HP Unveils Back-to-school PCs, Printers, Enhanced Tech Support

July 12, 2006--In time for the back-to-school buying season, HP today announced a special promotion that offers teachers and students exclusively discounted pricing on HP consumer products.

The products include new HP desktop PCs, notebooks and printers redesigned for savvy students and trendsetting teachers. HP also announced new tech support capabilities to help get PCs ready for school.

Qualified students and educators can take up to 15 percent off the latest consumer technology products by registering for the HP Home & Home Office Store's Academic Purchase Program at www.hpshopping.com/education.

Information on additional special promotions is available below.

"HP is converging style and technology without having consumers give up any product functionality," said Mark Sanchez, vice president, Consumer Computing - North America, HP. "With our design-focused back-to-school lineup, consumers will feel confident that their personal style is accurately reflected."

Hot new PCs

Equipped with the latest technology, personalization capabilities and stylish design, HP back-to-school PCs can make it easier for students to keep up with schoolwork, enjoy digital entertainment or connect with family and friends.

HP already is seeing strong customer interest for three recently announced products: the HP Pavilion dv2000 Entertainment Notebook PC, featuring the new piano-black HP Imprint finish; the HP Pavilion Slimline s7500 Series PC, which is one-third the traditional size of a PC; and the HP xb3000 Notebook Expansion Base, which offers a comfortable desktop experience for notebook users.

Taking personalization one step further, HP is offering custom-cut PC skins so students and teachers can personally style their PCs to blend in with dorms or classrooms. View available skins at www.hp.com/go/skins.

Top picks for printers

With an ultra-compact design and student-friendly price, the new HP Deskjet F380 All-in-One Printer prints, scans and copies in true-to-life, photo-quality color and laser-quality black text for as little as $79. For the photo-enthusiast, the HP Photosmart D7360 is the world's fastest photo printer, delivering lab-quality photos in as fast as 12 seconds while still offering high-quality document printing for schoolwork. Priced at $199, it comes with a 3.4-inch touch screen color image display for photo editing without a computer.

New consumer notebooks PCs

Giving back-to-school PC shoppers even more choice, HP has three new additions to its consumer notebook lines, all of which include the HP Imprint finish inspired by the latest trends in fashion, furniture and art. The new design features a patterned exterior with a smooth high-gloss finish. The starting price for the consumer notebooks highlighted below is $929:

• The HP Pavilion dv6000 Entertainment Notebook PC features a 15.4-inch widescreen display with HP BrightView technology for high-quality digital entertainment. It also features the latest AMD Turion 64 X2 mobile technology, built-in HP Pavilion WebCam and discrete NVIDIA GeForce graphics with PureVideo technology.
  
• The highly mobile Compaq Presario V6000 Notebook PC offers the power and performance capabilities of a desktop PC. Its powerful AMD dual-core processor allows users to multitask with speed, while the built-in WiFi and optional long-life battery offer rapid connectivity while on the move. The V6000 also features an 15.4-inch widescreen display with HP BrightView technology.
  
• The HP Pavilion dv9000 Entertainment Notebook PC delivers a first-class digital entertainment experience by featuring a 17-inch widescreen display with HP Ultra BrightView (available on selected models). With two headphone jacks, integrated webcam and dual integrated microphones, it's ideal for sharing entertainment with friends and family. AMD Turion 64 X2 mobile technology provides fast and powerful performance, while the full-size keyboard with numeric keypad enhances comfort.
  

New consumer desktop PCs

For the first time, the HP Pavilion Slimline s7500 Series PC is available with an optional TV tuner in addition to Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition. This can make it easier for students to manage and enjoy content on their PCs via remote control. Pricing for the s7500 Series starts at $449.

HP also added the HP Pavilion a1500 Series Desktop PC, HP Pavilion Media Center TV m7500n and Compaq Presario SR1900 Series Desktop PC to its desktop lineup. Exact pricing is available at www.hpshopping.com.

Service and support

HP now offers a remote control capability for its PC Tune Up service, which features specially trained tech "mechanics" to guide customers through the tasks needed to help PCs run better. In the past, agents talked customers through the 10 key maintenance steps on the phone. Today, with the customer's permission, agents can take control of the customer's computer to do the tasks while the customer watches and learns. In addition, HP has added 15 minutes to each of the SmartFriend calling plans at no additional charge. Similar to a tech support advice line, customers can get their "how to" questions answered with a 45-minute option for $59.99 or a 75-minute option for only $99.99. These services complement a one-year warranty that is part of HP Total Care, which delivers real-time chat with support agents, one-hour email responses and toll-free 24x7 technical support both in and out of warranty.

Unlike the competition, HP's warranty and support services go beyond hardware issues so customers aren't stuck paying $99 for help getting started with their new PCs. In addition, J.D. Power and Associates recognized HP for consistently providing "An Outstanding Customer Service Experience."

Pricing, availability and promotions

Through Aug. 19, the HP Home & Home Office Store will offer customers instant and mail-in rebates for $200 off the HP Pavilion dv8000t and dv8000z series notebooks, a free HP Deskjet F380 All-In-One printer, free shipping and upgrade to Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition. Through Sept. 2, customers can take advantage of instant and mail-in rebates totaling $200 off the HP Pavilion Slimline s7500 series, a free upgrade to a 15-inch LCD monitor and free shipping.

Detailed information on available configurations, pricing and specs is available at the HP Home & Home Office Store at www.hpshopping.com. The majority of HP's back-to-school PCs are available now direct from HP via the website, by calling +1 888 999 4747 or at retail outlets nationwide. Select models are expected to be available from the same outlets in the coming weeks.

Support services are available at www.hpshopping.com or by calling +1 866 234 1377. HP also is offering discounts on two- and three-year extended service plans for select consumer products. HP is working closely with Microsoft to ensure that its current and future PC, printing, and imaging products are compatible with Vista when it is available next year.

SOURCE HP