Digital Home Thoughts: 31 Days Of The Dragon: The HP-Sponsored $160,000+ Giveaway

I can't express how thrilled I am to announce this jaw-dropping contest to Digital Home Thoughts readers: HP has partnered with 31 bloggers (via Buzz Corps) to sponsor a giveaway of 31 of their audacious HP Pavilion HDX Entertainment Notebook PC (a.k.a. the "Dragon"). This laptop is one of the most jaw-dropping pieces of hardware on the market - when you see it in person you can only say "Wow!". It's a beast of a laptop, more of a portable PC than something you'd think of as being a laptop - although I should point out that earlier this month when I was at the Seattle airport I actually saw a traveller with one of these out on a restaurant table!

Retail value? $4500 USD. Multiply that by 31, and you get $139,500 worth of prizes spread amongst 31 different winners. This is 31 day contest where each day one of these prize bundles will be given away. Many of the sites involved, including yours truly, will be receiving the laptop first for review, then polishing it up and shipping it off to the winner. I get to review it, but you get to keep it - good deal, right?

But wait, it gets even better: other partners have gotten involved and the prize package includes a great software and movie bundle (detailed below) that if purchased at retail would cost an additional $696 USD. So each prize bundle has a retail value of $5196. Getting excited yet? Yeah, I thought so! Let's take a closer look at what's being given away, and how you can enter a potential 31 different times across all the sites that are involved.


The specifications for the Pavilion HDX Entertainment Notebook that HP is giving away is as follows:

Operating system: Genuine Windows Vista Ultimate (64-bit)
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Extreme Processor X9000 (2.80GHz, 6MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB)
Display: 20.1" diagonal WUXGA High-Definition HP Ultra Brightview Widescreen (1920x1200)-"True HD" 1080p resolution
Memory: 4GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
Graphics Card: 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8800M GTS
Personalization: HP Imprint Finish (Dragon) + Fingerprint Reader + Webcam + Microphone
Networking: Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 4965AGN Network Connection and Bluetooth(TM)
Hard Drive: 500GB 5400RPM SATA Dual Hard Drive (250GB x 2)
Primary CD/DVD Drive: Blu-Ray ROM with SuperMulti DVD+/-R/RW Double Layer
TV & Entertainment Experience: Integrated HP HDTV Hybrid TV Tuner and 4 Altec Lansing speakers + the HP Triple Bass Reflex subwoofer
Primary Battery: 9 Cell Lithium Ion Battery

In addition to the ass-whupping laptop, the winners will also receive copies of:

Microsoft Office - $225 retail value (eval copy)
Corel PaintShop Pro X2 - $73.99 retail value (eval copy)
Corel Painter Essentials - $79.99 retail value (eval copy)
Corel Ulead Video Studio Plus 11.5 - $79.95 retail value (eval copy)
Symantec Norton Internet Security - $69.99 retail value (eval copy)

Viva Piñata - $37.99 retail value (eval copy)
Microsoft Flight Sim - $44.99 retail value (eval copy)
Microsoft Flight Sim Expansion Pack - $34.99 retail value (eval copy)
Gears of War - $49.99 retail value (eval copy)

Pirates of the Caribbean - The Curse of the Black Pearl - Blu Ray - $22.95 retail value (eval copy)
Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest- Blu Ray - $22.95 retail value (eval copy)
Pirates of the Caribbean - At World's End - Blue Ray - $22.95 retail value (eval copy)

Now which sites are involved? Each of the sites below will be giving away one of the prize bundles, one per day, with their respective contests starting seven days prior to the giveaway. Every site will be doing their own thing - some will be a random giveaway, others might do an "easter egg hunt", and some might ask you why you should win this contest and pick the best answer. There's a complete list of the dates on a simple site that Mauricio from Geekzone put together (thanks Mauricio!), but in short if you want to maximize your chances of winning one of these prize bundles, you should check out each of these sites at least one day prior to the giveaway date.

• AbsoluteVista.com (contest starts May 2nd, giveaway occurs May 9th)
  
• Ars Technica
• OSNN.net
• JKontherun.com
• Barbs Connected World
• BostonPocketPC.com
• The-Gadgeteer.com
• TheDigitalLifesetyle.com
• Digital Home Thoughts (yeah, right here baby - our contest will start on the 10th of May)
  
• Windows-now.com
• WindowsConnected.com
• Geekstogo.com
• Bink.nu
• MediabLab.com
• Last 100
• Digital Inspiration
• Notebooks.com
• SlashdotReview.com
• Neowin.net
• Geek.com
• Lockergnome.com
• Planet x64.com
• TheGreenButton.com
• Istartedsomething.com
• BleepingComputer.com
• HardwareGeeks.com
• GeekNewsCentral.com
• Geekzone.co.nz
• TheTabletPC.net
• GearLive.com
• GottaBeMobile.com (contest starts May 2nd, giveaway occurs May 9th)

So let me reiterate for Digital Home Thoughts readers: our contest here does not start until the 10th of May, and our actual giveaway of the prize bundle will occur on the 17th of May. This contest is open to anyone in the world. In terms of the exact nature of the giveaway, stay tuned - I'm trying to think of something creative, yet still simple and fun, for you to do in this contest. Any suggestions?

Huge thanks to HP, Buzz Corps, Microsoft, Corel, and all the other companies involved in this giveaway - it's amazing to see them supporting sites like ours in such a big way. I appreciate it, and whichever Digital Home Thoughts reader wins this laptop will appreciate it even more!