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T O P I C R E V I E W
rbushway
Posted - Feb 01 2005 : 9:31:39 PM Here is the link to HP's new TC4200.
Screen: 12.1" XGA display, wide viewing angle, ambient light sensor Processor: Intel® Pentium® M processors 730 to 770 or Intel Celeron® M processor 370 Video: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900 Weight: 4.5lbs Memory: up to 2GB, DDR II SDRAM Removable media: Secure Digital Battery: supports an extended battery for an additional 4 hours of battery life, and enhanced stand-by for up to 1 week. Pen: Digital eraser pen with tether and clip. Dimensions: Dimensions (H x W x D) 1.35 (at front) x 11.22 x 9.25 in (34.3 (at front) x 285 x 235 mm) Price: As low as $1599
"The HP Compaq tc4200 Tablet PC is a full-function PC delivering performance and compatibility in an innovative form factor, while simplifying your computing needs with the added convenience of handwriting. The light and stylish design is meant for mobile professionals needing powerful and highly-mobile computers that also offer enhanced security and reliability. IT managers will value the full portfolio of integrated security options, breadth of integrated wireless choices, and unsurpassed common accessories and consistency with the entire enterprise notebook line. With total cost of ownership in mind the HP Compaq tc4200 Tablet PC is the ideal choice for enterprise-wide deployment to highly mobile users desiring innovation and versatility."
Here is a link to the docking stations for the TC4200:
Posted - Feb 15 2005 : 08:14:23 AM what are you missing???? well for starters, the 4200 is not aimed at the same market as the M200 (and the M200 will be ugraded later)..this is a unit for budget conscious and will lure the Averatec buyer and the refurb buyers. I am all for the 4200....not for me...but for the public at large to bring in new users...I have not seen the screen but the M200 viewing angle was terrible and outdoors, it is hands down the worst...so maybe this will be better...who knows until they are released..purchased ...and used..only then can we get feedback from the real world users...not the early adoptors that we tend to be.
msheskin
Posted - Feb 15 2005 : 02:51:37 AM I have seen the suggestion in a few places to buy this (once its available) instead of the Toshiba m200. The suggestion usually points to some nifty superficial upgrade that HP has included with the benefit of a year's hindsight of looking at the m200.
Yet the m200 has a higher resolution screen, an independent graphics card, the option of having it constructed with a 7200 RPM HD, and I don't see bluetooth listed as an option for the HP. And talking about nifty but not useful additions, the accelerometer (or whatever) looks pretty useless but fun to show friends.
What am I missing? The only really important feature in the HP model that I see is the extra battery you can snap on in addition to the main. If that's it, I will go through the trouble of swapping out an extra battery on the m200.
Thanks!
tpckamfung
Posted - Feb 04 2005 : 08:47:19 AM
quote:Originally posted by knowskillz
Hm on http://h18000.www1.hp.com/products/tabletpc/ It reads "256-MB or 512-MB DDR II SDRAM, upgradeable to 2048-MB maximum" for the tc1100, DDR II? Is this a mistake?
Does that mean TC1100 is upgraded with Sonoma inside? If so, I will buy it immediately.. :)
alienrat
Posted - Feb 04 2005 : 01:43:09 AM It looks HP slick to me, but not Compaq inventive. Still, looks like something that can sneak into offices easier than the slates and more market share is the target. Also a cheap tablet is a bonus!
Kilmerr5
Posted - Feb 04 2005 : 12:37:54 AM Pricing is better than I was told, but even there I am still finding 3 or 4 differing answers, but I think CDW seems on spot. And the new pics don't make it look as clunky, still not HP slick tho. I guess the letdown, is that people expected so much more from HP. Plus, everything seems haphazardly handled and the spec's are so last year.
And this one Tablet now really “two”? No new slate?
TabPCMan
Posted - Feb 03 2005 : 09:39:54 AM Well, I certainly would have liked to see HP continue to improve upon the TC1000/TC1100 design, I think this is a good intro into the convertible market for them.
Give it a chance. Doesn't make sense to trash it until enough gurus like us have had a chance to get our hands on one!
shalexim
Posted - Feb 03 2005 : 08:28:50 AM The TC4200 has a high introduction price for its specifications. I assume HP will lower the cost by about $200-$400 down the road as the model gets mass produced. For $1599, you can get a Dell Inspiron 9200.
Klinn
Posted - Feb 03 2005 : 08:04:52 AM Looks like an interesting machine, depending on pricing. I personally prefer the 1024x768 rez for a 12" screen. However, the GMA900 integrated graphics are disappointing. There is no hardware support for shaders or transform & lighting. Here's part of the summary of AnandTech's look at the chipset:
quote:Unfortunately, Intel's latest graphics solution can't keep up with the cheapest PCI Express graphics solution that we could find. The X300 SE isn't a speed demon, but its speed can usually be measured in multiples of Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900 performance.
The market for integrated graphics is focused much more on business and low cost computing. People who are interested in gaming should stay very far away from the Intel solutions. While some games are actually playable, and performance is head and shoulders above that of Intel Extreme Graphics 2, performance is too abysmal for us to recommend the GMA900 for anything beyond 2D computing and extremely rudimentary 3D.
(Full article is at http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.aspx?i=2143&p;=1)
While I don't care about running games themselves on a TabletPC, I would like to be able to use a game's editing tools to create levels & mods. Without hardware T&L;, these often won't run. Just my weird little user requirements.
...Klinn
GadgetLuvr
Posted - Feb 03 2005 : 06:24:19 AM NO agenda to slam HP. I have both HP and Toshiba, both have their pluses and minuses. However, one has every right to be bitter when they expected HP to take a lead and introduce something new and exciting and then get only two versions of a scaled down convertible with no news of an upgraded 1100. Very disappointing.
The true genious whas someone stating this is the "only tablet with sonoma", of course, since everything is releasing in Feb and this one hit Feb 2. Of course no one would compare the toshiba to the motion on thinking motion is not about to make a sonoma move.
Not here to slam HP or Toshiba (wait to hear my criticism of Toshiba if they drop the ball, too), just here to express my disappointment (even bitterness, you nailed it, congratulations you are so sharp) in HP's latest release. Hopefully, they will do better soon.
WEBSRFR
Posted - Feb 02 2005 : 11:50:53 PM No high resolution screen though. That's very dissapointing.
WNewquay
Posted - Feb 02 2005 : 10:44:16 PM I think that's a really smart looking unit (TC4200).
I hope that they can get it into the retail channel, and that those of us who know Tablet PCs will be supportive of the vendors.
It probably wouldn't hurt Tablet PC evangelism if this very corporate looking unit makes headway in the corporate environment too.
We probably won't know until we see some user reviews, but the specs look promising.
Sure I wish it was lighter, but you can't squawk about the new processors.
I rarely use an optical drive and up until a day ago (when I got the docking station for the TC1100), I was very happily using iso images or installing software over my network.
I use tools like VNC and MaxiVista and in my limited experience with integrated graphics (early generations) these did not perform as well as with the dedicated graphics processors in the TC1100 and M200, but who knows... Maybe it won't be an issue with the newer Intel implementations.
I'll not be rushing to sell either the TC1100 or the M200 just yet. I'm glad I've got both of these because between them they address my requirements well. But for what I do I usually carry two machines anyway (don't ask - long story - ) and it's good to have all the bases covered.
If I could get by with one machine I would have a very hard time choosing among the current crop and those waiting in the wings.
As Rob suggested... These *are* exciting times for Tablet PC users (existing and potential). I can hardly wait to see what comes next.
rbushway
Posted - Feb 02 2005 : 10:25:55 PM What kind of hardware buttons are you looking for? What are you looking to do?
I agree, hardware buttons are great.
dochogan
Posted - Feb 02 2005 : 10:19:30 PM I would really like to have seen more hardware buttons (I *think* I see one or two in the lower-right outside side-edge in the last pic, and one in the middle-upper-left front bezel, near the HP logo). Two or three just aren't enough, really.
I also would have like one or two more pen-button areas.
C'est la vie
rbushway
Posted - Feb 02 2005 : 9:40:43 PM
quote:Originally posted by GadgetLuvr
Great reviews because they cannot compare it to the new Toshibas coming out on Feb 8. This is nothing but a first generation Toshiba M100 Portege with a new processor. Don't fall for the hype, wait a week.
I guess that means that the Toshiba reviews will be good only because they can't compare it to the new Motion that will come out early this year, and then they will be flawed reviews. Yep - makes perfect sense. Thanks for that genius piece of logic.
If you have an agenda to really slam HP, I suggest you take the agenda elsewhere. Its' pretty evident from other posts what is going on.
Back on topic.
krypticide
Posted - Feb 02 2005 : 9:32:22 PM Both Gadget and tc1000 seem to be bitter. [:p]
