HP's Robust Tablet Doesn't Come Cheap

With a thoughtful design and long battery life, the HP Compaq tc4400--a convertible tablet PC--should please tablet users in the market for a robust system. Its steep price may deter some folks, however.

In tablet mode, using the included stylus to write handwritten notes on the 12.1-inch screen was easy; and thanks to conveniently placed buttons on the right side, switching the screen to tabloid view was a cinch, as well.

To further assist tablet lovers, HP has situated the fingerprint reader on the top of the screen when it's in tablet mode (the right side of the screen when it's used as a laptop.) And a dedicated key for the <Ctrl>-<Alt>-<Delete> function helps users make a quick restart in tablet mode, without having to switch back to notebook mode.

As a notebook, the tc4400 operates fine, as well. Its keyboard was easy to type on, and the system includes plenty of ports, including two for USB 2.0 (one on each side), and an S-Video port on the back.

In our performance tests, the tc4400 turned in mixed results. It aced the battery-life test, running more than 4 hours on a single charge. However, with its 2-GHz Core Duo T2500 processor and 512MB of RAM, the tc4400 mustered a score of only 88 in our WorldBench 5 test suite, marking it as merely a fair performer compared with similar systems.

The tc4400's 4.6-pound weight is not terribly heavy, but it does make the unit a bit bulky to hold in tablet mode. The system also lacks a built-in optical drive--my test unit came with a $169 external CD-RW drive. Add that cost to the $2379 base price, and you have a fairly expensive model.

Still, for a well-designed notebook with seamless tablet functionality, some may find that cost acceptable.

HP Compaq tc4400

Slightly bulky yet easy-to-use tablet has long battery life, but its performance was so-so.
Price when reviewed: $2379
Current prices (if available)