3) Improved speakers.
4) better keyboard & mouse.
5) Stronger Chassis -- I sometimes have CD drive issues too, and it's b/c when I hold my laptop, the flimsy plastic on the outside under the CD drive bends in and affects the CD drive itself.
Everything else has been said.
don't have a tx2z but i am tempted to get one later this year, here is what will make it a sale for me
-solid windows 7 multitouch integration and support
-hp needs to offer ssd options in their configurator
-amd/ati xgp support would great
-drop the rgb out and go with a hdmi/mini hdmi out
-dvd drive bay should support an optional battery or hd
-multitouch trackpad
-lcb bezel and backside configurable hot keys
-adress some of the issues that the owners are talking about, (screen rotation/fan noise)
-better battery life
I have the tx 2500 and I love it. From where I sit, the main thing that needs improvement is the scrolling function. I have a very difficult time getting that to work with either the stylus or my finger. I think they need a better way to activate the scroll so that a wider bar shows up and then maybe it would work better. I get around this problem by activating the area with a touch and then paging or arrowing up and down. There are just some occasions while on some Internet sites and within certain software programs where I really wish the scroll bar functioned better, but for the trade-off, I can live without it.
I am so happy with this machine that I would never go back to using a regular laptop again. I hate laptop mouse pads (although the pad on this machine is my favorite of any I've had) and using an external mouse is just not practical for truly using your lap for your laptop, so for me, this is heaven to do away with a mouse.
By the way, fellow touch owners, I converted a Zip pen (worn on the finger while you type) by removing the ink and it is fantastic for using on a Touch laptop. You can just type away and tap with a nice fine point any time without picking up a stylus. I can't find it in the stores anymore, but I just ordered another pair from Amazon.
make the pen for the touchscreen feel more like a frickin drawing utensil.
My friend has one, she just got it and it's fun but the only problem is the n-tive or whatever the digitizer brand is, is not recognized by photoshop, so even though you can use the pen in photoshop, you don't get any pressure sensitivity, so really, it's just like using a mouse in a pen form. It's kinda sad.
That aside, it's a wonderful machine, doesn't get terribly hot, converts well from tablet to laptop, writing function works well (though that's a vista thing and not this machine specific.) The multi touch is obviously gimmicky right now, it only works in hp's mediasmart program which is very glitchy right now, ultimately freezing if left on while the computer either hibernates, or logs you off of your account, and barely works well with the multitouch, misinterpreting getsures.
Multi-touch aside, the fact that it's a digitizer AND touchscreen is really cool, and you can turn off touchscreen if you want to, so it will only work with the pen. When you use the pen, it won't accidentally accept your hand resting on it as a mouse click, so that's good.
I have one now, thanx to my boss hating it, he bought the best one there was, 6gigs ram, 400gig HDD, 8cell battery, and he hated it.
The screen would go grey and die, video ram tested bad HP replaced the MOBO, but it still has the sleep problem where it will go to sleep and never wake up, the caps and scroll lock lights would just blink, hard boot was the only recovery method. Disabled sleep and it helped.
I have since put windows 7 on it and its much better, but I had to do a fresh vista install and then upgrade to windows 7 to get all the drivers and multitouch to work.
All in all it was not worth the $2500 paid for it, I use it as my nightstand PC and use it when I want to surf the web in bed and the touch screen is good for laying down surfing
In case anyone else encountered their tx series motherboards dying out, these HP support forum threads may be of interest:
http://forums.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/bizsupport/questionanswer.do?threadId=1274587
http://forums13.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/questionanswer.do?admit=109447627+1233817452197+28353475&threadId=1268501
Also, there are websites set up specially just for the above issues:
http://hplies.com/
and hpstolemymoney.com
I happen to own a tx1000 series notebook that was always running hot - always assumed it was caused by the AMD cpu, until one fine day, it simply died. Searched around the web and realised that I was just one of the many who encountered this same problem.
Perhaps engadget could consider writing an article on this to create more awareness.
My tx1000 series died after 1 year of use, luckily I got the extended warranty (original is 1 year).
Does anyone buy a laptop expecting it to die within 1 year?
This thread on HPs forums has over 100 users with the problem as well:
http://forums11.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/questionanswer.do?threadId=1188907&admit=109447626+1234094921546+28353475
Really upsetting.
Unfortunately for me, mine did not have extended warranty - and it died just 5 months after 1 year warranty expired.
？？？
I had the tx1000, but it was stolen from me. Now im stuck with my AAO. So if it were up to me i would add some sort of gps tracking device. Or a remote detonator, thats what you get.
I posted a review on Amazon. I mentioned quite a list of faults. There's plenty for HP or anyone else to chew on. In short, I think most peeps will be disappointed by the multi-touchscreen experience but not necessarily a multi-touchpad experience. The AMD processor, chunky battery and sweetspot challenged screen all need to be addressed. A multi-touch Atom 280 netbook will beat the pants of a TX2.
Everything especially the touch responsiveness.
I still prefer the Hp elitebook 2730p over this one. Mostly, because it has better screen, processor, battery life, and it's durable. If you can incorporate that into this laptop, then you'll have winner. Sadly, the AMD processor in the Tx2z is what's driving the price down. The elitebook is ~$2000.
Also, why did HP have to go a switch digitizers? I really like the wacom digitizer because the pressure sensitivity registers in photoshop (and other art programs). The Tx2z has the N-trig digitizer isn't recognized by the previous programs I mentioned.
Yes but the Elitebook is for business purposes while the touchsmart is a consumer based tablet, hence the lower price tag, although the multi touch features on the tx2 is still a gimmick, it can be fixed in future by HP or even Windows 7. Also, the intergrated graphics on the elitebook sucks really...not even near the performance of the HD 3200 (even though it draws way more power), but that because they differ in purpose...
I dont mind the weight of the tablet or the bulk so much.
But since I use it as a tablet my list would be
1)
2-5 Custom buttons, if you use photoshop in tablet mode it would be nice to have things like undo or some other custom defined macros on hand
2)
see #1
3)
make a 7.2k rpm drive avaliable, charge more if you have to
i dont really care about the the drain on power but the performance diference is well worth it
why isnt this an option form the config tool!?
4)
drop the temp down a notch, it can be difficult using it as a tablet after a while when it runs so hot
5)
use a difernt plastic on the back, the thing is a fingerprint magnet
6)
the tx25z model i have can save a loot of bulk if the shell was a tighter fit, compared to any other portable machine ive ever owned thers a loot of empty space in the shell
I support a user with tx2550 which doesn't have multitouch capabilities. In overal, this is a great model which simply doesn't work well. There are always some problems with USB, docking station, hybernation, performance, heating etc.
So, I truly believe that the first thing HP must care about is that they products work. Multitouch capabilities aren't so important in such a perspective.
Vlad.
Remove nTrig, return to Wacom!
I have TX2000 series tablet, and I must say that it's had great bang for buck ratio. Enough to overlook the letdowns. The biggest being the screen which is best characterized as s*itty.
But in no way would I swap the TX2000 for the tx2z. There's a reason why Wacom is an industry leader.
Intel instead AMD? Sure, Intel is nice but the cost goes up, making the TX series loose ther appeal.
I've seen a lot of people complain about the temperatures of AMD, but I found them (on an Turion x2 2.2GHz) reasonable when using the tablet correctly, ie not blocking the ventilation grills. Mind you I used the tablet 8+ hours a day for 4 months doing Photoshop and web developing work which really put the cpu through it's paces.
Screen quality is a good place to improve the TX series. TX2z is better than the previous panels, but it could/should be better yet.
This thing is a tacky, heavy, bulky hairdryer. Weak VGA out gives flicker unless you run on battery (WTF). The screen is a horrible, horrible cloudy, grainy washed-out disaster. The loudest and hottest laptop in the history of the universe, and maybe one of the ugliest to boot. I was horrified at the experience of owning one and immediately RMAed the heap of plastic junk.
The first and biggest thing I would do is add a Wacom compatibility layer for the n-trig digitizer. The pressure sensitivity is great in software that uses the Tablet PC API; it's fast, responsive, great sensitivity range and doesn't interfere with touchscreen operation as in Wacom digitizer/touchscreen combo devices. Unfortunately none of the big name applications support the Tablet PC API, they all use Wacom. That means no Painter, no Adobe software, etc.
The second thing I'd do: configurable BIOS! When you enter the BIOS screen on this thing you get a system information list and the option to close it, that's it. I can't supply a fixed value for the hypermemory (shared memory) of my GPU, which means compatibility issues in several games that otherwise would run acceptably on it.
Multitouch performance isn't spectacular, but then there's almost no software that uses it yet so I'm not too upset about that. I expect performance improvements will come with broader software support (as more scenarios get tested, development continues, bugs are removed). It's hard as hell to hit anything smaller than about 2mm on screen with the fingertip - my biggest suggestion is to keep those nails trimmed so you can use the smallest part of your finger surface possible.
I haven't experienced most of the other problems people are complaining about. My fingerprint reader works great, the sound is great quality for a tablet PC, the screen is brighter and sharper than any other tablet I've used or owned to date and has a better viewing angle, battery life is impressive with the 8-cell battery (around 4 1/2 hours on conservative settings) and I have had no major hardware or compatibility issues besides the hypermemory thing. It does get warm around the exhaust under load and the fan gets pretty loud for a mobile, but this is common with HP laptops.
Overall though I'm really satisfied. This little beast is very solid and performs well for a cutting edge device.
Oh regarding the keyboard issue, the keyboards are not faulty. I believe it's some sort of software issue; I experienced this problem after two seperate Vista updates. Simply shut the laptop down, unplug it, remove the battery, then reseat the battery, plug it in and turn it on. Voila, keyboard works again. I have not had this happen since early January.
The real tragedy is that HP's support team apparently isn't aware of this fix and keeps wasting weeks of people's time shipping replacements.
A slot load BlueRay player would also be great, since it would take advantage of AMD's UVD Technology...i would like to see another set of vents on the other corner of the notebook to spread out the heat a little...
HP's shipping this to me as a replacement for my tx1320 that crapped out for the 6th time last week. I'm looking forward to using the multitouch/capacitive touch of the machine.
~MH
March 5th expected delivery date of the tablet.
Love this all-in-one compact! Design's very nice, too.
I got my HP Pavilion tx 2500z last october -
awesome little powerful thing - but i'd like to address some issues:
- largest one: annoying display driver that AMD/ATI & HP will not update for the life of me:
I bought this laptop so i could take notes in it at school, for its portability (hence small screen), and its power so i can nicely "dual screen" with an external monitor
Every time I use an external monitor the atikmdag.sys driver always fails, and/or gives me a BSOD and/or restarts randomly
I updated bios, drivers etc... HP support (even the NON OUTSOURCED-SCRIPT-READING-TECHS) couldn't help me. BUMMER! and NO I DO NOT WANT TO RE-FORMAT THANK YOU VERY MUCH =p
i am scared my laptop will freak out on me in class if i hook it up to a projector during a presentation! =(
- gets wayy TOO HOT! =(, laptop cooler is NEEDED for my lap/desk in class
- please rotate counterclockwise too!!! - its such a tease!
- handwriting recognition adn voice regocnition are awesome (prob a windows thing)
- only got fingerprint reader to work with mozilla through a plug in that is slow and annoying
Other than that, its great! =)
I have the tx2z and it has a lot of MAJOR problems that HP is totally ignoring and not supporting. If it was just a laptop and not a tablet it would be a decent computer.
HOWEVER, the reason most people by tablet pc's would be to use the tablet functionality, like drawing on the screen. THIS COMPUTER DOES NOT WORK WITH PHOTOSHOP, PAINTER OR ANY OF THE MAJOR ART PROGRAMS. Which really really sucks. despite its minor other problems, like the
== very poor viewing angle and graininess of the screen,
---- random cursor jumps that won't let you click on the screen
---- promised pen with eraser function that does not exist
you can not draw on this tablet with any type of PRESSURE SENSITIVITY with the exception of a few low level non standard drawing programs. Basically that makes drawing just as if you were doing it with a mouse. not the amazing true to life feeling of drawing on a good tablet pc.
I strongly don't recommend this pc because HP is doing NOTHING to fix these MAJOR problems. I don't think that people should buy products from companies that don't stand by their products.
my recommendation is to wait for wacoms multitouch solution and avoid any screen made by Ntrig (latitude XT and XT2 and Hp TX2z) like the plague.
Can you dig it?
I just got the TX2z the other day. With the coupons, the price is great. The touch works amazingly well and the multitouch...well...it's mostly a gimmic for now until windows 7 comes out. It works great for strategic zooming in Sins of a Solar empire and Supreme Commander though. =D
Only thing I would change is the hard drive and maybe the touchpad, though I rarely use it.
I simply love the comments from all the "experts" throughout the comments that knock AMD's CPU for being slow...I really wonder how many of you actually notice the speed differential between a Turion and a C2D. Are you guys encoding all day? Compiling perhaps? Running SuperPI or Prime95 24/7? Hmmm thought not. If you actually did you would probably notice the speed differential is only 5% to 10% at most with comparable tablets with C2D CPUs. HOW TERRIBLY SLOW!!! *sight* While you complain about this issue, I wonder how many have considered that its impossible to play blu-ray movies or recent games on Intel tablets. The WHOLE point of HP going AMD for their budget tablet is this: balanced performance for ALL tasks, games, media, productivity, etc at a decent price and at a manageable thermal envelope.
Those other "experts" complaining about total hardware failure...have you noticed you don't have a TX2z BUT you have a previous model with an NVIDIA chipset which HAS MAJOR ISSUES just like most Apple notebooks with NVIDIA chipset? Research before you post.
Regarding the keyboard issue, it is a known problem and has been corrected on a new BIOS that can be downloaded from HP.
Regarding the n-trig screen...has anyone noticed n-trig's hardware is the ONLY commercially available screen that is both capacitive (for touch) and works as a regular tablet?? Also has anyone noticed how many years Wacom has been in the market and how many years n-trig has been? Finally, has anyone noticed that Photoshop and such programs do not support n-trig's pressure sensitivity option basically because THEY DON'T SUPPORT THE NATIVE WINDOWS PEN API?? The programs that do work with n-trig follow the official MS API...so I wonder if with all that is n-trig's technology really crap.
BTW: Had anyone noticed the market the touchsmart is being sold? Well you should because most of the complaints people have are solved when instead of paying 1k for a convertible tablet you pay 2k (elitebook, x200, etc). That extra grand gets you ULV C2D, thinner (no optical drive though), less heat, more battery life, flawless digitizer screen and supperb build quiality amongst others. So you see, touchsmart does not cost a grand less for nothing, so expect compromises.
Its not the perfect consumer tablet but given the way the market is, HP strikes a great balance between price, performance and features that CONSUMERS want in an uncommon form factor. It's a great peice of kit for the price and the only real problem the product has as shipped is the incredibly bloated windows install that makes the product seem incredibly slow (hence all the comments about AMD's supposedly slow CPU).
If someone wants to give an "expert opinion", next time at least check the facts before bitching.
Changes:
-Go back to a Wacom Penabled device (like the TX2500z) The Tx2z uses N-Trig.
-The pen should have an eraser.
I've had the tx2 for about a month. I had the HP tx1320 prior to that. Needless to say, there are many improvements: touch screen capability, beautiful Brightview screen (newer models have the matte finish which is no where as nice), longer battery life, faster, larger hard drive, more responsive fingerprint reader...
The biggest negative is the N-trig vs the Wacom. Unfortunately, the pressure sensitivity will not work with quality graphic programs such as Photoshop and Corel Photo Paint. Therefore, I would recommend returning to Wacom or doing whatever it takes to fix this issue. HP, if you are seeing this, PLEASE FIX this problem for current users.
Other than that, I absolutely love this laptop / tablet!