HP SLATEBOOK X2 REVIEW

HP Tablet Slatebook X2: so powerful and so poorly designed Reinforced with a high-powered Tegra 4 and a removable keyboard, This HP tablet is a terrible disappointment.

Nvidia Tegra 4 with latest generation processor, one inch high definition screen 10 (1920 x 1200 pixels) and a removable keyboard with a battery, this hybrid tablet Slatebook X2 looks very attractive. But from our first tests, we were struck by the number of defects in this slate.

HP SLATEBOOK X2 REVIEW

With Slatebook X2, HP is trying to restore a shield already lackluster in the field of tablets. But it is a total failure, since this tablet is also poorly designed in material and software. Too bad, because at first glance, this little machine 10 inch format displays beautiful finishes, aesthetically pleasing and good quality materials. In addition, the attachment system between the tablet and the keyboard is shown solid and easy to implement. Only downside: the 10-inch slate weighs 1.25 kg with its keyboard. It is much heavier than a Macbook Air 11-inch (1 kg)! It is also 100 grams more than the Transformer Pad Infinity (TF700T) from Asus ...

At a time when all mobile devices are equipped with a Micro-USB port for charging, Slatebook X2 made ​​the choice to go back! So we end up a few years back, with a proprietary power cable. Handle with care, since this connection inspires a feeling of chilling fragility. 

HP does not even provide a proprietary cable with a original USB standard extremity. It is therefore impossible to transfer a file directly from a computer to the tablet. Unheard of! We must therefore go through a USB key (the keyboard has a standard USB port) or a memory card.

The tablet has a reader Micro-SD card and a second keyboard player with SD classic format. The problem, is that it is impossible to combine the two cards: the tablet will only recognize one when connected to the keyboard! Another disappointment, the picture quality is video taken by the tablet is ... catastrophic.

Nth absurdity, this tablet has a power saving option to manually activate. It consists bridle, or rather stifle, his Tegra processor 4, by decreasing its operating frequency 800 MHz from 1800. Some 3D video games will also be flanged at 30 frames per second. The processor is then less powerful than classic quad Cortex A9, tablet from approximately 28,000 points 18,000 points in Antutu test once bridled processor.

This drastic backtack - whose activation is Manual - is becoming totally useless, because the tablet offers in all cases poor autonomy: 6 h 41 min Video playback time (5 h 29 min without backtack) and 5 h 32 min web browsing (5 h 24 min without backtack). The keyboard can extend the battery life of the tablet about 40%, by poetant around 10 hours (with backtack measurements made of the processor).

At full power, the Tegra 4 processor is actually very fast. Her four Cortex A15 even oversized for current applications available on Android. The on-chip graphics processor (nVidia Wayne) also fared well in all games (2 Riptide is beautiful, GTA Vice City is doing well) but we note that it is at the limit of its capabilities in 3D on the very high resolution of the screen of the tablet (1920 x 1200 pixels). A screen that also provides brightness and contrast ratio means very (325 cd / m², 855:1). This is not even equipped with a light sensor, requiring the utilizing to manually adjust his retro lighting. Moreover, playing, you realize that the casing of the slate very hot when its processor is not bridled.

On the software side, HP opts for Android despoiled of any changes. If most "geeks" prefer this version, it is clear that the appearance of the interface is austere, and that its interface is much lower than that provided by overlays such as HTC, Samsung or LG. In short, not really to charm the average user, especially the entertainment menu and scrolling certain web page is not as smooth as an iPad, Despite the all-powerful Tegra 4 processor (especially when bridled).

Concocted by the HP Slatebook X2 for use in tablet software suite is a file explorer, a video player and audio player. The three applications are far too basic, and offer absolutely nothing more than similar applications already available in Android. It is light years away from the quality of the video players and other software provided by LG, Samsung and HTC on Android.

In short, the HP Slatebook X2  is one of the most poorly designed tablet in the market. A really frustrating observation, knowing that its processor gives it a power never seen this type of mobile machine. Difficult to advise the purchase of such a product, whose price is however not so high ($ 489.99 with 32 GB of internal storage, actually 26.46 GB available).

Vizio already a tablet under Tegra 4

In addition to his large format tablet running under Windows 8, Vizio has taken advantage of CES to introduce its first mobile solution working with a combination of platform and Nvidia Tegra 4 Android Jelly Bean.

This is not one, but two tablets Tegra architecture under that Vizio account soon offer the public. The two tablets should be oriented towards two distinct segments, one showing a 10-inch screen and the other remaining modestly to 7 inches. The 10 inch model should be towards the high end offering architecture Nvidia Tegra 4, heralded as the most powerful solution on the market today. Its 10-inch screen size will propose a resolution of 2560x1600 pixels, be associated with 32 GB of storage memory, an NFC chip and two cameras 5MP and 1.3MP.

7 inch version should occupy the mid-range with a SoC Nvidia Tegra 3 and a resolution of 1280x800 pixels. No NFC on the menu in this version, but both tablets should embark Android Jelly Bean at their outputs. Shelves offer a soft touch and rubbery like the same brand tablet running under Windows 8 and thus should provide a good grip. The display should offer a wide viewing angle while the slabs are not IPS type. No sale date or price has yet filtered for devices, but remember that Nvidia wants to distribute under the first tablets Tegra 4 between now the month of March at the latest.

CES 2013 Nvidia launches Tegra 4 for Mobile and tablets

Nvidia plunges into a very strategy relied on the video game and mobility, with the arrival of its new platform Tegra 4 performance tenfold.

On the eve of the opening of CES 2013, Nvidia present in Las Vegas its new platform Tegra 4 for smartphones and tablets. The company's strategy relies heavily on California fans of video games, offering them to play everywhere, on all types of devices.

Tegra 4 Update on games and HDR photos, The new Nvidia chip ultramobile still offers an architecture composed of four powerful cores (ARM Cortex A15) accompanied by heart fifth «companion» less powerful, intended to save power when the unit is reduced activity. The chip also integrates a graphics chip to 72 cores, capable of handling a maximum resolution 4K (4096 x 2160 pixels).

According to Nvidia, the chip Tegra 4 would be faster than the Apple iPad 4 (Apple A6X). The company places particular advantage of this power for the camera, providing treatment HDR (High Dynamic Range) very fast 0.2 seconds. What generalize HDR technology to all clichés, even in burst mode. HDR is also used for video recording, which is a first on the market tablets and smartphones. The platform Tegra 4 is composed of a second communication chip 4G/LTE consistent. This processor i500 Soft Modem is very fast (1,200 trillion operations per second), especially programmable, allowing it to easily adapt to different types of mobile networks used in the world. This chip is only 40% the size of a standard communication circuit, and should therefore contribute to the miniaturization of devices while consuming less energy.

Nvidia Tegra 4 six times more powerful than the Tegra 3

A leak at Nvidia is currently the world From Shelves boiling, and for good reason, a table presenting some characteristics of the platform Tegra 4 imply that the system would be six times more powerful than the previous generation. Tegra 4 appears ready to compete with the latest products from Samsung and Qualcomm if one believes this presentation slide. With a code name worthy of a superhero (Wayne), platform will indeed provide top-flight performance to win against the current competition. The platform should offer a Nvidia GPU with some 72 graphics cores, 20 times the power proposed by the Tegra 2 and six times that offered by the latest generation date, Tegra 3 which equipped currently the tablet Nexus 7 Asus.
Should thus enable the GPU to handle high definition displays in up to 2560X1600 pixels, but also the 1080p with a frequency of 120Hz. (The leak also mentions a possible ability to manage the flow Ultra HD 4K) according to Chip Hell at the origin of the information, the CPU remain on a size 4-plus-1 Quad Core Eagle engraved in 28 nm, while many expect precisely oriented towards the ARM Cortex-A15. Note outside a chip specifically dedicated to high-speed imaging and management of DDR3 RAM in dual channel, support for USB 3.0 standard, new for Nvidia. All information is to take with tweezers, the CPU leaving doubt as to the date on which the slide was produced in the offices of Nvidia. However, the veil should rise rapidly since the introduction of Tegra 4 is expected early next year at Mobile Trade Show.