Between the iTouch, tablet PCs and touch phones it is obvious consumers are getting more touchy with their gadgets.

Those in love with touch products should check out the HP Touchsmart TX2 notebook. The Touchsmart weighs in at a mere 4.65 lbs (around 1 textbook in weight) and is great for accompanying a student or businessman throughout the day. The tablet function, combined with Windows Vista, has unbelievable handwriting recognition and even learns your style as you write more and more. It was even able to convert my below average handwriting into clear text.

The main thing that separates this tablet from the others is that it also includes a touch function, allowing users to put down the pen for once and use hands to click, drag and drop wherever. The Touchsmart utilizes similar commands to the iTouch including pinching to zoom. It even adds a rotate command by simply rotating two fingers on the screen. No keyboard or mouse is necessary.

Despite being the first of its kind, the Touchsmart does not live up to its full potential. When all is said and done the touch function is overrated and really only delays the picking up of the pen later on.  It is unrealistic for a user to use any computer without entering text, and although an onscreen keyboard can be activated, it is nowhere near the quality needed to rely solely on it. The only time that I have genuinely used the touch function was when I watched movies. Other than that it is unlikely that you will be using it for anything other than showing off to friends.

As for the other specs, they vary depending on what level you choose. For around $800 the Touchsmart I used has 4 GB of ram, a 320 GB hard drive, an AMD 64 bit X2 RM-72 dual core processor, and a DVD+/RW dual layer lightscribe drive.

When compared to other laptops in this price-range, the advantage is the writing function and lightness in weight. My advice would be only to get the Touchsmart if you will use the tablet function. It is ideal for college students intending on using digital textbooks, annotating, or taking notes.  Between highlighting, virtual notebooks, and infinite pen colors you may never need a real book again. Even if you don’t need a tablet, the Touchsmart is definitely worth checking out at your local PC store.