This is a compensated review by BlogHer and HP.
A few weeks ago I got an email asking if I’d be interested in reviewing a new HP TouchSmart 600 computer. And yes, I was interested, because I am a nerd and always terribly entertained by anything that plugs in and has a screen, but since I’d never seen the TouchSmart before, I had a mental image of a big, clunky desktop coming into the house. Besides that, we haven’t owned a PC in about ten years, and part of me wondered if accepting the HP was some unforgivable act of Mac betrayal.
But then I remembered the 10 year-old Mac desktop in my office (that, bless its heart, can’t run more than two applications at a time before it starts to wheeze), and I got over my reservations. BRING ON THE HP.
The new TouchSmart arrived a few days later, and y’all, I cannot tell you how impressed we have been by this computer. We love it. It looks great (do you see how skinny it is?), and when David was setting it up, I actually asked him where the rest of it was. It’s essentially the same size as a flat-screen TV. In fact, it can work as a TV – you just plug in your cable and you’re good to go. It can also work as a DVR (CAN I GET AN AMEN?) or a BluRay movie player. There’s even a remote. Be still my heart.
And I wish y’all could have seen my husband’s reaction when he realized that you can mount the TouchSmart on the wall. Suffice it to say that his eyes lit up and then glazed over and I thought for a brief moment that he might need to sit down and put his head between his knees.
We started using the TouchSmart approximately 53 seconds after we set it up, and while I didn’t know how much I’d use all the bells and whistles in our day-to-day routine, I have to say that the touchscreen features are actually my very favorite part. Besides the fact that it makes me feel like Tom Cruise in “Minority Report” when I move my finger around the screen and resize pictures and create collages and pretend like I’m some sort of technological wizard, it’s just so EASY. I can write notes, save recipes, browse the web, play a movie via our Netflix account, laugh at something on Hulu, listen to my Pandora playlist, edit photos and so much more – all without touching a keyboard or a mouse. The computer HAS a keyboard and a mouse, of course (they’re wireless!), and you can use them with any of the TouchSmart applications – but once you get the hang of the touchscreen, it’s oh-so-convenient and fun.
I really could go on and on – about how Alex loves it, about how the touchscreen is COMPLETELY intuitive for a child, about how I adore the Recipe Box feature that lets me add any recipe I happen to run across on the web and will even READ THE RECIPE OUT LOUD TO ME while I cook. But I’m going to quit talking now because we need to get this giveaway started. I think it’s time.
So.
If you’d like to win an HP TouchSmart 600 computer, leave a comment below and tell me where you’d put the computer if you won. Family room? Office? Playroom? Kitchen? Inside Mama’s closet where NO ONE ELSE CAN TOUCH IT? On top of a thrift store desk that you overhauled with turquoise spray paint?
Or, if you’d like, you can leave a comment with a link to a post about the HP on your blog.
And whatever you do, please make sure that your email address is correct.
This contest will begin December 9th and end December 24th.
Before I forget:
1) If you’d like more information about this computer, just click on over to HP’s official site.
2) Rules!
• No duplicate comments.
• You may receive an additional entry by linking on Twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
• You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
• This giveaway is open to US Residents, aged 18 and older (I’m so sorry, Canada).
• Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
• You have 48 hours to get back to me; otherwise a new winner will be selected.
• Please see the official rules here: Official Rules.
The winner will be selected using random.org.
Also, there are four other bloggers giving away the HP TouchSmart 600 (that means there are five free computers up for grabs, people), so check out the BlogHer.com special offers page for links to their sites. You can enter to win on all five blogs.
Happy TouchSmarting, everybody!
Thursday 12/10 at 8:40pm – comments seem to be working just fine again. Thanks for your patience!
This giveaway is now closed.
I would put the computer in our Office/Living Room on a desk I got at an estate sale! I would love to win!
How cool would that be! Exciting! Thanks for the great contest!
~ Rebekah (bek@kalwebs.com)
Sounds incredible!!!
rachmccoy@gmail.com
I would love love love the computer and the recipe functions! I would put it in my office nook, which is right off the kitchen!
thanks for the chance to win!
I’d love to say that it’s going in Mama’s closet where NOBODY else can touch it, but it’s likely to go in the kitchen where EVERYONE else can touch it!
this little beauty would find a home in my kitchen!! The voice interactive recipe feature has me DROOLING!!!
If I won this I would definitely put it in my kitchen. I have the perfect spot for it.
I hope I win.
Merry Christmas!
I would put it in my living room for all the world to see.
I would put it in my kitchen and make good use of the recipe feature!
I also blogged about it:
http://adollopofmylife.blogspot.com/2009/12/computer-giveaway.html
on my desk.
and my sorry desktop would be relocated to the family room cause theres no WAY my kids are touching that beauty!!!
I would love this HP!! I would put it in the office and would love the recipe box feature!! thank you!
I would put it in my living room so that everyone can use it!
I would give this to my parents if I won! My Dad would be TICKLED PINK!
I would love to win this! I would put it in our computer room as our computer needs a little updating. Thanks for the chance!
My sister has one and loves it!
I would put it in my craft room. My sweet hub can keep the laptop….I’ll take this one! :)
I would love to be entered in the drawing for such an awesome computer. I recently became certified to teach General Curriculum Special Education where I will be working with students who have autism. This computer would be a wonderful asset to my classroom, as we already have 2 computers at home! The students would be able to benefit in so many ways both academically and technologically and not feel so singled-out because of their disability.
Oh wow! I would put it in our family/game room. What a great giveaway! Thanks HP, Blogher and Boomama!!
In my bedroom…where I spend quiet time when my son is sleeping.
We would put it in our livingroom to replace our tiny netbook (that we’re using because our PC is broken).
My husband would love this computer! How great is the recipe gadget!
I would put it on the desk in my kitchen, and finally get rid of the -not even kidding- Windows 98 honker that hardly works but I keep it “in case I ever want to play minesweeper”.
In the kitchen!
Hmmm…I might put it in the kitchen. I love the idea of listening to pandora or looking up recipes. Your desk is cute!
I would put the new computer in the kitchen so I could use it all the time!
I would put my band new shiny hp touch screen what where I dinosaur computer is sitting (in the computer room) oh how cool would it be to win a new computer.
This computer would be great in our den/office. Our entire family could benefit from all of the cool features.
It would go in the kitchen/office/school area. And I would hug it and squeeze it and love it every. single. day.
I think it would look really nice in our living room!
I woudl put it in my kitchen so it could read to me. THANKS!
I would love to win this computer so I could give it to my husband. His laptop screen doesn’t even work anymore. He hooked it up to an old monitor so we could save money by not getting him a new computer. This would be a GREAT surprise for him! I’m sure he would put it right where his old computer is in the office.
OH. MY. WORD!
Family Room desk area because the PC that we had there just D.I.E.D! Then again, I may put my PC there and put this beauty in my office.
I tweeted…http://twitter.com/dori_cook
…and I blogged about it…http://yourwordislife.blogspot.com/2009/12/coming-out-of-dark.html.
Blessings,
Dori
yeehaw! My fingers are crossed for this one – stepdaughter has been begging for a computer for Christmas. She would probably die if she actually got this one, even if it arrived after Christmas.
It would be a toss up between my office or…no, it wouldn’t be such a hard choice. My older brother and his family really could use a new computer so I would give it to them.
Would love to win this awesome computer!!
I would put it in our future townhouse. Where exactly? I can’t tell you yet. We’re hoping to close this weekend on our first house!
Oh how I love this thing, and I would love it even more if it were MINE!!! :)
I would put it where my stolen laptop used to be, on a small desk in my bedroom. This would be amazing to start over with!
This will definitely go in our bedroom but the husband is not allowed to touch it :)
I’d love it to go in my office. Or in my kitchen. The recipe box thing sounds AWESOME!!!
I would put this in my living room/dining room right now! Oh, to win would be such a huge blessing (and really cool too!)
I would put it in my room and only my husband and I could touch it until we could give it up long enough to let our girls learn on it too!!!!!
awesome giveaway it would go in the office/playroom
tan_0924@yahoo.com
It’s so small, I might put it in the kitchen.
I would LOVE to keep this in my room..all to myself! :-) I have four kids and their paws are all over my laptop! What a fantastic prize. Merry Christmas!
I would definitely put this computer in my kitchen. It reads recipes out loud???! Oh, my…that would be awesome!
Pick me, pick me! ;-)
I would put it on my desk right next to the kitchen so I could multitask my email checking and internet surfing with making dinner… although it is easy to get sidetracked and let dinner burn :o)
Wow! it is so cool I may just have to keep moving it around!! It telling me my recipes in the kitchen is something that really appeals to me though!
Susie
This would be FANTASTIC in my KITCHEN! I so need something like this for cooking. I have 3 small ones at home and rifling through recipes, trying to read them before someone runs off with them, all the while it being the “wicking hour”…well you get the picture. I need someone..yes, you HP, to read me the recipe so I can get dinner on the table :)
I cracked up when I read ‘in Mama’s closet where no one could touch it’ because THAT IS EXACTLY WHERE THIS WOULD GO!! I love it and want it, want it, want it!
Would love this!!!
We’d put it in the basement corner where my husband’s office is. Yes, he’d get it because he’s almost done with his PhD and is writing his thesis on an 8 year old laptop. How scary is that?!?1
Also, that corner is not “newf accessible”, as we have a 175 pound newfoundland dog named Elvis.
I would put it in my computer room, of course! This looks like a really nice computer.
I would keep this in my kitchen it looks just the right size and oh so pretty!
I sure could use this awesome computer… Love it!
I would be so happy to win this!
My husband and I are total nerds we love anything from best buy and if given the chance we’d live there J/K.
We don’t yet have a dvr in our house (we need one though we’re always missing our favorite shows!)
We have a blu ray player but a second one in the house would be nice especially if one of us would rather watch something else (this happens alot)
The photo editor feature would be a welcome edition especially when our second child arrives someday (number one passed away before bith)
I love cooking so the recipe feature is great for me!
blogger: http://miracleaftertherain.blogspot.com/2009/12/boomamas-hp-touchsmart-600-giveaway.html
Twitter: http://twitter.com/elisabeth1981
WOW! This is too cool! I would put it in our office!
We will put this in our kitchen area for our five kids to do their homework on!
I would LOVE this new computer for my new office!
I would put this in our den where my desk is – it would not go on my husband’s desk :)
SO AWESOME! I love the turquoise desk almost as much as the new computer on it! I’m thinking it would be perfect on my kitchen counter for the recipe option. Thanks, Kelly!
I would put this in my kitchen where everyone could enjoy it.
I would put it in my dining room where I plan to do our homeschooling next year. I think it would be great for the kids!
I’d put our computer wherever it fits! We don’t have an office so we just use our current computer at the dining room table.
Thanks for the great giveaway! This will a perfect replacement for my dying computer:)
I would put this in my office but probably put gates around to keep my three little boys finger prints off of it! :o)
I would love one for my photography business! It would be wonderful to show clients photographs on. I’d put it in the living room. :)
Thanks for the chance to win! I would put this computer in the most used room in my house: the kitchen! I am not a great cook, but we always seem to visit and hang out in the kitchen. Thanks again!
Oh, I think a beautiful new computer would look lovely on my desk!
The Living Room :)
I’d put it in my kitchen so it would be near me all the time. Then I’d hug it an’ kiss it an’ call it George.
I would put it in my kitchen. That would make the hours in spend in there a lot more fun!
http://www.twitter.com/ashleyjnc
I would put it in my room at school!
Oh my goodness! What a perfect Christmas present this would make. I can see it now sitting on my desk—NO KIDS ALLOWED!
I would totally hide this bad boy in my bedroom. No way the kiddies are playing games on it. It would be for work only, oh and shopping of course!
I’d totally love this! I’d put it in our living room, that way I could use it for school and my photography business, my husband could use it for work/school and we could put on videos and stuff for our soon-to-be one year old! This is awesome!!
The Living Room!!!!
I would put it in my office & give hubby my laptop. (his broke)
Aimee
http://www.WomensMarriageMinistry.com
I would give it to my sister because I love her.
What an amazing piece! Our computer room could use a beauty like that!
I would put this lovely computer in my home office so that I could FINALLY retire my monster monitor that I have had since college!
This is awesome. I have been researching new computers because mine is not working correctly. I am a social worker and it is my job to license foster and adoptive families, match children to the families and ultimatley place the child or children in the homes. I also organize the foster family events for the faith based agency I work for. I do much of my work from home so this would not only benefit me but the families I work with. Thanks for offering this awesome giveaway.
If this is as easy as the reviews make it seem, I would keep this downstairs in our living room where our kiddos can play with it too!
I would put it in my bedroom. So that this Mama can blog in bed!
Our computer at home is ancient! It would be great to update with this free Touchsmart, and I love the idea of the recipe box too! That would be amazing in the kitchen!
I would love this in our living room or den!
I would put it in my office. It would be a magnificent treat for our family!
I would put it in our kitchen so the whole family could use it! I love the Recipe Box option!!
It would go in the living room to replace the one that’s out here. Maybe. If I could bring myself to share it.
Would love to have a computer like that!
I would keep it on my dining room table where I can use it all day and let others see what a thing of beauty it is!
I’d put it in our new study we just put together! it would look a ton better than our ugly old laptop ;)
The computer would be in the family room for our kids, but would be moved to the kitchen on the occasions that I manage to cook!
I would LOVE to win this! My poor computer is so old and slow!
I think it would go on our desk in the dining room or I would make room on the desk in my bedroom.
Awesome computer! I would love to have a new computer since I’ve gone back to grad school and I have a little one to keep up with. I would also love to have a DVR. We have never had one, but I wish we did:) Our whole family would love to win this!!!
I would Love this! We would put this in our bedroom corner! This is exciting!