One of my early favorites for a tablet was the HP TC1100. It's small, nicely designed, and has a hybrid keyboard solution, just in case you want to type on it (I'm really hoping pen-based input will be sufficient for what I want to do, though). However, I've been a little disenchanted with HP (a company I generally like; I have an HP Laserjet 1012, and have had an HP 28S RPN calculator since the late 80's) and it's marketing of the TC1100. For starters, I'm a little concerned about buying something I've never seen, especially when it costs around $2000+. But you can't go to a store and see one anywhere, as best as I can tell. Second, HP does nothing to market this to students: no student discount, availability through campus computer stores, etc. To be fair, both of these complaints apply pretty much across the board in the TabletPC market. But my biggest gripe is with their website. I had a simple question, and I'm still not sure I have a good answer: if I ordered a TC1100, what would I actually get?
I asked this because HP has had a deal for sometime now to get the entry-level model for $1599; the next model up is $2299 (there used to be a mid-level model, but it doesn't show up on the ordering page anymore). So, naturally, I asked, "what's the difference?" Well, the HP online store page seems to answer this: the low-end model has a Pentium M 713 1.1GHz processor vs. a 753 1.2GHz; a 40GB vs 60GB drive; 256MB vs 512MB of memory; Bluetooth on the high-end model; and a 1-year vs. 3-year warranty. The only thing here that was a little low for my specs is the memory, but for a mere $79 I could get another 256MB -- still far cheaper. So, I figured there must be more to this story. I'll also note I was a little concerned about the apparent typo in the WLAN description: 802.11bg vs. 802.11b/g, but assumed it was just an error.
However, if we go a bit deeper to the "Customize" page for the low-end product, we find several confusing things. First, under Wireless LAN, there is an option to add a 802.11b/g adapter for $59... why would this be an option if it is built-in? Following this further, if you click the "Product overview" link under the picture on this page, it says the machine comes with 802.11b! I was also confused by the configurator offering two different (but same-priced) 256MB upgrades; why?
Now things get stranger. If you "customize" the $2299 unit, the "Product overview" also shows 802.11b, and the b/g card is also an option in the configuration. Hmmm...
Another point of confusion: on the TC1100 main page, it states, "Improved sparkle-free glass and 160 degree viewing angle on Pentium M based tablets." However, if you go to the "quickspecs" on this same page, you'll see that PR092UA#ABA ($1599) model comes with a "10.4-inch color TFT XGA with 1024 x 768 resolution (100 degree viewing angle)" display. My confidence is dropping...
As it turns out, I think this quickspecs page is probably the most accurate. But the point is, when you're looking to spend this sort of money, you ought to be able to figure out what you're getting.
I asked HP this exact question via e-mail and on the phone: what's the "base" model? To their credit, they responded very quickly and courteously, if not always accurately. For example, I was told, there was no "base" model because it could be configured. Fair enough, I guess. They pointed me toward the "pre-configured" PR092UA#ABA model, but told me I would need to add 802.11b/g support (in that the quickspecs say this is built-in on this model, I'm still not sure what the right answer is).
This was all about a month ago, and the website is still messed up, even after I provided this feedback in my e-mail and phone conversations. Not good.
On the surface, then, there still isn't much difference between the low-end and high-end models. I think HP could make this clearer, and probably drive some customers toward the higher-end models, with a few simple points:
- The Pentium M 713 in the lower-end model is a 130nm process chip; it has higher power consumption, lower clockspeed, and half as much cache. This all equates to less performance and less battery life.
- The low-end model doesn't have the 160-degree viewing angle display
- They do point out that the low-end model's disk is a 4200rpm drive, vs. a 5400rpm drive in the higher-end model; some people may not know why this makes a difference.
- You cannot upgrade the low-end model with internal Bluetooth (this was ultimately confirmed via the e-mail support)
- I'm still not sure which WLAN option it really comes with; I suspect it's the b/g, but if it is just 802.11b, make this clear
Well, this is still one of my favorite tablets, but I'll be pretty unhappy if I buy it and get something other than what I'm expecting!