A Review of the HP Pavilion TX1220US 12.1" Laptop

Tablet notebooks typically include a swiveling touch screen. These are especially popular with both students and professionals alike. These special notebooks make note taking a breeze and are often some of the most popular in the store. I've been lucky enough to get my hands on a tablet from HP; the HP Pavilion TX1220US 12.1" notebook. I'm going to let you know just how well it performs for me and if it is worth all that dough HP is asking for.

Hardware:

Imaging: a 1.3-megapixel Web Cam (producing an image slightly better than a cell phone's camera)

Processor: a 2.2 GHz AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-64

Storage Space: a 200 GB hard drive

RAM: 2GB of RAM (this is an unupgradable maximum)

Optical drive: a CD R/RW with an integrated DVD-/+ burner

Video Card: an Nvidia GeForce Go 6150 video card (using up to 287 MB of shared system RAM)

Dimensions and weight: 8.8" x 12.0" x 1.5" and weighs in at 4.2 lbs.

For such a small notebook it sure does pack a punch. The 64 Bit AMD is wonderful and manages to operate without draining the battery. The 200GB hard drive is huge when considering the size of this little notebook. The touch screen has great responsiveness, and produces a clean crisp image on its display. The only hardware on this notebook that isn't top notch is the weaker graphics card, but let's be honest no one is buying this notebook to play games on.

Connectivity:

Integrated Wireless

1 Ethernet port (so that this notebook can connect to wired networks)

3 2.0 USB ports (The gold standard in peripheral connectivity use with the likes of scanners, keyboards, printers, and iPods)

1 FireWire port (these ports are used for high speed data transfer typically between digital camcorders or other compatible PCs)

1 VGA port (this is a typical monitor connection)

1 S-Video port (this is used as a typical projector connection, and sometimes a compatible TV)

1 ExpressCard slot (to add temporary hardware like a Bluetooth adapter or cellular modem)

2 audio outputs (1 that has S/PDIF digital audio compatibility) / 1 microphone input

5 in 1 memory card reader (these slots allow users to directly insert the memory from their mobile devices into the notebook)

The connectivity on this notebook is impressive when you consider its size and abilities. I can't think of anything else I would like to see on this computer. This notebook is going to please every type of consumer except those interested exclusively in gaming. Priced at $1200 this notebook is really accessible as well. Tablets usually demand a premium which means this notebook is unlikely to see any more reductions in price any time soon so if you're interested don't feel guilty when you pull the trigger on this tablet.