The TX1000 is here!

Despite a minor shipping snafu (involving FedEx leaving the package at the completely wrong address, and about two hours spent trying to track it down), I've got the HP Pavilion TX1000 Entertainment Notebook sitting here in my hot little hands. I should have some unboxing shots later (when I get home and can re-create the experience for you), but for now, here are some initial impressions ...

First, this thing is tiny! It's about the size of a small folio (about the same footprint as an 8.5"x11" sheet of paper), although fairly dense. The screen is touch only, which means that it does not have an active digitizer. The extended 6-cell battery gives it a nice little handle by which you can grip the machine in portrait mode. The screen resolution is lower than I'd like (1280x800), but in a 12" size it's fairly serviceable.

The machine is covered in what HP is calling their "Imprint Finish". They should call it the "Fingerprint Finish" because it'll be covered in them before too long. Note to HP ... when you have a device with a fingerprint reader and a touchscreen, expect to combat prints, not enhance them. Seriously though, the keyboard area has this interesting pattern embedded under a clear coat and it's fairly attractive. Perhaps not so much to dissuade potential Mac buyers, but it is attractive with the lid open or closed.

What isn't attractive, however, is the ridiculous amount of pre-installed utilities and software. Call it "scumware", "bloatware", whatever you want, but there's a lot of it. How much? On first boot, there were 16 shortcuts on the desktop, not counting the Recycle Bin, which is the only icon put there by default in Vista. The rest were links to MSN, eBay, Vongo, Rhapsody, and a bunch of HP utilities. But that's not all! You also get two completely redundant icons for pointing devices and sound utilities in the tray, things that Vista does better by default. I'm really not a fan of this trend towards tons of pre-installed crap, and I wish manufacturers would simply include a disc that will allow customers to install it if they wish. Hell, label it as a "must install" if you want, but allow us savvy users to opt out!

Using a finger swipe to login is pretty slick, and should be especially useful in portrait mode. What isn't so useful is the touchscreen, however. It requires a very firm press to activate, and writing on it seems like it will be uncomfortable as a result. I'm going to reserve judgement until I've really put it through it's paces, but so far, I'm not overly impressed with that feature. That said, this device is supposed to be primarily an "entertainment" machine, and the datasheet highlights the swivelling screen as great for DVD watching, which I can confirm that it is. Heck, don't even bother with DVDs ... the 160GB drive has tons of space for downloaded movies as well, so use the weightsaver and save some battery life at the same time!

Another thing that strikes me as being sub-optimal for a user expecting a tablet ... the microphones are placed flanking the webcam on the top of the screen. Ideal for video conferencing (does anyone even do that?) but not at all where you'd want them if you want to record a lecture and write on the screen, since your left arm (if you're left-handed) will be rubbing all over them the entire time. I'd love to see a tablet manufacturer have a second set of redundant microphones on the left side of the machine (which becomes the top in portrait mode) for just such an occasion. Even one on each side of the screen would be sufficient.

That's all I've got time for right now, but I'll be back with more impressions as I put the device through the ringer and see what happens. If there's anything you want to know, leave a comment and I'll be sure to answer your questions for you!

Specs on this model

• AMD Turion64 X2 (2GHz)
• 12.1 WXGA (1280x800) "High Definition" BrightView Widescreen with Integrated Touch-Screen
• 160GB 5400RPM Hard Drive
• 2GB DDR2 SDRAM
• 802.11a/b/g Wireless LAN + Bluetooth
• Lightscribe Super Multi 8X DVD+/-RW with Double Layer Support
• 6-Cell Lithium Ion Battery (plus optional 4 Cell battery)
• HP QuickPlay
• HP Mini Remote Control
• 5-1 Digital Media Reader
• ExpressCard/34 PC Card Slot
• Nvidia GeForce Go 6150 with shared graphics memory
• Windows Vista Home Premium
• 1.3 megapixel Webcam
• Fingerprint Reader
• Stereo Earbuds (2 pairs!?)