Dell XT vs HP tx2 ?

After working with a tx2 for a few days and returning it because of a mechanical failure I have a better idea of what working with a tablet is like.

I haven't completely ruled out the tx2 but aside from always being suspicious of hp, I didn't like the following:
1. Small touchpad with difficult to press buttons
2. Poor viewing angle
3. Reduced CPUs to 25% of rated clock freq to keep them cool

I've looked at the Thinkpads but I think I would miss the touchpad.

The Dell XT (not the XT2) includes an eraser pointer like the thinkpads. Any comments on how well this works? I am also curious if the XT touchpad buttons are the very soft and easy to press buttons on other Dell laptops (I think it was the new Insiprons I tried at Best Buy).

I'm wondering what differences I might see in the XT and the tx2. Aside from the faster processor, what else does the tx2 have on the XT?

Does the XT screen have a better viewing angle?

Have the issues with the ntrig digitizer been worked out?

Does the XT screen reject touch input when the stylus is being used?

What are the differences in the non-outdoor-viewable LED and the outdoor-viewable LCD. From what I can tell, the LED uses less power. Which offers the superior viewing angle?

I've seen this machine offered with Vista, XP Tablet, Vista Business and Windows 7.... I used Vista on the tx2 (or was it Vista tablet) so I know what to expect with that- is there functionality loss in regular Vista (if different) or Vista Business?

Finally, if you can give me a quick rundown on the differences between the XT and the XT2 I'd appreciate that. Do you think it's worth paying twice as much for the XT2?

I know there were a lot of questions here- if you only answer some of them and if you only provide hyperlinks as answers I'll still greatly appreciate it. I plan on researching these things myself and as I find answers I'll add them to this thread if they haven't been addressed already.

More than anything else here I would like to know if the XT is generally viewed as a superior machine when compared to the tx2 and be made aware of any specific issues which people often have with the XT.

Thanks,

David

 

I've been reading quite a few reviews and a few things that people seem to be saying:

The eraser-head pointer on the XT is not nearly as accurate or comfortable as the Thinkpad's.

The touchpad buttons are lower than the case and it is easy to accidentally press on the case and miss the buttons.

The cost of the XT is much higher than the tx2 but the XT is shipped with a three year warranty (as opposed to the tx2's one year) and the XT case is more rugged than the tx2.

The XT CPU is less powerful than the tx2 but when the tx2's need to clock-down due to heat is figured in I wonder exactly how much less powerful it is in action. I use a 2.8GHz Pentium D on my desktop so I think either tablet will be responsive enough to meet my needs.

I'm surprised that the XT is not in the top-10 or the 10 runner-up tablets listed on tabletpcreview's "most popular" list for April.

I think I am going to buy one off ebay and if I decide I'd rather have the tx2 then I'll put the XT back up on ebay or keep it as a backup. Seeing how fast these prices have dropped in the last six months alone I do not see the sense in buying an XT2 at this point.

David

 

Now I'm finding myself looking at the Lenovos despite the missing touchpads. Might as well consider them before making that final plunge. The X200s seem similar to the XT2s in the sense that the price is high (over $1k on ebay) and that will definitely come down fast.

Looks like the X61 is the system comparable to the XT. The biggest difference I see is that there are more X61s being sold on ebay than XTs. I'm not sure if the touch/digitizer/screen angle are much different but from what I can see an $800 X61 and an $800 XT pack about the same punch:

Something around 1.3 GHz processor, 2 to 3GB RAM, 60 to 80 GB HDD.

 

First of all, the XT is far superior to the tx2 as far as I'm concerned.

Secondly, don't buy the XT off eBay, buy it refurbished from Dell, where you're guaranteed a 3 year warranty. The warranty status can be a little more iffy on eBay ones. http://outlet.us.dell.com/ARBOnline...line/en/InventorySearch?c=us&cs=28&l=en&s=dfb

As for the XT versus the X61, you have to decide if capacitive touch is worth it to you. (Multitouch is still gimmicky, but capacitive touch is great.)

The Dell trackpoint isn't as good as the Lenovo, no, but to me it was worth it. Of course, the Lenovo will probably have slightly better battery life, but it doesn't support a secondary battery slice either (and the XT with battery slice is around 1.6" thick, as compared to around 1.3" for the X61 tablet, apparently.)

 

Thanks johff.

I didn't realize Dell had this many refurbished XT and XT2s available. Looks like it's basically +$300 for the XT2. I wish there were more reviews on it out there to help me decide if it is worth that premium.

The capacitive touch sounds like the way to go. I forgot that the X61 did not have that. So many laptops to choose from! I wish there was a spreadsheet-like comparison of the various brands and what they offer.

I'm sold on Dell since I have never owned a laptop of a different brand in the first place (aside from a few days with the tx2). I'm still wondering why the XT isn't even on April's top-20 list here. Perhaps the new price is too high and too many people do not like buying used/refurbished?

David

 

Trying to take care of some of my questions myself here:

Here is a post on this site discussing XT vs. XT2.

Sounds like for $300 I'd get a faster processor, lower heat, longer battery life, superior graphics, more memory, a faster HD (SATA instead of PATA), more memory capacity... Seems like a good deal to me.

As for viewing angle between the tx2, XT, and XT2. Does anyone familiar with two or more of these have an opinion to share?

I was not impressed with the tx2 but unless the XT2 is better than the XT it doesn't really matter.

David

 

I took jhoff80's advice and ordered a XT from the Outlet store. Too bad I missed the 20% coupon from April which looked like it would have worked here.

Now I just wait...............

Thanks all.

 

Ok i know that this is a old thread but i am sitting in the exact same spot as you (except i have a huge thing against Fijitsu, know 3 of them that are all absolute junk). I am leaning towards the Dell XT and just want to find out if you are enjoying it. Whats it like compared to the TX2?

Thanks.

 

I think im going for the Dell XT. but please i still want to know if you would recommend it.

 

Hi Wadeh,

The Dell XT is more rugged than the HP TX2. It feels solid, less like a toy; did I mention keyboard keys didn't break off the day I bought it?

The buttons on the HP touchpad were difficult to press, to the point it was uncomfortable to use it for an extended period of time.

The XT runs much cooler, something I don't really care about unless the system fails do to the heat.

The XT is slower than the TX2. I find that the Dell XT compares to the Pentium D 820 desktop that I have which is about 5 years old.

I pulled the chips below from the first review site I found so these may not be correct. I used cpubenchmark.net to find the rank of the chips (lower is better).

Dell XT: Intel Core 2 Duo U7600 @ 1.20 GHz; Rank: 491
HP TX2: AMD Turion X2 Ultra Dual-Core Mobile ZM-82; Rank 371

You can see the Dell XT compares to my D 820 desktop:

Pentium D 820 2.8 GHz; Rank: 487

Of course neither touches an i7 desktop:

Intel Core i7 920 @ 2.67 GHz; Rank: 15

Now days I use the XT for OneNote primarily. Weight and battery life are similar between the two devices and neither is a replacement for a notepad. I primarily use the XT in laptop mode and usually just use it for OneNote, which I started using because of the tablet functionality.

Using either device on a horizontal surface as a replacement for a paper notepad is difficult. They need to be tiled up several degrees. I often look for something to put under the XT but usually it slips off; it's never made it to the floor luckily.

See the pictures that thatcomicsguy posted in this thread: http://forum.tabletpcreview.com/showthread.php?p=160031#post160031

A portable version of something like that would greatly facilitate writing on a tablet.

Bottom line; Dell XT seems like a nice cross between a netbook and a laptop and offers a touchscreen to boot. I'd probably sell mine and buy a wide screen laptop with a ton of horsepower if someone were offering me cash for it. Boot time and Windows login time are too slow; makes it very difficult to use during business meetings.