Review: HP Pavilion TX-1260ea notebook computer

An uncomfortable mix of tablet and multimedia PC, but it is good value

The last time we saw a TX-1000 series tablet, we couldn’t calibrate the screen properly.

Thankfully we didn’t suffer the same problem this time, but you still have to press hard on the TX-1260ea’s display to get a response and you’ll get fingerprints all over it in the process.

Since the pen isn’t an active design, you can’t rest your hand on the display without causing the mouse to move, which makes it less comfortable to use.

The display’s hinge has a solid click to it though, and two hooks click the display in place when folded down.

The keyboard and trackpad offer sturdy and accurate response, with a separate, working scroll function – a rarity in Vista due to a lack of drivers.

The Pavilion stands out as the only notebook to use an AMD processor, namely a TL-50 1.86GHz with 1MB of L2 cache. A generous 2GB of Ram and 160GB hard disk didn’t help performance though, with the Pavilion languishing consistently in the bottom half of our benchmarks.

Battery life from this AMD system was poor too, lasting two hours and 25 minutes with the standard battery and just over three and a half hours with the extended battery (both included), so carrying two batteries is a necessity.

With lots of blue-glowing media buttons and a remote control, it’s an ambitious multimedia machine. Altec Lansing-branded speakers sit either side of the screen’s hinge and were the best on test. Two headphone jacks are also included, but DVD playback is spoilt by the screen’s dire, washed-out blacks.

The Geforce Go 6150 integrated graphics are no longer better than Intel’s graphics, scoring a lethargic 435 in 3Dmark05. It’s quite heavy for a 12.1in device and exceptionally bulky, and we can’t help but apply the ‘jack of all trades, master of none’ tag to the TX-1260ea.

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This article is part of a group test, see also:
1 Introduction
2 The great weight conundrum
3 Acer Travelmate 6292 review
4 Advent 8112 review
5 Fujitsu Siemens Lifebook P7230 review
6 Hi-Grade Notino D2200 review
7 HP Compaq 2710p review
8 HP Pavilion TX-1260ea review
9 Lenovo Thinkpad X61 review
10 MSI PR200-064UK review
11 Panasonic Toughbook CF-W7 review
12 Samsung Q45-A007 review
13 Toshiba Portégé R500-10U review
14 Performance graphs, page 1 of 2
15 Performance graphs, page 2 of 2
16 Replacement battery costs
17 Conclusion and awards