HP announced a collection of upgrades to the Pavilion line of laptops today including a refresh of the popular HP Pavilion dv6 laptop. The Pavilion dv6 refresh takes styling cues from the HP ENVY line with a new dark umber metal finish and comes with many new features to enhance the user experience and multimedia experience.

HP Pavilion dv6 Processor and Graphics Options:

The HP Pavilion dv6 notebook comes with a 15.6″ display and can be configured with 2nd Generation Intel Core i5 and Core i7 processors which will provide users with a much improved out of the box experience for multimedia and gaming. For users who want to play more demanding games, the dv6 can also be configured with AMD Radeon 6000M graphics options. The dv6 can be configured with up to 1TB of internal storage and features 2 USB 3.0 ports.

HP Pavilion dv6 Entertainment Features:

Additionally the Pavilion dv6 gains Beats Audio for a much enhanced audio experience that is designed with input from Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine to deliver music in the way the artist wanted their music to be heard.  The HP dv6 also has built-in quad speakers to fill out your on-the-go entertaining.

The quad speaker solution features two speakers at the front of the laptop and two at near the hinge. The two near the hinge are aided by a slight elevation, to deliver a better audio experience.

HP Pavilion dv6 hands on video:

HP Pavilion dv6 Keyboard upgrades:

The dv6 also gains improvements to the keyboard with a new layout and coating additions to deliver a better user experience. The HP Pavilion dv6 now has a number pad built into the keyboard, a feature which was found on earlier models but absent for at least the last year.

The number pad is a feature favored by accountants and students who want an easy way to enter numbers without an external keyboard. Additionally the keys are finished with a HP duracoat coating that improves the life of the lettering by 50% over standard keys. This feature is brought over from the business lines at HP and if the coating remains the same, in addition to protecting, it also offers a nice feel.

HP Pavilion dv6 Cooling and Usability:

The Pavilion dv6 uses HP CoolSense technology to keep your notebook cooler during heavy use. By combining hardware and software the CoolSense tech can automatically adjust cooling to fit the user’s preferences. When we were able to get hands on with a CoolSense laptop at CES it was cooler than those around it, all of which had been running for some time at the demo booth.

A big part of this refresh is a continuance of the focus on the materials and usability of the laptop that was incorporated into the last update in May 2010. With a new look and emphasis on the user experience the Pavilion dv6 is a premium notebook with extra attention paid to how you will interact with laptop.

This is reflected in the movement of the LED indicator lights to the right side so that they don’t bother you while watching a movie and the way the hinge angle makes the dv6 easier to carry.

HP Pavilion dv6 Security Features:

From a security standpoint the HP dv6 includes HP SimplePass to keep your computer secure with the built in fingerprint reader and HP ProtectSmart to lock your hard drive in the event of a fall.

HP Pavilion dv6 Pricing and Availability:

The HP pavilion dv6 will be available in Spring 2011 with pricing to be determined.

HP Pavilion dv6 Gallery:

HP Pavilion dv6 Gains New Metal Finish, New Processors, Beats Audio and More (video) is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

Here’s a demo of what it’s like to play a video game on a Pavilion dv6t with the best graphics card that HP offers on this notebook. I found that gameplay is incredibly smooth. This isn’t a gaming notebook per se, but it can definitely hold its own with Call of Duty: World at War, a very popular first person shooter that follows a World War II story line.

We’re in the middle of giving away a Pavilion dv6t that’s very well configured. It comes with ATI Mobility Radeon HD4650 graphics with 1GB of RAM. This is a $400 upgrade compared to the base configuration, which comes with Intel GMA 4500MHD integrated graphics. While some 3D games are playable on notebooks with integrated graphics, you’ll want a GPU if you want to enjoy a rich gaming experience.

I’ve played through the first four levels of the game on the dv6t and everything runs very fast. As you can see in the above demo, gameplay on the dv6t with HD4650 graphics looks great. The foliage, water, smoke and fire all look natural. This is with all the graphics maxxed out and the game’s resolution set to the dv6′s native 1366×768.

Manufactures and retailers, like Best Buy and Costco, love to advertise affordable notebook configurations that will suit many users just fine. But some customers are disappointed when they can’t play games or handle high-def content with gusto.

A GPU can be quite an investment. There’s a more affordable ATI graphics card that you can order with the dv6, but it’s still a $200 option. While I highly recommend getting a GPU if you play video game or multitask while watching high-def content, it’s not a “must have” for every user. If your needs are basic and you don’t plan on virtually hunting down any bad guys you’ll be just fine with the standard integrated graphics that come with the Pavilion dv6.

HP Pavilion dv6t w/ATI Graphics Demo: Call of Duty World at War (video) is a post by Xavier Lanier from Notebooks.com.

Looking for a netbook or notebook? Well, here’s your chance to win one of each. Read on for your chance to win a powerful multimedia notebook, a netbook for when you want to travel light and a custom backpack.

HP’s given Notebooks.com and 24 other sites some great gear to pass on to our readers. The notebook is a fully loaded HP Pavilion dv6 that’s powerful enough to use as an entertainment or gaming PC. The netbook is an HP Mini 110. The backpack is made by Timbuk2.

All versions of the dv6 come with a 16″ display, Altec Lansing speaakers and an HDMI port, but the one we’re giving away this isn’t just any dv6. With a value of about $1,600, you won’t find a machine like this sitting at your local discount retailer.

This custom dv6 comes with premium options including the optional moonlight white finish, 500GB hard drive, Blu-ray Disc drive and ATI Mobility Radeon HD4650 graphics with 1GB of VRAM. Its Intel Core 2 Duo P7350 2.0GHz processor is more than fast enough for most users. It runs Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit, which means it takes full advantage of the system’s 4GB of RAM.

But enough about the dv6′s specs. HP sent over an evaluation unit for long term review and I’ve had a chance to use it for a couple of weeks. It plays back Blu-ray discs flawlessly, even while multitasking. I tried playing back gameplay on Call of Duty: World at War and was impressed with the smooth experience.

The dv6 is powerful, but it can be a pain to lug around a 16″ notebook around campus all day. When you need something more portable and with a longer battery life the Mini 110 XP Edition can come in handy. Its antiglare display is easier to read under direct light than glossy displays. The six-cell battery makes the netbook heavier than the standard three-cell battery, but the tradeoff is worth it since the larger battery keeps the Mini 110 going for about 5.5 hours on a single charge.

If you win the netbook and notebook you’ll need a way to transport the pair. That’s where the Timbuk2 Swig backpack comes into play. Timbuk2′s bags are built of high-quality materials and are anything but boring. I’m trying out one of Timbuk2′s backpacks and it’s very comfortable and has more than enough room for a pair of computers, a few books and accessories.

How to Win the HP Bundle:

This is a raffle style giveaway and we’ll be pulling a random winner using random.org on August 24. You can enter one raffle entry for completing items 1-4 below. If you’d like to dramatically increase your odds of winning you can try your hand at writing guest how-to articles.

1) Earn one raffle entry by subscribing to the Notebooks.com Giveaways email newsletter. We get a lot of gear to giveaway and we’ll notify you next time we run a contest (hint, it kicks off later this month).

2) Earn one raffle entry by letting your Twitter followers know about the contest by tweeting the following: I want to win an HP netbook and HP dv6 from Notebooks.com http://bit.ly/17fEiJ @xavierlanier (click here to send this tweet automatically)

3) Earn one raffle entry for following me on Twitter and saying hi- just send me a message @xavierlanier.

4) Earn one entry by telling us why you want this bundle and what you would do with it in the comments section below.

5) Write how-to articles for notebooks.com that can help our readers as they use or shop for computers. If we publish it you’ll earn 5 raffle entries. You may submit as many how-to articles as you like, though we may or may not publish all of them depending on content and quality.

To increase the odds of your article being published, please consider the following guidelines:

• Tell our readers how to get more our of their notebooks. Do you have tricks on how to use common applications? Can you explain how notebook users can be more productive or get things done faster?

• Entries should be free of grammar and spelling errors.

• Use screenshots, video or images to illustrate your how-to article.

• Explain your idea thoroughly and be sure to keep average users (not geeks) in mind.

• Here’s an example of a tip on how to upgrade an HP Mini’s memory that’s helped a lot of our readers.

• Entries must be original and not be previously published elsewhere.

You can submit your entries by clicking here: Notebooks.com How-To Contest Entries Page

Thank you for visiting Notebooks.com and we look forward to your entries.

The fine print:

• This contest open to anyone in the world, but if the winner is outside of the U.S., he/she may be awarded a credit to HP’s online store to avoid shipping and customs restrictions.

• Individuals who have won at another website participating in the HP Back to School Giveaway are ineligible to win a second time.

• All entries must be received by 8/23/09 by 11:59pm Pacific Standard Time.

• The odds of winning depends on the number of entires received by the deadline stated above.

• By submitting content to this contest, you agree to allow Notebooks.com Inc. to publish it on its Web sites in part or in whole. We may edit your content for clarity or any other reason.

• No complaining allowed…seriously. We appreciate everyone’s entries and try to keep things fun around here. Unfortunately, not everyone will be able to win as we only have one bundle to give away. If you don’t win this bundle, please enter to win bundles from the 24 other great sites that are participating in this promo.

• The winner will be notified by email and his/her name will be posted in a Notebooks.com announcement. If the winner is picked based on an entry from Twitter, we will send a direct message and/or @ reply to the winner as notification. If the winner doesn’t respond within 24 hours of us sending the notification we will pick an alternate winner.

Win a HP “Better Together” Back to School Bundle: Netbook, Notebook and Backpack! is a post by Xavier Lanier from Notebooks.com.