Dell Studio Hybrid(TM)

Upcoming Dell “petite” desktop PCs from Studio Hybrid…

Dell’s most unique, stylish, and conscientious desktop PC. Designed to fit into your environment while protecting the environment.

* Personalize with 6 interchangeable color sleeves or bamboo
* Ultra-compact design with Intel mobile technology performance
* Features include slot-load DVD, HDMI, and optional Blu-rayTM
* Dell’s greenest, most power-efficient consumer desktop

Recently, Walt Mossberg has said that Dell new design “XPS” matches or exceeds the iMac in hardware design. According to his latest column in Wall Street Journal something interesting is going on at Dell. The Texas personal-computer behemoth, long associated with boxy, boring machines, has started emphasizing industrial design. And the company, which in recent years seemed to care only about corporate customers, techies and hard-core gamers, appears once again interested in average, mainstream consumers who value simplicity.

And the proof of this change is Dell’s XPS, one piece computer. Even though it shares the same 20-inch widescreen display and a similar Intel dual-core processor with the base-model iMac, it makes its own style. Where the iMac is squarish and silver, the XPS One is all black and rectangular, with speakers attached to the sides and a wide glass base. It looks more like a small TV set than a computer and, in fact, comes with a built-in TV tuner.”

Despite all this, Mr. Mossberg still recommends Apple’s iMac over the Dell XPS One for several reasons.

Brigham Young University industrial design students presented their concepts for a potential line of “ultra mobile” Dell computers on Dec. 17 as part of their final exam for their “studio” class. The machines were meant to be incorporated into users’ everyday lives, the students told their audience, which included two retired Dell managers and current Dell executives listening via conference call.

Designers interviewed bicycle police officers to gather information for a concept aimed at the military, outdoor enthusiasts and others who want to use computers in “hostile environments.” Another team aimed at college students, for whom they conceived a two-screened machine that can open like a book, or rotate into a tablet, and features an on-screen keyboard. Other markets targeted were young adults and creative professionals such as musicians.