SlashGear

The promise of a sub-$1k full-sized Tablet PC is a tempting one, especially with students eyeing up the latest hardware with the Fall semester fast approaching.  HP are well known for their pen-computing range, and while headlines this week have focused on the new 2730p, complete with Centrino 2 technology, its their cheaper Pavilion tx2500z that will likely find more buyers.  Initial hands-on suggested this could be a Tablet to watch out for, and Tablet PC Review are back with a thorough review of the Puma-powered machine.

Last time round benchmarks weren’t available, but thankfully despite a malfunctioning Radeon HD 3200 IGP integrated graphics card the tx2500z put in a surprisingly strong showing.  Its PCMark05 score exceeded that of HP’s previous flagship 2710p as well as Lenovo’s much-admired ThinkPad X61. 

In all, despite their hardware hiccups, Tablet PC Review give the tx2500z a big thumbs-up.  The flexibility of a dual-mode active/passive digitizer, durable keyboard and sufficient processing power to handle handwriting recognition and other pen-input functionality all adds up to a machine ideal for first-time tableteers and students.  It’s available now.