istartedsomething HP Magic Giveaway contest

Today, the HP Magic Giveaway is coming to this very corner of the web. Your chance to win $6000 of the best (sealed and unsmudged) geek toys for this holiday seasons from HP and Microsoft in just a couple of keystrokes and mouse clicks away. For Tablet PC users it’s just a few pen strokes and taps away.

Head over to the istartedsomething.com HP Magic Giveaway contest minisite for the prize package and entry information.

In keeping with the holiday spirit, where no one really has time or effort to do anything, it can’t get any easier than a simple sweepstake. Just register your name and email. But there’s a twist. Users of the Windows Vista (and newer) operating system are given the opportunity to claim a bonus entry. If you don’t use Vista (or tried Vista), might be a good time to head over to a friend’s house and check it out.

The competition runs for 7 days until Tuesday, 9th of December 2008. If the technology works, a winner will be drawn later that day. Good luck.

110 insightful thoughts

  1. In and In again………

    Keep in mind that your firewall may block the bonus entry application.

    If so, allow the application through your firewall for the bonus entry.

    Thanks Long and HP.

  2. Count me in.

    There sure are enough puns and jokes in there πŸ˜€
    I even bothered to read the small foot note text.

  3. Funny program you’ve made with logo and all. Nice site as well.

    Well, I have submitted an entry. πŸ™‚

  4. Thanks, Long.
    Just a note to users of Windows Live OneCare – the firewall will block your program and you get two prompts to allow *after* you get an error about an internal error. You simply need to allow the app to the firewall prompt (both times – yes, annoying) and then clear the error dialog and click submit once again for it to actually go through.
    -steve

  5. I love how easy it is to enter here. I remember the dragon contest and that one was easy to enter too. Way to keep the stress down on entering Long!

  6. Hey. You should probaly note that with UAC enabled you have to save the file and go to run as administrator for it to work correctly πŸ™‚

  7. this is better than most of the other sites. they usually make you write a short description about who you’ll give the prize away too. also, many of them make you sign up for their site. Long’s contest is the best so far!

  8. Thanks Long.
    Make sure you disable firewall temporarily if you try to use the verification dealy.

  9. In x2. I second Ben’s sentiment. It’s great that some sites are opting for charity but it’s good for me that some are just going for the drawing. I probably won’t win but if I did the goods would be split between my house and my family’s house. Nothing tearjerking or groundbreaking. I just would like to have some great gear for upgrades for me and mine.

  10. Great to see a simple contest here. I think it’s cool when they try to do interesting things to reach real users, but truth is we really want to put our names and hope to be lucky.
    I’m in!

  11. I am in (too!), with a different email address. (of course just one entry)

    Thanks a lot for making this contest simple to enter, I think yours is the simplest. πŸ˜›

  12. Forgot to say.Great entry page Long.I loved your comments on the entry page.Excellent touch of humour.

  13. Woooooooo
    Ow, and I am a bit concerned what the downloaded program did?
    I mean its 6k worth of stuff so I downloaded it anyways, but I am a bit paranoid right now

  14. Ow, and @people who say good luck to all, I say:
    “Thank you, good luck to me too” :D:D:D

  15. I’m in ! Hey Long .. any BIG bonus to Windows 7 users?
    I know… I’m asking for more… but I really want that gift and I want to do the best to get it !

    Will have to wait to be home to the Vista bonus .. but be sure of that… hopefully , we are not the 1st of april today πŸ˜‰ .. I still remember the new sound package !

  16. Long, I love your sense of humor — a couple examples:

    “* Picture is not to scale. Products may appear larger in life.”
    “Unless of course their offer is greater than a million dollars which I may be inclined to sell your information for personal profit and gains.”

    I’ll have to wait until I’m home to take a long shot at entering (pun intended) since my work machine is XP.

  17. Hey! Thanks so much for making this so easy!!

    I dont wanna go wrong, so I ask you: If I completed the form, and did the originalsoftwarethingy, yesterday (1 Dec), i’m participating? ‘Cause I don’t wanna be banned, but I want to enter!

    Pleas answer me πŸ™‚
    Thanks

  18. Why bug Long to pick you? It’s most likely going to be randomly chosen.

    Unless Long has a secret plan…

    Let’s make up conspiracy theories!

  19. If i got this, i can finally have a computer that works from this generation, and it would help the financial issues. Thanks Bank of America…

  20. Thanks for making it easy! You sure were right about the time! I use Vista and a tablet pc!

  21. I have to say, I don’t usually partake in these offers (foolishly) and if I do I don’t get myself hyped up. The massiveness of this prize package though forgoes all that. Good luck everyone.

  22. Would be nice to win. My brother’s birthday is on 31th December, he could use a new PC. πŸ˜€

  23. Thanks Long!!!
    I greatly appreciate the simplicity of your application process. After sending long emails to many of the other sites participating in this giveaway, its nice to only have to put in a name and email. Also, I totally agree with the extra entry for Vista users. Its a good way to get people to switch to the best Operating System yet!

    Thanks again!

    PS: Where can we find the google calendar that you had posted before? I want to make sure I don’t miss any of the contests. πŸ™‚

  24. Thanks for making it easy! I hate having to miss out on half the blogs just because I don’t have the time to craft creative contest entries.

    I can always count on you to respec the time of the busy vista user.

    Thanks and you rock.

  25. this is indeed a great contest, to repeat the previously posted sentiments. oh, i want to win…but good luck all. πŸ˜‰

  26. Count me in!! Vista rocks. I have two desktop and a laptop that comes with Vista!… Whoo!!

  27. well I’m really delighted to see that somebody knows what giving means

    I guess that one may say everybody on their own but given the season it is just so strange to say the least

    As far as I know istartedsomething is the only one really giving and that it is worth saying, the rest – again, I may be wrong on this – is asking you to do all sorts of strange things

    I mean of course no sane person would keep all this stuff for himself but being asked to get on the wagon all your family, friends, neighbors, to tell you last 5 addresses, to climb trees or asphyxiate the first cat you’re going to see on the street and take a picture of that seems a bit bizarre

    It is like you give some change to that homeless guy around the corner but for doing that you ask him if he is going to buy cookies or vodka with that money, well, if you gave that money that’s his money now and he can do whatever he wants with them
    if you want to give you just give, as simple as that, otherwise it is anything but a gift: an occasion to give somebody a moral lesson, a drive for publicity, you name it

    So yes, I will be glad to hang around
    With or without a prize in my pocket

  28. I entered, but really, I wouldn’t know what to do with so much stuff if I win =D

    @what giving means
    I wouldn’t mind doing some of the things other sites are asking people to do, if I had the time, that is. Probably the sites you and me have seen are quite different (I haven’t noticed the cat one!).

    But some sites are donating part of the prize to some non-profits or something… that seems a good idea…

  29. When is the competition ending? is it ending on “9 December 2009″ or 9 December 2008″? ”

    Long wrote:
    “Competition starts on Tuesday, 2nd of December 2008 and ends on Tuesday, 9th of December 2009, sometime during the day, maybe after I eat lunch. The winner will be picked and notified not long (pun) after the competition is closed.”

    hope the competition isnt running that long….

  30. cool blog site , even cooler contest thing, can’t believe all the stuff in the prize package !!
    had to read it a couple of times, WOW

  31. I have never seen a contest as of this nature, a real jackpot !
    Good Luck to whoever wins this!

  32. Hmm, how awesome is this! Thanks for hosting πŸ™‚ Im in — cant wait until we find out who the lucky winner is! πŸ™‚
    Good luck to all, and to all, a suspensful day πŸ™‚

    -Nick

  33. When and where will the winner be announced? I haven’t been able to find any posts for this…the contest has ended already, right?

    Just curious; anxious and hoping that I’m lucky enough to be gifted with this opportunity to gift others (as well as myself).
    -barbarabaker πŸ™‚

  34. Would love this please :-). I’d be able to replace my old kit, finally get my parents on computers and the net, help a good friend stay on after she retires, and hopefully also help out some local disadvantaged kids and homeless folk.

    Many thanks !!!!

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