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.
And I have to tell you: I even mentioned this cool computer on my blog: http://www.itsownterms.com/2009/12/having-fun-with-giveaways.html
This HP would live on the small desk in my kitchen where I could look up recipes and videos ensuring my next big meal isn’t a disaster!
I would LOVE to win this giveaway – it would go great in our living room for all to enjoy!!
I would put it in my craft room so that only I would be able to use it!!! Haha, no I would try to share it with the rest of the family!
I think I would put it in our family room … this is amazing!
Great giveaway! I’d love to win.
I would put it in my home office (after cleaning up all of the junk on the floor). Right now it looks more like a store room than an office :)
I would put it in the living room because I would want to share it with my children. The kids today, use technology to learn, therfore it would help my little girls explore education.
I would put this wonderful computer in our office/playroom. Then I could work and watch my daughter play (plus teacher her how to use it)! Thanks for the chance to win!
To tell the truth, I’d probably give this to my sister whose computer is practically archaic. Honestly, she can’t even download the most recent version of iTunes. That girl needs a new computer.
I would love this computer for our kitchen! We could watch movies and play games whilst daddy cooks!! If he needs a quick recipe reference, there it would be.
The HP TouchSmart 600 would be great in the living room.
I would put in my office. Thanks for the giveaway!
I have been drooling over these since they first came out. I would put it in my bedroom so nobody else could play with it!
I love that you said something about a thrift store over-hauled desk with turquoise paint… I totally have been re-doing my room in the color scheme chocolate and turquoise and I happen to have the cutest little desk (which does happen to be spray painted turquoise that I salvaged from a thrift store) that NEEDS this computer on top of it!! really. it is a need. :)
It would go in my office
I would put in my living room so my kids could use it since our old one wheezed for the last time almost a year ago
I would love to win this for our family. This has been a very rough year financially and a very small Christmas for us. I would put it in the family great room so the whole family could share it.
mmm. our kids have been begging for a new computer. not that they would expect anything this great!! :)
If I had the TouchSmart I would put it in our living/dining room where I would be forced to share it with my husband and children. :)
I would put the computer atop my highest piece of furniture….where small fingers would not touch it and where I would be able to see it glow. :)
I’d put it in the den. 23″ would be great for watching online videos!
It would be in our office!! Thanks for offering this- we would be so blessed to win!
Oh how exciting! I know exactly where it would go! My Husband’s Grandma had passed away 6 years ago and left behind this most precious vintage desk! The cutest thing about the desk was her corky personality and how she would use little pieces of paper to write things like names, phone numbers, birth dates, etc. then tape it underneath the desk so she could go back and remember things! I LOVE this desk SO much and was allowed to make it mine…I did clean it up a bit and repainted in areas needed(still keeping up with the vintage feel) but most importantly I left all the notes on lil pieces of paper taped underneath it…the sweetest thing about it all is several of them were my name! She was SO sweet to me and was so happy for her Grandson and I she didnt want to forget me :)
If I won, this amazing computer would have a very special place on a precious desk in our office…thank you…
I will put it in the corner of our bedroom on top of my oh so cool Ikea steel desk!
I would put it in the school/craft room.
I would put it in my bedroom so I could finally get my job and school finally finished :)
This amazing computer looks so portable, could I carry it everywhere? LOL!
I would have it in the living room so we could watch movies together. I could blog, edit photos or Facebook while the kids play around me. I also read that it has a helpful recipe box function so it might make its way into the kitchen too, my recipes are currently a MESS!
Thanks you for sponsoring this contest.
Merry Christmas!
ooh, ooh, pick me! We are also a Mac family and thought for a brief moment of not commenting cuz, wouldn’t that mean I was a traitor? Glad to see I wasn’t the only one out there to think that!
I blogged about this giveaway. Check it out at,
http://mybestestgirl.blogspot.com/2009/12/hp-touchsmart-600-giveaway.html
I would put it in my sewing room/craft room. I could order stuff without leaving my room when I thnk of it (which I normally don’t do) I could watch tv while I sew.Also I can keep an eye on my grandaughters when they are on the computer and I can still do my crafts.
I’m not sure where I would put it. Can it organize my house and find a place for itself? Actually, I might give it to my mom. She’s been wanting a new computer and she uses a desktop.
I would put the computer in the family room so the entire family could enjoy it.
My first inclination would be to put this in my bedroonm so that I could have it all to myself but I’m afraid if I did that I would never emerge from that room. Second choice, the one room in the house that I seem to spend 90% of my time, the kitchen. What a fun thought.
I would put this lovely computer on my desk to replace the desktop that just quit on me a few weeks ago!
Thanks for the giveaway!
I would put it in my teeny tiny living room/kitchen/dining room combo!
oh I might have to clean out the computer room where my ten year old desk top lives,
Actually this is a New Year,s resolution to tackle that room!
I blogged about it !
Sweet! I’d put this in my bedroom.
I would put this in our basement/office/playroom because …well…our house is small and we’ve got one room in the basement that acts as our everything room…
And since I know EVERYONE would want to use it, it would have to go there!
~annie
i would put it in our home office – thanks for the giveaway!
I would put it in our family study. . .or maybe in my scrapbook room!
Out in the living room so all can adore it along with me. :)
I would put this lovely computer in the kitchen so the whole family would benefit. But it is so pretty it would look great in any room of my house.
The only computer that my wife and I have recently crashed. This means I lost all of my recipes since this is where I had them stored. As we are recently married, we don’t really have money to replace it or get it fixed. We could really use this computer.
In our office space for all to enjoy, or maybe in the kids’ loft area?? It’s SO pretty I may sit it right onthe island in the kitchen!
This computer would sit atop a white thrift store computer. I might even paint it turquoise to bring more attention to the awesome computer! Ha! Thanks for hosting this!
I would put it in my den and would love it!!
I would love this, and my husband would absolutely flip! I would put it in the office and toss the ancient dinosaur dektop!
If I win this computer, I will dispose of my current computer which is dying a slow death. It sits on a desk built years ago by my grandpa. The desk is in a room with the back door, counters and cabinets. It’s kind of part of our laundry room but separate too. As a homeschooling family, we NEED this! Merry Christmas!
I would put this in the office.
Tweet!
http://twitter.com/simplyandreah/status/6966910067
I blogged about this!
http://thehaneylife.blogspot.com/2009/12/shameless-part-2.html
My grandchildren would be so thrilled if Gramma won this. When they came to visit they would definitely be entertained. Plus, Gramma could use a new computer and get out of the prehistoric computer age. :-)
We all share one room for our computers (office/sunroom-nothing fancy)…my emachine and the family’s 6+yr old Dell sit there.
This would be a great replacement for the Dell and would fit nicely on the table-like desk we have now.
I’m tweeting about this for you. @barbolney
That would go very nicely as a replacement for our family computer in the kitchen, which has developed a lovely high-pitched shriek if left on for more than a few minutes. Thanks for the chance to win!
I would put it in my bedroom on my newly re-finished new (to me) desk.
I would probably put it in the kitchen. I love the recipe feature and love to cook.
I would put this in our office.
hi – i would love to use this in my kitchen – i’m very interested in the recipes feature!
merry xmas!
I would put this computer in my kitchen. I love to watch movies while cleaning or cooking. I also poke around on facebook and read blogs (like this one) while working in the kitchen. I put the dishes away, peek at a blog, start dinner, peek at facebook, prep dinner, pop in a movie, wait for dinner, watch the movie…. you get the idea. Also, I have always, always wanted to make a recipe while it is being done on the t.v. That would be so entertaining. I am a teacher and the kitchen area is the perfect place to spread out my first graders work and enter grades.
I’d probably put it in my office away from grubby little hands, but maybe my husband would convince me to hang it on the wall in the living room for all of us to enjoy.
It would have to go in the office/music room. There is no way hubby would let me keep this all to myself!
I would put on desk near kitchen so I could use the recipe feature! Thanks for the giveaway.
I would definitely put this on my old desk next to the the kitchen — the hub of my home! Merry Christmas…
Office.
I would put it in the living room so my handicapped brother can see his favoritw sites!
I just had to bury my laptop that was 6 years old and am in need of a new computer….
Beautiful, love this computer
What an awesome giveaway, Pick me pick me! :) I would put it in our family room where are current (dinosaur) computer sits.
Very cool computer! I would put this in our family room!
Home office although my kids would probably take it away from me.
I would put it in the kitchen!
I would put it in my guest room, because it’s the most peaceful room in the house with the best view!
I tweeted about your contest, not sure how to link a tweet… I’m dixie2569 on Twitter!
This would go to my daughter room so she can do her work for school.
I would swap out my current HP computer in my office and use it for my freelance writing and photography as well as homeschooling my kids…but mostly I would use it ;)
I would put this right on the kitchen counter, since it’s work central for our family, and neither computer resides there now!
Thanks for the chance.
Tweet Tweet!
I don’t know how to link to the specific tweet, I followed you and tweeted it.
Twitter ID LisaCurcio
Pick me, pick me…this is the most awesomest give*away ever!!!
In the kitchen, on the island, so that guests and chef can share.
I blogged about it too!
http://ourhappynuthouse.blogspot.com/2009/12/boomama-is-giving-away-hp-touchsmart.html
Twitter ID LisaCurcio
I would put it in my kitchen and look at recipes all the time!!!
In the family room/kitchen so that everyone can enjoy!!
We’d put this our basement office, to replace our old, slow desktop.
I’d put this right on display in the living room. We don’t have a tv or anything in there, so this would be the piece de restistance. (please don’t spellcheck that). Winning this would be a blessing more than you know! (as I’m sure it would be to everyone.)
(but I hope it’s me)
Steph
I blogged
http://lunaj1456.blogspot.com/2009/12/hp-touchsmart-giveaway-from-blogher.html
I tweeted
http://twitter.com/lunaj1456/status/6971349924
I would put it in the kitchen!!! PLEASE PLEASE
thank you so much for a chance to win an awsome computer. I would put it in my craft/sewing/computer room. I’d even clean it up before I put it in there!
Would love to win this on my 30th Birthday tomorrow!
Oh, my! I would put it in my living room so my kids could stop playing scooby-doo on my work laptop! Happy Holidays.
Hmmm, I would place the computer on our dining room table until we could find an appropriate desk, a la vintage, for our living room. This would be perfect for husband’s journey through graduate school.
This computer would love to live in the desk cubby in our guest room where everyone in the family can enjoy it . . . and our guests can enjoy it, too.
This would definately go into our family room since that is where we spend the most time, the kiddos could enjoy movies on it and play webkinz and stardoll and there math games as well. It would be lots of fun!! I hope we win!!
Our first computer was a HP. If I won, it would go in our living room…my daughter can have our current one for use in her bedroom.
I think I’d put this in our bedroom. I know I know — couples shouldn’t have “distractions” in the bedroom, but this is just too cool! :)
Rebecca B.
shadesofpink812@yahoo.com
I blogged about this too! :)
http://rebeccaandallan.blogspot.com/2009/12/free-computer-giveaway.html
Rebecca B.
shadesofpink812@yahoo.com
Our family computer is in our kitchen for the whole world to see! It is UGLY! This one is PRETTY! It would definitely spruce up my kitchen-office!