HP's TouchSmart tm2 gets exhaustively unboxed on video
By Darren Murph 
posted January 28th 2010 1:23AM
posted January 28th 2010 1:23AM
[Thanks, Mike and Andy]
posted January 28th 2010 1:23AM
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@tc4101 Don't the wrong idea, your post exactly what I meant.
Thoughts - is the Radeon 4550 switchable with integrated graphics? Does the 4550 reduce battery life? Will we see a i5/i7 ULV version (520UM or 620UM)?
@YpoCaramel
yep switchable graphics
@NoOrdinaryMSFT
engadget = every no-good apple device gets excessive threads
@DaveBach Yup, keep on hating and commenting. I spikes traffic to all of Engadget's posts about Apple products. Hell, even non-Apple products get hit up with comments about Apple products. And more hair-trigger haters get all worked up and comment. Voila - more traffic. Ooh la la!
And guess what all that traffic to Apple-related posts does? It encourages more Apple-related posts. To keep driving more traffic to Engadget.
It's a beautiful world, and Apple is the world's coolest technology company. So yeah, keep it up buddy! :-)
@RabidAppleFanboi
Today I fell in love with a 10" piece of amazing technology...my Lenovo S10 netbook all over again. It allows me to...
(1) Run multiple operating systems (Windows 7 & Windows XP) along with full applications
(2) Video chat
(3) Type out a report while listening to Pandora stream great music for free
(4) Easily connect and communicate with just about any USB device
(5) Surf the Internet just about anywhere with my 3G aircard
(6) Open webpages on at least five different browsers and enjoy a websites' full content including those utilizing flash
(7) Watch movies
(8) Watch movies on my big screen by wirelessly sending the content to the TV through a SlingCatcher
(9) Sync my iPod Touch which relies on a connection to an actual computer to reach it's full potential
(10) Respond to Apple fanboys who would stand in a line for two days straight just to be the first knucklehead to buy the new iCrap
@cherryboom: the reason you're downranked is because your hot Chilean girlfriend told us too (and said you were lying about at least one thing).
Don't compare this to the iPad. It's so much more than an iPad, it's a fully functional computer. We'll have Tegra2 powered Android tablets with dual mode backlit lcd/e-paper pixel qi screens with usb ports and sd card slots soon to compare to the iPad [and subsequently curbstomping into oblivion]
@Luffy
Yes, comparing this to an iPad is like comparing a car to a trolley.
Thanks to HP for breaking up the stream of useless Crapple aiitPad news, though.
TM2 = Terminally Mediocre Too. Sell the company and give the money back to the shareholders. Do it for the children!
What's up with the porno style music in the video??
@R
Music was ok, I was wishing he had closed the curtains. Glossy screens :(
does anyone know how heavy this thing is? like, it looks pretty light in the video, but yeah, a solid figure would be nice?
Wait what? the DVD drive is on the screen side?! O.o
@Ravenwoods There is NO dvd drive of any kind. You can order an external one from HP when you buy the system, but we didn't.
@loomis2 oh, I thought I saw something like that. Sorry.
While I am not liking that ungodly hump at the back, I am seriously considering this as my next buy.
@revoltracers We originally had bought the Tz3 (the old version of this one) a few months ago, but when you connected the battery it literally stuck out the back at least an inch. The wife didn't like that so we sent it back. Women, right? Anyway, this hump is part of the chassis and has nothing to do with the battery at all. It appears to be a design choice, so like it or hate it I guess. I don't think we'll be sending this one back. It really is much better than the tz3.
@loomis2 muuuch better than Dell Adamo's mutated extension!
This is what I've been waiting for. This works perfect for what the Apple event was eluding to. I wanted a Tablet to run Photoshop and Corel Painter XI. the iPad is a niche device to me. I think I remember hearing that Kindle books can be read on your laptop now too. So I have my winner. and on a little side note, I finally got my Zune to update. If you run across the u need to update Windows Installer 3.1 with 7 RC1, do the compatibilty issues and set it back to Windows XP Service Pack 2. Worked perfectly.
Hey, thanks for posting my video, Engadget! I can now cross that off the list of things I want to do before I die. I just wish my list had more than that one thing on it.
Looking at the iPad, it just seems to me like it would be ergonomically uncomfortable to type on. A real keyboard and a movable screen should be much better. As for the touch screen on the tm2, it works just fine but I've never been a fan of putting finger-smudge marks all over my nice computer screen. The digital pen is as nice as a Wacom pen so I see myself using that more often than my fingers.
Very nice. I like this model!
My TM2 arrived 2 days ago, and all-in-all, it is a fine tablet. A few things:
Battery life is outstanding - I had 30% left after 6 hours of note-taking using OneNote the first night.
Switchable graphics - yep
The Hump (tm) - takes a little getting used to, but it's not that big of a deal.
Touchscreen - surprisingly useful and responsive. Switching between pen and finger is seemless.
Speed - I have the 1.6 Ghz model, and it seems snappy enough. VMWare 7 is fully usable with this machine, with no lag.
Screen - somewhat muted glossy LED, although for the battery life you get, it's acceptable.
It runs cool, never getting much hotter than room temp
The build is rock solid, and the metal shell is nice (even with the semi-g@y etching).
It's about 4.7 lbs - not too heavy, easy to stick in a backpack
Nice chicklet keyboard
Multi-touch/gesture trackpad takes some getting used to, but works
The Bad:
There is a driver issue of some sort that is preventing the screen from autorotating when placed in tablet mode, and the orientation order that you can set in Win 7 does not get obeyed. What this means is that you have to press the button on the side of the display to get the orientation you want - the natural portait style for this machine is 4th in the chain, so it is a pain in the ass when you are in a hurry to click through all of these when you need to take a note. HP is aware of the issue, and hopefully a driver update can fix it.
By personal choice, I quickly purchased the Tz3 before the Tm2 came out. I waited till after CES to make this decision, because I have my money in the form of a bestbuy gift card, from a returned TX2000 that had a wifi/bluetooth issue they could not fix after 4 tries
For me, the Tz3 is a better buy.
My laptop mostly stays at home connected to a 42 inch display mounted to my wall, with a desk infront of it. The laptop sits backwards with the screen flipped around, so I can still use the touch feature in a extended desktop, with the displays sitting on top of each other. Items I need to work with are on the touch display, items I need to read or watch are on the larger display(so I can recline in my chair and comfortably read)
The tz3 has a faster Processor....I have 3 batteries for my tz3, 2, 6 cell's and 1, 8 cell. If I NEED to take my "desktop" computer with me I have enough power to finish my project. I don't need the metal case, I don't go mobile often, plus I have the accidental warranty any way. I NEED a laptop with a built in CD drive for school.
The keyboard may-be better on the TM2, but I type on a wireless keyboard mostly any way, and the Tz3 keyboard is not exactly horrible.
For me it's a better choice for what I need. But the TM2 sure is a nice looking/feeling tablet. I would like to see a 11inch or 10 inch version from HP though.
It seams like the Tm2 is to much like the HP 2730p now though...but the HP 2730p looks like a more attractive package since it's completely flat on the back end.
@Spartan2x What is the TZ3? I'm familiar with the TX2, but searching for TZ3 only brings up a Panasonic camera.
this is my next tablet (replacing my tx2000) once my student loan goes thru! i loved Win7 on the tx2000. this laptop does look a little bit bigger than the tx tho. but thank gawd nvidia graphics has been banned. sometimes, my laptop felt like it was going to melt the table. at least it still works. *fingers crossed*
maybe i'll get it at the ms store so i don't have any bloatware. one that that MS actually gets right. giving you a PC that has zero software/trialware on it.
and hopefully it doesn't come with this porn music. bwarwarwar
should i get this or the apple tablet, im thinking about just getting a macbook pro and a apple tablet, because im fed up with pc's.
so instead of complaining (a breathtaking view of the owners manual being glanced right over in favor of that whole "jumping right in") when will u guys do a comprehensive review of tablet (not pad) that is available now