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.
In my bedroom! Ooh…pick me!
I would put it in my office (or the two feet of space the desk in my bedroom takes up that I call my office).
Oh, I’d put it in our office, although I’d like to hoard it all for myself!
WOW!! I would put it in our bedroom where it would be out of reach of two little boys’ sticky hands!
That little beauty will go in the cabinet-style desk I will buy especially for it and will be placed in my room where I can access it while my soon-to-be-born little girl nurses in the middle of the night.
We currently have an HP laptop with several missing keys thanks to my 2 year old that decided we didn’t need a shift or question make key any longer. This would be so wonderful in our office. Please random picker pick me!! Thanks for the opportunity!
Um, yeah!! Sign me up for this one to go in my schoolroom/kitchen/breakfast room/family gathering area.
Wow! I would definitely put this in the kitchen!
this really is beyond exciting! i’d put it on the desk behind the couch so i can watch tv at the same time!
I would love love to win this computer I would put it in the family room so all could us it!!
Thanks so much for the chance to win!!
jessa2409@yahoo.com
What an amazing giveaway!
I need a new computer so bad. I’d love to win this.
If I win I will put it in my home office.
I have no idea where I would put it. My boyfriend and I rent a very small house but I would definitely find it a home because my poor laptop is on its last legs.
I would put it in our office and never come out again! What a great giveaway. Thanks!
My original thought was to put it in the office, but then as I kept reading your suggestions I realized you are genius! Put it in the closet so no one else can touch it!Ha!
I tweeted about this, too!
http://twitter.com/MississippiMama/status/6504686540
I would put it on my empty desk in my office!!
rachel.p.robinson@gmail.com
I would put this on my clearanced glass-top Pottery Barn Outlet desk in my living room! Although, putting it in my closet where no one can touch it is awfully appealing, too.
Thanks for the chance!
I would put it on the bar in my kitchen….LOVE the recipe idea!
It would go in our family room. I mean it would totally “go” with our family room. anyway, family room, thanks for the chance.
Love and Blessings, Debbie in Tennessee
I would love to put this in our home office to replace our own 10 year old PC!
O my, what a GREAT GIVEAWAY, I can hardly believe it! I would definitely put this baby in my bedroom on my own computer desk, where noone hardly goes, and it would be ALL MINE!!!!! :)
thanks,
Ashley
ashleyandcraig@msn.com
I have a little desk in our dining room that is SCREAMING for this!! Thanks so much for the opportunity to enter. I love to read your blog.
I’d put it in Command Central [the kitchen].
Gotta break my no-caps rule. —> This is EXCITING!]
I would put it….maybe in the kids’ room. They desperately need a new desk top computer and I want them to keep their paws off of my beloved MacBook!
Thanks for the chance, Sophie!
I would put it in the office where our current hoopty computer currently resides. We sooooo need this!
my apartment is pretty small so I’d have to put it on my desk in my bedroom
I would put it in the den where it’s easy to get to and COULD TALK TO ME IN THE KITCHEN! That’s so awesome. My hubby showed it to me in the store when it first came out and it’s incredibly cool.
Oh wow! I would love to win this computer!
I have already check them out at Sam’s and they are awesome. If I won, I would put it in our family room so that everyone in our family could use it.
Wow, what a great giveaway!!! I would put it in my office until the perfect spot in my kitchen is created. :)
This would go in my kitchen desk area “my office”
This would help my little home business in so many ways. http://www.truelovefound.etsy.com
Amy
amyholgersen@hotmail.com
ooooh!! how exciting!! thanks. :)
I also have a thrift store desk, where my computer is now. But this would definitely be taking the place of our old Dell! Thanks for the great giveaway!
I would take this computer and put it in my parent’s house because my dad wanted to buy my mom a new computer for Christmas but can’t swing the extra cash right now.
Thanks for the opportunity!
ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, boomama.
i would so totally hide this sweet little piece of technology, so that no sticky, jelly-fied, or booger-y fingers would be able to touch its touchscreen goodness.
Good afternoon!
What a lovely computer- we would put it in our living room to be an all family use computer (all we have is an ancient laptop :-)
tweeted http://twitter.com/annedoggett/status/6504859088
I would put this fancy computer in my office and tote my old Dell to the curb! :) No, I would dispose of it properly but I need a new computer so badly! I would love to win this!
Awesome!!! This could replace my old laptop that I use for reading all my favorite blogs!!
In our office, our desktop computer is slowly dying a slow death!
We would put that beautiful computer in our basement office to replace the almost 9 year old one we have.
I tweeted! http://twitter.com/rachel9334
rachel.p.robinson@gmail.com
I would put this in my Craft studio on my vintage ceramic top table/desk. It would look PERFECT there :-) (thanks for entering me)!
CANADA HATER! ;-)
This giveaway is totally caps worthy.
I would put the TouchSmart it in my kitchen/dining room so that the whole family can use it. I love the recipe feature, what a great idea.
OK – wow. This would be incredible. I’d love a new computer because my relatively new Dell laptop crashed and died recently… right after the warranty expired on it! I live in a one-room studio apartment so it would remain in the “living area” quarters of the room. If I won this, I think I’d have to decorate a special table for it, too!
This would be so great! I have an old Dell and it’s in bad shape.
Thank You!
I blogged about this….PICK ME PICK ME!!!
http://laughingmomma.blogspot.com/2009/12/wow.html
I would it on my computer desk that is in my son’s mancave.
Who couldn’t use a new computer? Mine is becoming so outdated that it isn’t funny!! What a great Christmas present!
I think I would just strap it on myself to have at all times…. but since that might not be entirely convenient, I will choose my bedroom where my current home office shares a space!
~C
I would LOVE this!!! Thanks for the chance to win! I’d put this beauty in our kitchen… Thanks!
It would definitely replace our dying family computer, which we have in an oh-so-handy computer corner of our large kitchen.
I tweeted!
http://twitter.com/shaunarum/status/6503167101
It would replace our poor dinosaur of a pc on the refurbished “desk” we recently figured out is the bottom part of a Hoosier cabinet!
I would put it on the desk in our study!
renaegc@gmail.com
I’d put it in our office to replace the old honker I’ve had since college (2001)!
Wow the recipe function and the DVR availability are very cool!
I would put in on my desk which is in sight of both the living room and the kitchen. Then I would give my old computer to an older family member who needs a learner machine badly! :-)
I’d put it in either the kitchen or the family room…just too cool for words!!!
I would put it in my bedroom!! I linked on Twitter, but I don’t know how to link that here! (I’m so very smart! hehe)
Oh. My. Word. What an amazing giveaway! I’m not sure if we’d set it up in our living room (I think the hubs would love it as much as yours does) or give it to my Mom, who always gets the hand-me-down out of date computers in the family. Either way, great prize!!
This is exciting!! What a very blessed person who wins this!! And it’s right around Christmas!!! whohoo. :)
We have one miracle baby and so we have an extra bedroom. We turned it into my husband’s office. My husband has been trying to tell me we need a new computer, I didn’t know we did until I got really heavy into photography. :) I WAS going to get my wonderful hubby a computer for his birthday, December 25, BUT we need a new car instead. I am currently saving up for both. I love the recipe feature!! The whole family would be able to use this great giveaway! Thank you for doing this!
OHMYGOSH! You have no idea how excited I would be if I won this. I would put it on my little desk in my room where I could close the door and work on it until my fingers go numb!
I would put this computer on a desk.
i would put it in our living room…oh, i hope i get to!
I would love to win one! I would put it in my kitchen where my desk is!
I would put this on my desk where my old HP computer is. It’s been chugging along (slowly now) for 9 years now and I’d love to let it go to the great computer heaven in the sky. Thanks!
I will set that pretty baby up in a corner of my room where I, and only I, will get to use it.
I would mount the computer on the wall of my guest room/office. Woot!
This beauty would live in my kitchen… and my husband would probably have a heart attack about mounting it on the wall, too :-) Thanks!
what a super giveaway!! I’d put this in our crazy back-addition! thanks for the opportunity!
This is so fabulous! I would put it in my bedroom because our only other computer is ancient and in our upstairs study. It would be so nice to have one right there in my very own bedroom!!
I would put this computer on MY desk! I work from home on the computer all day and this would be awesome to have!!
awesome giveaway! i’d put it in our bedroom/office :) thanks!
Probably put it in our office…but its so purdy and, well, sassy, that I might just put it in our kitchen.
I would put this computer in my family room. We’re always there anyways…
I would use this computer for my OFFICE!!! It looks awesome, and I’m glad to hear you’ve had much success with yours!
Ive blogged about this here http://alwayslaughingoutloud.blogspot.com/2009/12/no-way.html
I would put this computer on my desk that is in my closet. That’s the only place where I can work in peace and quite. I go there after I put my two little ones to sleep.
I was thinking “what a great prize for the kids” and then I started reading the features, and thought “what a great prize for me”!!! Instead of putting it in the kids’ study area, I would move it my own personal space. Love it!
That is just so stinking awesome.
Tweeted: http://twitter.com/velvethammer/status/6505127263
I would put it in my office where I could lock the door and not come out for hours. Just kidding, thanks for the chance to win!
I would put it on our desk and make it feel right at home!
I’ve blogged it, too! It will now reach all three of my blog-followers!!!
http://www.wildnotion.blogspot.com
If I had a closet that I could hie it in, I would TOTALLY DO THAT! (I used caps just for you). However, it would likely end up on the desk in our front room where I would likely have to guard it with all the seriousness of a Secret Service agent from sticky little fingers…I love this computer!
I have a built in desk in my kitchen where we really could use a computer for homeschooling!
WOW, sounds so foreign (and cool!!) compared to our existing computer. Our Dell died about 2 months ago and we’ve been using my hubby’s ancient work laptop since then-get this it is so OLD it wasn’t even set up for internet, they had to put a modem in it!!! We’re waiting until after Christmas to buy a new one and this would be even better!! Thanks for the giveaway. Happy Holidays!!!
I would add it to our office!
It would go on my thrift store desk. Right now we have a dinosaur-aged desktop that totally fills the whole top of the desk. It’s ancient, slow, and you can’t do anything else on the desk surface!
I’d love to win! I would put the computer in the living/family room. That way everyone could use it and since that’s where we all are anyway we all usually find interesting things to share and show everyone else whether it’s videos, music, crafts, or recipes.
Oh pleassssse!
This computer would be a perfect addition to my office area. Right on top of the desk where it can get lots of use! It looks like it has lots of great, fun features.
It would go in the office and perhaps motivate me to clean up this place!!
Totally just blogged about this giveaway over at my blog. Check it out:
http://alittlemcd.blogspot.com/2009/12/giveaway-of-all-giveaways.html
Thanks BooMama!
Can I mount this in my car?? HA! I work from home a couple of days a week and this would definitely go in my home office.
This computer would be a blessing in so many ways. We have just bought our first home and really don’t have any extra money to buy something this awesome for ourselves. Our children would be so thrilled to have a new PC. Thank you so much for the chance to add something really cool to our Christmas.
I would put it in our office or in the bedroom. Awesome giveaway!! Thanks so much!
This would definitely go in our family room. Our oldest son (almost 5) is getting curious about our computers, so I would love to teach him to use it.
I think I would have to buy a thrift store desk and repaint it a wonderful color, just for this special HP. Or hide it so no one else could use it. :)
Tweeted http://twitter.com/DiaperDiaries/status/6505264625