Thanks to the good people at HP, I have been playing with reviewing the HP Compaq 2710p Tablet PC (MSRP 1,599). It was my first real experience with a tablet and I loved every second of it.
Don't get me wrong I have played with them before but, I have not used one as my main machine for an extended period of time. I was excited opening that pretty yellow HP Benson box.
First one and then another.
Yes we got the 2510p (MSRP 1,499) and thought it was the 2710... Go ahead laugh but in all fairness the box said 2710p and that is what we were expecting! No we did not break it trying to get it to transform either!
After realizing that their HP Compaq 2510 ultra portable was not the tablet I thought it was, I figured I got my hopes up and it was going to be bigger an heavier.
But when I did unwrap the 2710p - Surprise, surprise she was perfect.
After realizing that their HP Compaq 2510 ultra portable was not the tablet I thought it was, I figured I got my hopes up and it was going to be bigger an heavier.
But when I did unwrap the 2710p - Surprise, surprise she was perfect.
Similar weight and form factor to the little guy, 12 inch 1200 x 800 resolution Illumi-light LED back lit screen that works in heavy light as well as in the dark with its IBM-esque night light feature.
But the similarities end there, as any transformer lover will get a kick out of changing her from tablet to laptop and then from Landscape view to portrait - and back again. To get your converting on all you need to do is swivel the screen and lock it into place. It is really easy to use and kind of fun. The tablet seems almost rugged-ized with its magnesium alloy chassis and reinforced screen. Not to mention hard drive anti shock magic built in.
Tell me they didn't grab the best of the best from the industry and put it in this bad boy.You should see the looks i get on the train using it as a big e-book. Combine that with my new Jay-Z look and all eyes on me. I don't know that is necessarily a good thing on the trains of New York City...
But hey you got to live - right?
I have been using it to blog and do my remote consulting. We didn't get a Wwan option but when pairing it up via blue tooth to my Dopod C730 we got great HSDPA speeds on the go.
My wife loves this tablet thing (as she calls it) and wants to hang it on the refrigerator full time. It took me a little while to get used to using a stylus to
As you can see below the 2mp camera is right on top where we like it next to the night light.
(The poor Dell X1 is collecting dust and will soon find his way back to eBay where he came from. Sorry little guy it's been real.)
Better yet Wifey was surfing on this thing outside on our balcony and in front of the crib with the baby. We were fighting for time on it. I tried to push the ultra portable on her but she wasn't having it. Her exact words were:
"No, Karl it's not as fun to use. You take it."
The ultra bright screen just seems to work outside no more squinting or guessing what you are clicking on.
Here are the 2510 and the 2710 right next to each other - very similar in size but the 2510 is a wee bit smaller.
So after a lot of long hard thoughts on the matter I am feeling it enough to buy one Yes. We will be getting one for our household and after all this time of being a Dell fan boy... HP has swayed me away from the dark side.
Last year alone I must have bought between my day job, consulting and recommending to friends around 1.3 million dollars in servers and various other hardware from Dell.
Yeah The Admin is big time.
But that's not the point I am trying to make - HP is going all out to make these devices easier to use and more friendly. Not cheaper and more fragile like some others.
Guess what I am going to be recommending from now on? Go ahead guess...
That's right I'm not getting a dell... I'm upgrading to an HP!
In all fairness preparing for this piece we went back to follow up with Dell on a previously requested a Latitude XT Tablet. We were hoping to to compare the two but have been waiting over 4 months.
My guess is Dell figured they can't compete or they don't like AtA anymore... Whatever, we don't really care.
Hey HP can I keep her? I promise I will give her a good home! Well at least the Wifey will unless we wind up getting two... Wouldn't you want the Admin promoting your brand when he is on site?? :)
What's that honey? You want yours in green? We will have to see about that one!
_TheHpInfatuatedAdmiN_
Stay tuned for our review of the ultra portable kiddies!
