The only way to get the disc out was to cancel out of the installation process and hit the eject button again

The TX2000z comes with Windows Vista Home Premium (Vista Business and Vista Ultimate are also options), which includes Microsoft’s Tablet PC functionality as well as its Media Center capabilities.

The handy Input Panel utility, which docks itself offscreen until you tap for it, adds handwritten notes to an open document, converts written characters to text (fairly accurately, too), and provides an onscreen keyboard (convenient for tapping out URLs while Web surfing in tablet mode).

It does include an ExpressCard slot and three USB ports (two on the side, one in back—a smart arrangement). As for software, Fujitsu supplies a 60-day trial of Office 2007, a 90-day license for Norton Internet Security, and Compaq 482372-322 Battery Microsoft Works 8.5.

The Gateway scored well on our Cinebench 10 test, too, racking up an impressive 4,577. Its PCMark Vantage HP Pavilion dv7 battery score of 4,305 was also very good, though PCMark05 would not run. It took 6 minutes and 39 minutes to complete our Windows Media Encoder test, which compares favorably to the Toshiba’s time, 7 minutes and 17 seconds.

The same goes for the integrated Graphics Media Accelerator X3100: It’s a definite step up from the poky GMA 950, but don’t expect the kind of performance Dreambox 800 you’d get from a discrete graphics subsystem. And unfortunately, this is one area where Dell offers no customization: You can’t upgrade the graphics.

We appreciate these touches that Apple keeps adding to further bridge its products together. We also discovered that you can even toggle in and out of full-screen mode when watching a DVD by pinching and pulling on the touch pad, a nice enhancement.

We found the trackpad very easy to get used to, especially since it DM800S functions much like the touch screen on an iPad or iPhone.After you’ve located them all, remove them and store them with the covers.

The only way to get the disc out was to cancel out of the installation process and hit the eject button again, which got us our disc but prevented us from actually installing the program.

Use the tip of a small flat-head screwdriver or knife to carefully pry back the corner of each rubber cover around the screen until you can see if a screw lies underneath. If you locate a screw, remove the cover and place it in a small plastic bag or other safe location. Typically, you’ll find at least four, and perhaps six, screws on the bezel.

This is less of an issue in notebook mode (a 12.1-inch ultraportable is not meant to be shared in a group), but in tablet mode you have to keep adjusting the machine’s position to maintain the optimum angle.

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