HP's new Pavilion tx1100 series of laptop computers are thin-and-light portables with a twist--literally. The 12.1-inch widescreen display on these systems rotates around up to 180 degrees and then folds flat into tablet format, making them handy laptops for giving presentations or watching movies on a flight.

Speaking of watching movies, these laptop computers feature HP's QuickPlay and a remote control, so you can quickly boot them up to just play music or a DVD movie and then control the playback from a distance. When you're ready to pack up, the remote fits nicely into the Express Card/54 slot.

For a reasonable upgrade, you can turn that display into a touchscreen (stylus included), so you'll have a true tablet PC that can be converted back into a laptop computer with full QWERTY keyboard when you need it.

Everything about these laptop computers is about portability. They weigh in 4.18 pounds, so they're easy on the back when you're on the go. And even though the screen is smaller than a lot of other laptop computers, it still features a sharp 1280x800 native resolution.

But just because they're thin-and-lights doesn't mean that these laptops are thin on power. HP packs an AMD Turion 64 X2 Dual-Core TL-52 processor inside with twin 1.6GHz processing cores on a single chip. HP pairs that CPU with a hefty 1GB of DDR2 memory, so you'll have plenty of power for multitasking on these machines.

Storage space is equally impressive for their size, as the 120GB 5,400rpm hard drive offers a solid amount of room in a faster-than-average format. There's an 8X DVD writer that burns CDs and DVDs (including 8.5GB Dual Layer DVDs), and features HP's LightScribe technology for imprinting professional-looking labels on the surface of compatible media.

The tx1100 functions as a great small business laptops, thanks to security features such as the integrated fingerprint reader which lets you tie your passwords to your unique prints. The built-in Webcam and microphone make these laptop computers videoconferencing ready, and the gigabit Ethernet interface lets you hook up to your high-speed office network at full speed (there's also a modem and 802.11b/g wireless for access outside the office).

The 5-in-1 media card reader makes it easy to transfer files and photos from your PDA or digital camera media card. The integrated NVIDIA GeForce Go 6150 graphics share video memory with the main system RAM, but these aren't the type of laptop computers used for gaming anyway.

These systems ship with Windows Vista Home Premium by default, but if you're ordering directly from HP, you can opt for the Business edition with more networking and security tools for around $60 more. Bluetooth also isn't a part of these systems at baseline, but it's available for a reasonable $25 upgrade.

Priced at slightly more than a grand, these aren't the least expensive laptop computers on the market. But the HP Pavilion tx1100 series with their twisting display and business-ready features would make great systems for an office user on the go.


Pros: Screen rotates 180 degrees, great components, thin and light
Cons: Expensive, no dedicated video memory

Warranty
1-year limited