HP Touchsmart

If you are a Project Runway fan like myself, you've seen the designers sketch on those HP TouchSmart tm2 tablets while they brainstorm designs.

But for contestant Mondo Guerra, teching out on the show turned into a life-changing experience in last week's HP Challenge episode. Like last season, the designers had to create a fabric based on a family memory using HP TouchSmart PCs. When they entered the room, the large PCs were loaded with photos of the designers' families on the TouchSmart's completely customizable interface, allowing the user to drag photos around the screen, add notes, and more.

I had a chance to speak with Mondo, the winner of the challenge, whose plus design was a workroom favorite but had some of the other designers curious as to his inspiration. It came as a huge shock when he revealed during judging that he has been HIV-positive for 10 years.

Find out what he had to say about using the technology to design and what his big reveal was like after the break.

The smokin' hot HP TouchSmart PCs that I got an up close look at recently at the Priscilla of Boston bridal salon took a starring role in last night's episode of Project Runway. The TouchSmart tm2 has already played an important part to this season's contestants as they fleshed out their designs on the tablet, but the full-screened PCs were on hand to help the designers create their own fabric patterns to use during the tenth runway show. I was pretty impressed at how well the fabric patterns turned out, and it's exciting to see the fashion world embracing technology!

Also on hand last night was Vivienne Tam, who chatted with the designers about how she uses technology in her design process and talked about her work on the Butterfly Lovers mini netbook.

See lots more pics of the Project Runway contestants working on their HPs (and printing out their fabric!) when you read more

Fashion and technology are already familiar bedfellows (as seen on the latest season of Project Runway), and just in time for Wedding Season, the bridal industry is getting in on the fun. Choosing a wedding dress can be one of the happiest moments in a woman's life, but it can also be one of the most stressful. Especially if the bride doesn't know what she wants. Yesterday, I got a chance to peek at Priscilla of Boston and HP's new partnership, which will make choosing a bridal gown much easier, if not a bit more fun for us geeks.

The newest Priscilla of Boston store in San Jose, California, is boasting an army of HP TouchSmart screens along with a specialty application that when paired, bring their entire collection to your fingertips — allowing you to narrow down your gown choices by price, silhouette, and fabric, while still letting you browse through hundreds of dresses and check out runway videos with just a swipe of your finger.

One of the best ways Priscilla of Boston is utilizing this technology is for the bridesmaids — bringing in a group of picky gals can wreak havoc on an appointment if they can't agree on the cut and color of their dresses. But the TouchSmart screens let the entire group browse and choose colors, while seeing the transformation take place in front of their eyes. Hear more about the application, and see it in action when you read more