The HP ENVY 4 Ultrabook | Click photo to enlarge.
With the fall semester rapidly approaching, it’s time to start thinking about back to school shopping. And whether you’re attending college for the first time or returning for another year, there’s no back-to-school purchase more important than a good computer.
To celebrate back-to-school season, our fabulous friends at HP let us test drive one of their hottest notebooks, the HP ENVY 4, and we’re officially smitten.
Read on to learn all about this stylish back-to-school essential AND enter to win one of your very own!
Table of Contents
All About the HP ENVY 4 Ultrabook
Here at CF, we’re pretty discerning notebook shoppers: We not only want a computer that’s fast, powerful, and lightweight, but we want it to be stylish, too. (If we’re staring at it for hours a day, it better look good!) Suffice to say that most laptops we’ve tested have not fit the bill.
But as soon as we saw the HP ENVY 4, we knew this was an exception. Not only does this computer exceed our tech requirements, but it more than fulfills the style quotient. Let’s break it down:
Tech Specs:
Let’s face it: the perfect computer for college needs to perform. Whether you’re editing a presentation, typing your thesis, or just browsing Facebook, your laptop needs to handle it all with ease.
Unlike other ultra-thin laptops we’ve tested, the ENVY 4 is incredibly responsive. Boasting an Intel® Core™ i5-3317U 1.7 GHz processor and 4 GB of RAM (upgradable to 16 GB), it can handle anything. Plus, with a 500 GB hard drive, there’s more than enough space for your notes, music, photos, and more.
Design:
As mentioned earlier, we expect our gadgets to be as stylish as they are functional. And the ENVY 4 is total eye-candy: With a gorgeous, shiny brushed metal design, backlit keyboard, and ultra thin (.78 in) profile, it’s incredibly chic. While we prefer the sparkle of the silver model (above), the ENVY 4 also comes in Louboutin-esque black and red, if that’s more your style.
Special Features:
Finally, the ENVY 4 is packed with features that make it perfect for college students. Here’s a quick sampling:
- Equipped with Beats Audio™, dual speakers, and a subwoofer – music sounds amazing on the ENVY 4.
- Weighing just 3.86 lbs, and with over 7 hours of battery life, it’s ideal for toting around campus.
- Equipped with HP ProtectSmart, which senses motion and secures your data, so you won’t lose everything if you accidentally drop it.
- HP CoolSense technology automatically adjusts your notebook’s temperature based on usage and conditions – no more overheating or burnt legs while wearing shorts! (The latter has happened to us.)
Enter to Win an HP ENVY 4!
Now that you know the HP ENVY 4, here’s your chance to snag one: One lucky CF reader will win an HP ENVY 4 in Black/Silver, pictured above.
Entering is easy – just leave a comment on this post and tell us… What’s on your back-to-school shopping list? Be specific! Are you seeking out the perfect pair of leopard flats? New dresses, perhaps? Furniture for your dorm room? The perfect black leather tote? Anything goes, so have fun and tell us what you’re coveting for back-to-campus!
Make sure to include your real email address in the “email” section of the form so we can contact you if you win.
Giveaway Rules & Eligiblity
This giveaway is open to CF readers in the U.S. only. Only one entry per person/computer, please. Those who try to enter more than once will have all their entries deleted.
You have until Monday, August 20th at 10:00 AM Eastern to enter, at which time we’ll randomly choose a winner from all eligible entries and announce their name on our Facebook page and Twitter.
Thanks to our friends at HP for their generosity and best of luck!
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by HP. The opinions, as always, are our own. For more information, see our disclosure page.
My list:
1. Bookshelves because stacking the boxes I used to move them [books] isn’t conducive to reading them.
2. Christmas lights, the white kind, they make good nightlights.
3. rain boots
4. light leather jacket.
My back to school list! 🙂
1. embellished and bow headbands of any and every sort
2. patterned and colored tights
3. suede flats
4. leather skirt
5. fur vest
6. shiny black riding boots
7. lace dress
8. new pair of glasses (I sat on my old ones :[ )
I’m moving to Seattle to start grad school and renting my first unfurnished apartment so I’m looking for
1. a desk and chair
2. a new bed and mattress
3. a planner
4. cute rain boots
My back to school list? With my new internship, it’s all about finding clothing that I can wear to both school and work.
So a shirt dress with some cute ankle boots. Or a see-through blouse that I can wear with skinny jeans/trousers and a tank top. But, most importantly? I’m looking for a fantastic leather jacket, preferably with military inspired touches! That’s my number one piece that will really work for both work and fun 🙂
My list! (I’m going to be a freshman this year =’) )
1)christmas lights for my dorm room
2) fabric to make a ruffle laundry bag and throw
3)storage containers
4)contact paper to make decals
5)fabric , tissue paper, glue, and Styrofoam balls to make rose mobiles
6)the perfect lbd
7) slipper style loafers (black)
8) studs and to decorate the loafers and tees
9) leather(faux) jacket!
10)mint colored pastel vans!
I am looking mostly for winter clothes that won’t make me look like I’m all geared up for an expedition at the Antarctica. My school area’s weather is significantly colder so I want to keep warm while still fashionable.
1) Warm coat, preferably dark grey. I’m looking for one with toggle closures.
2) Leather boots, dark brown, knee high
3) Wool tights so I can wear dresses and skirts. Preferably dark grey because it goes with everything, and with a design.
4) Sweater dress, bright color so I can stand out among the dull winter clothing.
5) White gloves
6) Warm scarf, white or purple
7) Long necklace. One that is simple enough that it doesn’t take away from my outfit but unique enough to add a little something to the clothes.
1) new mocassins and flat booties
2) a huge corkboard for my wall
I’m moving from sunny California to rainy Seattle to start grad school this month so I have a long list of apartment stuff and new clothes to get- but here are some of the main ones!
1) Queen bed frame + mattress
2) Forest green rain anorak
3) Colored skinny jeans
4) Comfy new pair of TOMS
5) Local artwork + frames
6) Coffee mugs & lots of ’em!!
7) Good rainy day music for my iPod
My back to school musts:
1. Vera Bradley Campus backpack
2. cute bedding
3. Frye riding boots
4. Lily Pulitzer agenda
5. Contacts
6. dark nail polish
7. tons of jeans from everywhere
8. cute umbrella
9. Clinique foundation
10. Urban Decay eyemakeup
11. JEWELRY from Forever 21, J. Crew, Etsy, etc.
12. Fringe bag
13. Tory Burch flats
14. Michael Kohrs watch in gold or rosegold
15. Ray-Ban new wayfarers
16. my smartphone
17. Ralph Lauren shirts
18. every color t-shirt from Eddie Bauer
19. peplum dresses and tops
20. cozy sweaters
21. cute pajamas
and of course
22. HP’s new laptop!
Back to School List:
1.Dark purple jeans
2. Cute chocolate brown leather bag
3. Mint green blouse
4. Black chunky heeled pumps
5. Cream colored blazer with leopard print accents
6. Black peplum dress
7. Dark red heels
8. Statement necklace
My Back to School Shopping List will include the following:
1.Loads of Fabric, since I am an aspiring fashion designer, I can recreate a lot of looks that we usually see on the runway (hi-low hem being my favorite), and plus buying fabric saves me a lot of money on buying tons of different clothes.
2. I have been obsessed with oxfords lately, so for school, I’m expecting three–Urban Outfitters has two pairs that I have been eye-ing lately.
3. A Denim Vest, when they were everywhere in the stores, I didn’t want one, now I’m looking for one, and can’t find it. Just my luck.
4. A pair of Doc Martens
5. At least three pair of flats
6. Tons of Forever21 Jewelry
I’m moving off campus and been searching for the perfect desk and dresser to fit with the vibe I want in my room…
And as for my fall essentials shopping list, I’ve been saving for some key pieces that can pick up my wardrobe:
– Some JC Lita-esque booties
– Dark denim jeans (AA easy jeans)
– Polka dot jeans
– Shearling Leather Jacket
– Black beanie
– Oversized sweater
– Binders, notebooks, highlighters and maybe an e-reader?
Back to School Must-Haves:
1. Leather/wax coated pants!
2. Designer assignment/day planner
3. And of course, a new laptop! (To replace my 6-yr-old one!)
My back to school must haves include:
1) a new nude vera wang tote
2) skinny waist-cinching belts (preferably with bows)
3) nude flats (patent)
4) the perfect peplum blouse
5) mint colored skinnies for the right price!
-printer
-blender
-material for new couch cushions
-fish!
I’m moving to a new apartment with a friend, but it has half of a wall between the bedroom and living room. So, my list essentially consists of DIY dividers and curtains.