Tablet PCs have been around as long as their notebook PCs counterparts, but they are still not very popular due to its slightly more expensive price tag and the display is more susceptible to damage from the frequent use of finger or pen. However, the tablet PCs are usually being used in specialised industry like medical and education.

Most tablet PCs were running Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, which provided the alternate text input (using Tablet PC input panel) and drivers for tablet PC specific hardware. But with the launch of Vista, the software maker did away with the Tablet PC edition and incorporate the features including the support for MultiTouch functions and gestures in the Vista OS - except Vista Home Basic and Starter editions.

For this review, HP sent us their TouchSmart tx2 which claims to be the first Windows based multi-touch tablet from the manufacturer.

Here's the specifications:-

Model number
1052xx
Processor 2.2 Ghz AMD Turion X2 Ultra Dual-Core Mobile ZM-82
Processor cache L1 256KB; L2 cache 2 MB
Memory 3072 MB (1x 1024 MB + 1x 2048MB)
Max. Memory Up to 4 GB DDR2
Video Graphics ATI Radeon HD 3200 Graphics with 64MB
Video Memory Up to 958 MB
Hard Drive 250 GB SATA (5400 rpm)
Multimedia Drive Lightscribe Super Multi DVD Writer (+/-R +/-RW) with Double Layer support
Display 12.1" WXGA High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1280 x 800)
Fax/Modem High speed 56K modem
Network Card Integrated 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN
Wireless Connectivity 802.11 pre-n, Bluetooth
Sound Altec Lansing speakers, 3D Sound Blaster Pro 
  compatible sound 16 bit integrated
Keyboard 101 key compatible keyboard
Pointing Device Touch Pad with On/Off button and dedicated vertical Scroll Up/Down pad, volume control, mute buttons, 3 Quick Launch Buttons
PC Card Slots One ExpressCard/34 slot
External Ports 5-in-1 integrated Digital Media Reader for Secure Digital cards, MultiMedia cards, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, or xD Picture cards
3x USB 2.0
1x VGA port
1x RJ11 modem connector
1x RJ45 ethernet connector
2x headphones-out one w/ SPDIF out
1x mic-in
 
Dimensions
22.40 cm (L) x 30.60 cm (W) x 3.87 cm (max H)
Weight 1.96 kg
Security Integrated finger print reader