First post in this forum... New to TouchSmart and HP Laptops.
I just unboxed my new TX2 a couple hours ago and so far so good. Here are the specs.
- HP TouchSmart tx2z
- Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (32-bit)
- AMD Turion(TM) X2 Ultra Dual-Core Mobile Processor ZM-82 (2.2GHz)
- 12.1" diagonal WXGA High-Definition HP LED BrightView Widescreen (1280x800)w/Integrated Touch-screen
- 3GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
- ATI Radeon(TM) HD 3200 Graphics with 64MB Display Cache Memory
- 320GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
- Webcam + Fingerprint Reader with HP Imprint Finish (Reaction)
- HP Color Matching Keyboard
- Wireless-G Card with Bluetooth
- SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
- 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
- Microsoft(R) Office OneNote 2007 + Microsoft(R) Works 9.0
- HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope
I have not yet fully test it or installed any new major applications. I created the Recovery discs (Takes 3 DVDs or 17 CDs) I have installed all available Windows updates including an update to the Broadcom Wireless adapter to version 5.10.38.26 from 5.10.38.14. I installed Skype 4.0 Beta 2 and the video and sound work fine.
I removed the MS Office 2007 Home stuff
Two small complains so far.
1. - What Am I supposed to do with the string that attaches to the stylus... It just hangs there. There is to place to be stored it. I wish it could retract (recoil) or be wound around something.
2. - An important notice about a fix for sleep/hybernation issue while connected to the modem (NIS 2008 Modem Compatability update) fails to install with a message saying that the update is not required for this model. I hope this is right.
Couple Questions.
1. - I'm assuming that this is the right Community (Forum) to discuss this notebook... Is this the right section? If not, can someone point me to the right place.
2.- A youtube video mentions that some MTV channels where supposed to be available this month. I could not find them using MediaSmart. Are they already available?
EDIT: Nichelodeon and Comedy Central are also supposed to be available as per the review link below.
http://www.takesontech.com/?p=3774
3. - Does anyone have any comments (tips/tricks) to add about this new TouchSmart Notebook?
4. - What is the "HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope" mentioned in the specs? I did not get a slip cover or carrying case in the box.
Thanks...
First, you are in the right place. We don't have a notebook specific forum at this time (it's a very new product), but we probably will in the near future.
You're the first I've seen that has one, so don't be surprised if it's a bit quiet on notebook talk until more are shipped out and in people's hands. So, it looks like you get to be the trendsetter. :)
Mind Over Matt'er - Technology musings, opinion, and more straight from TechLore's head geek.
A few more comments and questions on the tx2z...
1.- From what I can see, this notebook only has a touch interface for MediaSmart. I does not have the "full" TouchSmart interface only a "subset" of what I see in the HP TouchSmart PC demos.
2.- It has two headphone jacks, but only one IR port in the front. Placing the notebook on a plane food tray with the screen turned to face the back of the notebook gives you a closer view of the screen when watching a movie, but you can not use the remote. I think the more expensive Tx2000 series has two IR ports (Front & Back)
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EDIT: As per the posts below, I was wrong about the single IR port.
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3.- I'll be sharing this notebook with my wife when we travel. Being able to switch users by just sliding your finger in the fingerprint reader is great. You don't have to click anything or type a password.
4.- Not too crazy about the stacked USB ports in the back. Some USB devices like WAN adapters are a bit bulky and have integrated USB connectors. This kind of devices block the second port. There is an additional USB port on the side, but I use it for my USB flash drive.
5.- Are there an online tutorials on how to use TouchSmart, apps that take advantage of the stylus input and convert hand writing to text?
6.- When you select the MediaSmart button to watch TV it defaults to the TV Channels panel. This panel requires a TV Tuner Device and since I have none it displays an error message saying that it can not detect a TV Tuner. My wife thought there was something wrong with the laptop. The default panel should be configurable so that it starts in the Internet TV panel.
7.- The remote works better with Windows Media than it does with MediaSmart. You can not use the remote to select the tabs in MediaSmart. So, if you select Watch TV you then need to either use the mouse or the touch screen to select the Internet TV panel.
8.- As I compare the download speeds for clips for Windows Media and HP MediaSmart... MediaSmart appears to be a bit faster to get content, but I don't know if it's because the files are of different sizes or if the Media Center content server(s) are busier than the HP Media Smart content server(s). At this point I assume that the number of users of Media Smart is relatively small and because of this the servers are more responsive.
9.- Anyone know the date (supposedly mid December) when the new MTV channels will be available?
I own the tx2500z and it does have two IR ports for the remote, one near the headphone jacks, and the other placed on the screen -I believe the lower left corner- so that when the laptop is in tablet or display mode it still responds to the remote's IR input.
The tx2z seems like an improvement to the tx2500 or it can be said that some of its features are at the very least the same, so I would be surprised if HP took away the second IR port.
Make an effort to see if the tx2z has a second port, given that the one on the screen is not as visible as the one by the headphone jacks (it is rather hidden so you shouldn't be able to see it).
Mclow said: I own the tx2500z and it does have two IR ports for the remote, one near the headphone jacks, and the other placed on the screen -I believe the lower left corner- so that when the laptop is in tablet or display mode it still responds to the remote's IR input. The tx2z seems like an improvement to the tx2500 or it can be said that some of its features are at the very least the same, so I would be surprised if HP took away the second IR port. Make an effort to see if the tx2z has a second port, given that the one on the screen is not as visible as the one by the headphone jacks (it is rather hidden so you shouldn't be able to see it).
Thanks... good catch. It does have a second IR port in the screen right below the rotate screen button. The remote navigation buttons did not work when I tried it because the wife was playing a DVD using Windows Media Player not MediaSmart DVD. At the time she did not know that the laptop came with a remote and I was trying stop the movie she was watching to get her attention. Oh well, I guess she got me this time. I'll edit my post above to reflect this find.
While we're on the subject, a couple more comments and questions.
1.- I've been getting an annoying error message after startup that says "HP MediaSmart TV Resident Program has stopped working" Windows tries to restart the program, but it some times fails again. Does anyone has an idea of what could be causing this?
2.- I find that removing a disk from the drive is a bit cumbersome when one uses the physical button on the drive tray. I need to get my nail in there to get it to eject. I know that there're eject buttons on most multimedia applications, but is there a keyboard shortcut to eject the discs?
3.- When more than one user is log on only the first log on user has access to the full MediaSmart suite or HP advisor. If this is the case, I hope HP will address this shortfall in a future release.
Here are the details from the Problems Report and Solutions tool associated with the HP MediaSmart TV error during startup that I mentioned in #1 above.
Product
HP MediaSmart TV Resident Program
Problem
Stopped working
Date
12/16/2008 9:18 AM
Status
Report Sent
Problem signature
Problem Event Name: APPCRASH
Application Name: TVAgent.exe
Application Version: 2.0.1.924
Application Timestamp: 48da0ed1
Fault Module Name: MSVCR71.dll
Fault Module Version: 7.10.3052.4
Fault Module Timestamp: 3e561eac
Exception Code: c0000005
Exception Offset: 00010428
OS Version: 6.0.6001.2.1.0.768.3
Locale ID: 1033
Additional Information 1: a34a
Additional Information 2: c9c5f4fd744690d388ab9d5b3eb051a7
Additional Information 3: cb2e
Additional Information 4: 650bb5690556a17e911375b94d3e16f0
Extra information about the problem
Bucket ID: 959675272
EDIT: PROBLEM SOLVED!!!.... Reinstalling the MediaSmart TV component via the Recovery manager fix the error.
Just got gifted with this HP and I love it. Maybe guy above already figured it out, but there is a storage area for the pen near the USB port at the front of the keyboard. It springs in and out. Very clever.
Looking for somewhere to store the remote control? That goes in the Express Card Slot up by the power cord. Spring out the plastic insert and spring load the remote. Cool!
This thing came with so little documentation, it was quite shocking. There is an onboard manual, which by the way, does have a very nice tutorial for using the pen. It's on my screen as an icon titled HP Help and Support. It's still a little short on info, but it does provide a little bit more info on this device.
Oh, and for guy looking for a better way to eject the CD/DVD tray, download a "gadget" for your gadget area. There are a few gadgets for this purpose. Since I had Vista on my last laptop, I got acquainted with some really neat gadgets. My favorite for ejecting is the big black eject button. Simple and obvious, just touch it and the tray opens. I've never liked the ejects that come with the laptops either, so I love having it.
Mary said: Just got gifted with this HP and I love it. Maybe guy above already figured it out, but there is a storage area for the pen near the USB port at the front of the keyboard. It springs in and out. Very clever. Looking for somewhere to store the remote control? That goes in the Express Card Slot up by the power cord. Spring out the plastic insert and spring load the remote. Cool! This thing came with so little documentation, it was quite shocking. There is an onboard manual, which by the way, does have a very nice tutorial for using the pen. It's on my screen as an icon titled HP Help and Support. It's still a little short on info, but it does provide a little bit more info on this device. Oh, and for guy looking for a better way to eject the CD/DVD tray, download a "gadget" for your gadget area. There are a few gadgets for this purpose. Since I had Vista on my last laptop, I got acquainted with some really neat gadgets. My favorite for ejecting is the big black eject button. Simple and obvious, just touch it and the tray opens. I've never liked the ejects that come with the laptops either, so I love having it.
Glad to hear that there is someone else out there with one of these. Btw, I knew about the storage areas for the pen and remote... I was referring to the black cord that is included to secure the stylus to the laptop. It's useless.
I searched the gadget gallery and found "Ejection" an eject-CD" Vista gadget. I would have preferred a keyboard shortcut to save real estate on the vista gadget panel, but thanks for the pointer.
So far, so good... I was a bit annoyed by the some of the Norton Internet Security messages and so I removed it and installed AVG Free Antivirus 8.0. The MTV channels that were supposed to be available in the "middle" of December still not there. I just ordered a Logictech V470 Bluetooth mouse to use with this laptop and a Vudu box for $100!!!... I will report my experiences with the V470 when I get it.
I just bought one too..to replace my trusty Toshiba M200 TAbletPC. Looks like the shipping date for it won't be until January so I'll have to patiently wait for mine. Going to be a good addition to my Touchsmart collection. :-)
David
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l299/xz550rj/HPMagicGiveaway.jpg
Woohoo! I won my Touchsmart!
Not much activity in this thread... either HP did not sell many of these or all those that bought a TX2Z are happy campers... or they have not found this forum. Some questions, wishes and comments.
1.- Are there any updates for the MediaSmart software that shipped with the TX2Z? Every once in a while the MediaSmart software won't start even when I click the button on the side of the screen. This usually happens after the computer comes back from sleep or is switched to/from tablet mode. The MediaSmart resident program stopped working message still comes up once in a long while.
2.- I'd like the MediaSmart apps to work in tablet mode. One gets a warning that it is not "optimized" for tablet use, but it does not even start.
3.- I'd like to see a way to programmatically lock (temporarily disable) the buttons on the edge of the screen. When I'm using the notebook on tablet mode I or someone around me that wants to change the angle of view by moving the laptop frequently ends up touching the screen orientation or/and the MediaSmart button.
4.- Still would like the initial MediaSmart panel to default to Internet TV insted of TV channels.
5.- Where are the new MTV Channels?... Anyone getting these? Is a MediaSmart software/driver update required to get them? The middle of December has come and gone.
Btw, I'm very happy with the Logitech V470 Bluetooth mouse. Just make sure that you install the Logitech Setpoint software that comes in the included CD. If you decide to update Setpoint to the latest and greatest (like I always do) the version that is downloaded via the Setpoint update function will disable the V470. You can then click update again using the notebook touchpad and within Setpoint to click update again to get 4.60.122.... or download Setpoint version. 4.60.122 directly from the Logitech Web site. This was the process I had to follow a couple weeks ago. This process might have changed in the last few days.
Well, I for one dropped out of discussion because -- this is so embarrassing -- I discovered that I did not have this model : (
I had been talking about buying it and my husband surprised me and ordered it. He didn't realize he was buying the wrong one and I didn't even look at the model number. To tell you the truth, I didn't know much about the differences between the models.
What I have is the TX 2500. And I do still love it, but I wish I had the newer one, in case they have improved it. I sometimes have trouble x-ing out of applications and I sometimes have trouble scrolling. I'm adjusting by using combinations of touching the screen so that I can page or arrow down and using control keys to navigate sometimes.
FYI, in case any other touch fans are interested, I've discovered a fantastic substitute for the stylus. You would lose the click feature, but I'm not so fond of it anyway myself. Anyway, go to Zippen.com. I have had a Zip pen forever. You wear it on your middle finger while you type. You can type freely and then just jot something down without picking up a pen. It's hard to describe, you need to look on the site to see what I mean. Anyway, it dawned on me the other day that I could remove the ink refill and then use it as a stylus. It is so awesome, I can't even tell you. Fortunately, I had two zip pens, so I have one with the ink that I use every day, all day for my work and then I have this empty pen to use on my touchsmart. It sounds like the inventor of this device is working on a separate stylus, so I'll probably buy that when it comes out. Really, if you like the stylus function but hate picking it up to use (and finding somewhere to set it in between), you will not be sorry to get this. I think I originally bought it at an office supply store but have not seen it there again. Could be you can only order on-line now.
Whoops, I need to correct myself. You can go to this site to see more info, but I see that you can still buy the pen at office supply stores. They specifically mention Office Max, Office Depot and Staples.
Got my tx2 about 5 days ago. Its been a pretty cool experience getting used to all this, but like most people on here I'd like a more extensive overview of what this bad boy can do.
I've also been having a problem with MediaSmart. It runs very slow, doesn't always react when I click one of the options (dvd, music, photos ect) and why the heck won't it work when I rotate the screen 90 degrees?
Another thing going wrong, my internet connection is fine but sometimes it takes pages a LONG time to load.
In fact, right now I have to slow down my typing speed b/c I type faster then it comes up on the screen. Why is this? Its very frustrating.
Things I like.
my lappy came with a copy of One Note, a super cool program that is useful for students or business ppl taking notes in lecture or meetings. Its like a free form version of Word that accepts the pen mode.
Questions to mods/ppl who work for hp.
What programs can I (as a student) utilze the touch and pen capibilties that regular laptops cant?
Can we start a thread for the Tx2 laptop series?
Does this laptop allow you to replace the dvd/cd port with an extra battery? As a student I need about 4-5 hrs continues run time and an extra battery would allow that.
Hope to hear some answers soon and get help troubleshooting mediasmart.
btw, you guys started following me on twitter which is how i found this forum.
Tyler said: Got my tx2 about 5 days ago. Its been a pretty cool experience getting used to all this, but like most people on here I'd like a more extensive overview of what this bad boy can do. I've also been having a problem with MediaSmart. It runs very slow, doesn't always react when I click one of the options (dvd, music, photos ect) and why the heck won't it work when I rotate the screen 90 degrees? Another thing going wrong, my internet connection is fine but sometimes it takes pages a LONG time to load. In fact, right now I have to slow down my typing speed b/c I type faster then it comes up on the screen. Why is this? Its very frustrating. Things I like. my lappy came with a copy of One Note, a super cool program that is useful for students or business ppl taking notes in lecture or meetings. Its like a free form version of Word that accepts the pen mode. Questions to mods/ppl who work for hp. What programs can I (as a student) utilze the touch and pen capibilties that regular laptops cant? Can we start a thread for the Tx2 laptop series? Does this laptop allow you to replace the dvd/cd port with an extra battery? As a student I need about 4-5 hrs continues run time and an extra battery would allow that. Hope to hear some answers soon and get help troubleshooting mediasmart. btw, you guys started following me on twitter which is how i found this forum.
I have problems with Internet pages taking forever to load also. I would like to blame it on Vista, but I had Vista on my previous Dell laptop and didn't have that problem. I have had more luck since I switched from IE to Mozilla Firefox, but it's still an issue that drives me crazy. I'm hoping this improves when Windows 7 is released. I'm not willling to take a chance on the beta version. Has anyone else put Windows 7 on their HP Touch and had better performance?
Mary said:Tyler said: Got my tx2 about 5 days ago. Its been a pretty cool experience getting used to all this, but like most people on here I'd like a more extensive overview of what this bad boy can do. I've also been having a problem with MediaSmart. It runs very slow, doesn't always react when I click one of the options (dvd, music, photos ect) and why the heck won't it work when I rotate the screen 90 degrees? Another thing going wrong, my internet connection is fine but sometimes it takes pages a LONG time to load. In fact, right now I have to slow down my typing speed b/c I type faster then it comes up on the screen. Why is this? Its very frustrating. Things I like. my lappy came with a copy of One Note, a super cool program that is useful for students or business ppl taking notes in lecture or meetings. Its like a free form version of Word that accepts the pen mode. Questions to mods/ppl who work for hp. What programs can I (as a student) utilze the touch and pen capibilties that regular laptops cant? Can we start a thread for the Tx2 laptop series? Does this laptop allow you to replace the dvd/cd port with an extra battery? As a student I need about 4-5 hrs continues run time and an extra battery would allow that. Hope to hear some answers soon and get help troubleshooting mediasmart. btw, you guys started following me on twitter which is how i found this forum.I have problems with Internet pages taking forever to load also. I would like to blame it on Vista, but I had Vista on my previous Dell laptop and didn't have that problem. I have had more luck since I switched from IE to Mozilla Firefox, but it's still an issue that drives me crazy. I'm hoping this improves when Windows 7 is released. I'm not willling to take a chance on the beta version. Has anyone else put Windows 7 on their HP Touch and had better performance?
So, you think the slow internet has more to do with the laptop then vista or vice versa?
btw, where are the hp ppl who should be helping us out?!?
Tyler said:Mary said:So, you think the slow internet has more to do with the laptop then vista or vice versa? btw, where are the hp ppl who should be helping us out?!?Tyler said: Got my tx2 about 5 days ago. Its been a pretty cool experience getting used to all this, but like most people on here I'd like a more extensive overview of what this bad boy can do. I've also been having a problem with MediaSmart. It runs very slow, doesn't always react when I click one of the options (dvd, music, photos ect) and why the heck won't it work when I rotate the screen 90 degrees? Another thing going wrong, my internet connection is fine but sometimes it takes pages a LONG time to load. In fact, right now I have to slow down my typing speed b/c I type faster then it comes up on the screen. Why is this? Its very frustrating. Things I like. my lappy came with a copy of One Note, a super cool program that is useful for students or business ppl taking notes in lecture or meetings. Its like a free form version of Word that accepts the pen mode. Questions to mods/ppl who work for hp. What programs can I (as a student) utilze the touch and pen capibilties that regular laptops cant? Can we start a thread for the Tx2 laptop series? Does this laptop allow you to replace the dvd/cd port with an extra battery? As a student I need about 4-5 hrs continues run time and an extra battery would allow that. Hope to hear some answers soon and get help troubleshooting mediasmart. btw, you guys started following me on twitter which is how i found this forum.I have problems with Internet pages taking forever to load also. I would like to blame it on Vista, but I had Vista on my previous Dell laptop and didn't have that problem. I have had more luck since I switched from IE to Mozilla Firefox, but it's still an issue that drives me crazy. I'm hoping this improves when Windows 7 is released. I'm not willling to take a chance on the beta version. Has anyone else put Windows 7 on their HP Touch and had better performance?
Well, at the same time I was switching from the Dell to this HP, an IE update came out and was installed when I was setting up this HP. I've used IE almost exclusively over the years and it seems like many times when there is an Explorer update, my PC acts badly for a while until there is yet another update to fix what they broke. It seems to happen more frequently with Vista, but this is just the very worst it has ever been for me. If I had problems with other programs, I would blame my HP, but it is just the Internet. As for Windows Media, I had that on a previous PC and had so many problems with "codec" errors, etc, that I have given up on it. After a while, it wouldn't even let me play my own DVD's on it. I'm disgusted with Microsoft. They've gone completely downhill over the years and I don't trust anything they put out anymore.
By the way, I used Safari yesterday and my Internet navigating was amazingly fast. Give it a try and let me know what you think.
As for HP support, try sending an email. I sent one asking for help on an issue and got a reply within 48 hours (maybe even 24, can't remember). The support guy gave me several things to try and said to keep in touch and let him know how it went. They impressed me.
Get rid of the Norton Internet Security suite. It is a resource hog. Uninstall it through the add remove programs option. Go with AVG (free) antivirus or many of the other free ones such as Kaspersky etc. Norton and McAfee are resource hogs.
I have heard, however that Norton 2009 is better on resources but have yet to test it.
David
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l299/xz550rj/HPMagicGiveaway.jpg
Woohoo! I won my Touchsmart!
Oh, if you are going to use media smart, try changing your power setting to high performance. The Default is something like HP Optomized which throttles the CPU a bit.
For an extra battery, I'm not sure about the media bay option. I would check HP's accessory site to see if they have one listed.
I have the TX2500 and bought the 8 cell battery. Between it and the 6 cell that came with my TX, I get a decent days worth of use out of it.
David
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l299/xz550rj/HPMagicGiveaway.jpg
Woohoo! I won my Touchsmart!
Thanks to Mary and Dave for helping me out here.
Mary: I downloaded Mozilla, I'll let you know if I notice anything better. So far, so good!
I just noticed another thing thats weird about the tx2.
When you watch a movie full screen, the touch screen thinks the pen tool is out and bouncing around the screen. This causes the menu screen to come up and down out of view which is really distracting and annoying.
Not sure what is causing this, but I'm starting to find more and more things that don't work with this lap top.
did hp do any testing on this guy before they sent him into the field?
DaveTN said: Oh, if you are going to use media smart, try changing your power setting to high performance. The Default is something like HP Optomized which throttles the CPU a bit. For an extra battery, I'm not sure about the media bay option. I would check HP's accessory site to see if they have one listed. I have the TX2500 and bought the 8 cell battery. Between it and the 6 cell that came with my TX, I get a decent days worth of use out of it. David
My new 8 cell battery arrived yesterday and I charged it up. I've been using it this morning for about 3 hours and I'm getting near the end of it's power. I'm disappointed, as that's about the same life I was getting out of the 6 cell that came with this, maybe half an hour more. I'll play with the power managment to see if I can extend it. FYI my husband ordered it from the Brillant Store via Amazon for $80.
Dave, thanks for the tip on removing Norton. I was going to keep it until the free subscription ran out, but I think I'll take it off now. I agree it's a power hog, and that's why I've removed it from my other PC's. I don't know why I didn't think of that for my HP. I guess I'm just always optimistic that the next PC I get will be faster and be able to run everything quickly.
First time poster here, guys.
For those of you having trouble with "inexplicable internet lag" please try changing the Wireless Channel on your Router to "11".
I have a tx2500 and have been experiencing the same symptoms of Internet Lag (with speeds fluctuating from 100 kpbs to 3000 kpbs.)
It's been about a few days since I've switched my wireless channel to 11 and so far my speeds have remained constant in the 2000 kpbs to 3000 kpbs range.
Please let me know if this works for you as well.
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