HP has the undeniable honor of having produced the best Tablet PC I have ever used, the tc1100. That hybrid Tablet PC is to this day the most innovative mobile PC that has ever been produced. All of the subsequent Tablets that HP has produced have been just laptops with swivel screens, with the exception of the new 2710p Tablet PC. This new model is a design marvel that rekindles the love of using a Tablet PC, and that’s why I bought one.
I have been fortunate to have used an evaluation 2710p supplied me by HP for over a month (big thanks to HP). The evaluation was a good one from the unboxing and continued to impress me to the point that I pulled out my credit card and bought one myself. That one arrived yesterday and it’s time to write a good review of the 2710p with an emphasis of the out of box experience (OOBE) that I have recently lived through.
I won’t spend a lot of time covering the unboxing of the 2710p, you can just watch the video to share my experience. No, I will start after the unboxing and cover the device and try to help you understand why I like the 2710p so much.
Configuration
The 2710p I configured and purchased is the same configuration as the evaluation I used. I was very happy with the performance of the evaluation and I could see no reason to change anything. Here’s the details of my 2710p:
- CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo U7600 1.2 GHz 2 MB L2 cache 533 MHz front side bus
- RAM: 2 GB (4 GB max)
- Display: 12.1 inch Illumi-Lite WXGA anti-glare
- Hard drive: 100 GB 4,200 rpm (64 GB SSD available this year)
- Graphics: Mobile INtel GM965 (Aero capable)
- Radios: Intel 802.11 a/b/g/draft n; Bluetooth 2.0
- Ports: 2 USB 2.0; FireWire: Audio in/out; ExpressCard; modem; Ethernet (gigabit); VGA out; SD slot
- Keyboard: 102 keys, HP DuraKeys- clear coating to protect the finish
- Buttons: Front- power slider; screen latch. Left- Info button; wireless radio on/off; pen silo. Screen- web cam macro/ portrait; keyboard light; WWAN antenna; fingerprint reader; screen rotation (pen hole); ctrl-alt-del (pen hole); Above keyboard (all are touch sensitive buttons)- presentation mode; mute; volume slider
- Fingerprint reader: standard
- Web cam: 2 MP (1600 x 1200)
- Keyboard light: illuminates keyboard in low light conditions
- Integrated WWAN antenna: only used with WWAN option currently unavailable but will be AT&T and Verizon capable
- Dimensions (W x D x H): 11.42 x 8.35 x 1.11 in.
- Weight: 3.7 lb.
- Warranty: standard 3 years parts and labor
I also bought three accessories to allow me to get the most of my use of the 2710p:
- HP Smart Charger: works with A/C, car outlets, plane outlets
- Ultra-slim battery: ~.5 inch thick, ~ 5 hours life
- Ultra-slim expansion base: ports- Kensington lock, power, audio in/out, 4 USB 2.0, Ethernet (gigabit), VGA out, video out
Setting up
Getting the 2710p ready for my daily use was a typical Vista setup with a few steps specific to HP. The first boot up presented a choice of Vista for installation, 32-bit or 64-bit. I chose 32-bit even though I believe that 64-bit operating systems are better but I don’t know of any 64-bit software that I need and I have heard that there are still some driver problems with the 64-bit version. I am more than familiar with the 32-bit version of Vista so it was an easy choice for me.
Once that decision was entered the install was done which was very fast. Upon completion the HP Recovery and Backup utility ran and created the Recovery Partion, a process that took almost 30 minutes. It created a primary system restore point at this time so HP has taken pains to make sure that you can get back to the beginning as easily as possible in the event of difficulties, something I agree with. Once the OS was fully installed and ready to go Windows Update ran and found 33 updates to install. This took the better part of an hour which is not unusual given the fact that it had downloaded over 130 MB of updates. Once this was done and the system rebooted I was ready to go.
Pre-installed software
I am impressed with how little crapware HP chose to pre-install on the 2710p. The only program that I immediately removed was the Norton Internet Security suite, something I absolutely detest. It removed very easily so I only wasted a short amount of time with this. I understand that OEMs feel they must include some form of anti-virus in the box but I hate Norton’s solution. I would rather they would choose one of the lighter free solutions that are available as I think the consumer would be better served.
The configuration I ordered came with OneNote 2007 included, one of my favorite programs so I was happy with this. The initial system image had this already installed saving me a lot of time. Here are the major programs that were also pre-installed
- Microsoft Office 2007 trial
- HP Protect Tools
- HP Credential Manager (fingerprint reader)
- HP 3D DriveGuard
- HP Backup and Recovery Manager
- HP Broadband Wireless Modules
- HP Quick Launch (Q button)
- HP Update
- HP Webcam
- HP Wireless Assistant
- Intervideo WinDVD
- PDF Complete
- Presto BizCard
- Roxio suite
Most of these are utilities to keep the 2710p running smooth and safe with the exception of the obvious programs. As near as I could tell the Office install was a trial but since I already had my own Product Key I entered that and it saved me from having to install it. WinDVD is a program to let you play movies using the expansion base drive. The surprise of the bunch for me is PDF Complete, an alternative to Adobe Reader. I had never used it before and I must say I really like it the way it works with PDF files. It’s very fast and much lighter than the pig from Adobe and I am happy it is there. Presto BizCard is the program that works with the special feature of the web cam that lets you capture business cards. You snap it with the web cam and BizCard does OCR and puts the contact information into the database. It also sends the card to Outlook on demand and while it’s not 100% accurate it is pretty cool and I could see this being a big plus for sales folks.
What I installed
To give you a feel for how I use the 2710p here’s a list of the programs I have already installed for my daily usage:
- Roboform (browser password handler)
- Firefox
- Bonjour- Apple utility to let me print to a Canon printer connected to the Airport Extreme
- eReader Pro
- Live Writer- blog editor
- Ink Plugin for Live Writer- even though you won’t let me ink blog
- Microsoft Save as PDF- I use Office to create my PDFs and this plugin is gold to me
- MindManager Pro 7
- MiniScroller- utility to provide page up/down and other functions on-screen
- PDF Annotator
- iTunes
- Skype
- SnagIT
- TimeTTracker MX
- VZ Access Manager- used with the v740 ExpressCard EV-DO modem
This is my core program toolkit and it only took me a couple of hours to install and get working. The HP is very fast even though it has the slower 4,200 rpm hard drive and I am impressed how snappy this build process went. It kept my OOBE very positive and I had not a single problem getting all of this loaded. Once I had my core programs loaded I used the Belkin Easy Transfer cable to bring my data, music, and settings from the evaluation 2710p. It transferred over 20 GB of files, most of it my music and podcast collection, in less than an hour. Once this was complete the new 2710p rebooted and came back up configured exactly like the evaluation unit. It is the best thing that Microsoft put into Vista and I highly recommend one of these cables.
The HP 2710p experience
I have been as vocal as anyone how poor the Vista experience is on just about every mobile device I have used so how is it on the 2710p? I must say that if the 2710p was as bad in this regard as most Tablets I have tried I would not have ordered one with Vista pre-installed but happily that is not the case. In fact I can state the HP has created the best Vista integration with the 2710p that I have seen on any device. The performance is nice and snappy even with the slower processor and hard drive and I think it must be due to how good a job HP has done on the drivers for Vista. I experience super fast sleep and resume, typically about 2 seconds, and the 2710p doesn’t participate in a lot of the shenanigans that I have experienced with every other Vista mobile PC. I don’t think I am alone with that opinion, as Dwight Silverman of The Houston Chronicle stated in his review of the HP 2710p, "But HP more than redeems itself with the 2710p, which is the best Windows Vista notebook I’ve tried this year." That sentiment sums up my experience and no doubt contributed heavily to my decision to buy one.
What is it about the HP 2710p that makes the usage experience so enjoyable? I have spent a lot of time thinking about this and I believe the main reason is in how thin the 2710p is. It is so comfortable to use no matter how it is configured. In laptop mode it’s very thin and the design is no compromise with a great keyboard and it’s easy to use this way. It’s a breeze to unlatch the screen and swivel it around for slate usage and because it’s so thin it is very comfortable to use this way. It feels very nice in the hands in either configuration, and it is largely why I enjoy using it so much. Tablet PCs need to excel in two areas, performance doing the things we do every day and comfort in doing them. The 2710p is so comfortable to use that it is actually enjoyable to do so. That is great in my book.
HP put a lot of thought into the device design, that much is readily apparent. From the thin form to the rounded corners, everything about the 2710p shouts "professional yet personal" so the HP design team should be commended for pulling this off nicely. Some may find the lack of buttons on the screen bezel to be a negative while in slate mode but to me that was the proper decision to take in the design. This design helps insure that the device does not get in your way when you’re using it and I find that to be great as I use it in slate mode for note taking a lot each day. Kudos to HP for keeping it simple yet functional. The only thing I wish HP had included in the design is a jog dial similar to that on the tc1100 which would make paging up and down easier in portrait mode, but I have a little utility to make up for that so it’s not a deal breaker. I would like to see HP include one if they do a refresh of the 2710p down the road.
In real world usage HP has integrated some things that are not seen on other Tablet PCs and I am finding them very useful. The first is the integrated 2 MP web cam located above the screen in landscape orientation. I use this for Skype video calls and it works very well. A very nice touch is how the cam rotates with the screen orientation, so if I make a Skype call while in portrait slate mode (something very cool to do sitting in a coffee shop) the cam rotates too. I tested this with a video call to Kevin and rotated the screen during the call twice and it successfully rotated the cam too. Useful and innovative in my book. HP has also included a keyboard light that pops out next to the web cam and gently lights the keyboard in low light conditions. You just push a button on the top of the screen and out pops the light. At first I thought this was gimmicky but quickly found this is actually useful and something that business travelers will get good use out of on planes.
The 2710p has a trackstick instead of a trackpad for navigating while in notebook mode, and this will either be a love or hate thing for most. I personally prefer a trackstick when it is well implemented like on ThinkPads, and the one on the HP is exactly like those so I use it a lot. The mouse buttons don’t get in my way when I am typing and I find that a plus too, something that happens on other devices.
To sum up my usage experience with the HP 2710p I will simply state that it is very easy and comfortable to use. That comfort coupled with stellar battery life makes for a worry-free work day for me. I routinely get between 4.5 – 5 hours of battery life using the standard included battery under the Power Saver setting, and I keep the optional ultra-slim slice battery in my bag. When the internal battery gets too low I just pop the ultra-slim battery onto the bottom of the 2710p, which I can do without even going into Sleep mode, and I get another 5 hours of life. I realized how important this was yesterday as I used the 2710p all day in 6 different locations and realized that not once was I worried about battery life. This lack of concern left me to concentrate solely on my work at hand and that went a long way to providing an enjoyable usage. At the risk of becoming redundant, the 2710p is enjoyable to use and that makes a big difference to me. The ultra-slim battery is only 1/4 inch thick and adds about a pound to the device weight but due to the thin design of the device and the battery it is still comfortable to use in the hands.
When I am in my home office I pop the 2710p onto the expansion base, a very nice docking solution that makes the DVD drive available to me. This drive is only 7 mm thick and is quite impressive to use. It is how HP kept the dock so thin and light, something I demonstrated in the unboxing video. It is thin and light enough to travel with yet not give anything up and big kudos to HP for the design of the base. The design also allows the user to drop the ultra-slim battery into the base by itself and have it charge while still using the 2710p elsewhere. This is so very useful that I find it greatly enhances my usage experience. If the ultra-slim battery is connected to the 2710p you can still drop it onto the base and have both batteries charge at the same time. It is a design to provide the most utility and flexibility to the user.
In actual usage the HP 2710p is very responsive and easy to use. I find the performance of the device in real mobile usage to feel as good as the performance of much faster devices. I believe it is because of how tightly HP has integrated the device with Vista and the 2710p feels responsive as anything else I have used. I haven’t hooked up an external monitor yet as I don’t find I need one with the widescreen resolution of the 2710p so I am not exposed to Vista’s inferior handling of them, so that might have something to do with my overall happiness with Vista’s performance of the device. I do love the additional utility that Vista brings to the Tablet PC functions and I am glad that HP has gotten this right.
The way I use my Tablet PCs in my daily work demonstrate to me how comfortable and easy to use I find the 2710p. I can drop it in my gear bag, my nice small Booq bag, pull it out when I get where I need to work and get to work in about 2 seconds. This is huge to me and I love how easy to use this device is for me. I have programmed the power button to enter Sleep mode so when I am ready to move on to the next location I push the power button and in 2 seconds drop the device back into the bag. This doesn’t sound like much but it is big to me and yet another reason I am so happy with the 2710p. It is the most mobile device I have used to date, and I include smaller devices that I have in that statement. The overall experience is what makes the device more mobile as I just described.
Conclusion
It is no doubt apparent that I am very pleased with what HP has brought to the tablet with the 2710p. It is not only a great Tablet PC but also a stellar thin and light notebook computer, something that other OEMs have attempted to do but none as successfully as this in my book. The hardware components are a decent compromise for providing great battery life while still providing very good performance, even under the resource hog that is Vista. HP has done a good job making sure that the entire package works as flawlessly with Vista as anything I have seen yet. The thin and light design is stellar at providing a great OOBE and daily usage. While the 2710p is pricey if you use the HP configurator on their web site, I was able to purchase this one using a "Smart Buy" that priced this top of the line configuration at just $1,749 which is a great price for this hardware. Check the HP site before you make a purchase decision as they usually have good configurations priced attractively this way.
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