14 DAY TRIAL // Small-sized portable or desktop computer systems continue to grow in popularity, providing users with a choice for a compact, energy-efficient computing solution for basic home applications. On that note, Round Rock, Texas-based Dell, one of the world's leading vendors of personal computer systems, has announced today the official debut of its mini-sized Inspiron Zino HD.
Seen as a possible competitor for other NVIDIA Ion-based solutions, currently available on the market, the new desktop PC combines Intel's low-power Athlon Neo processors with integrated ATI graphics.
“The Inspiron Zino HD proves again that great things can really come in small packages,” said John Terwilliger, Director of consumer products. “It is a fashionable and functional computer that is small enough to fit almost anywhere in the home and can be personalized for the style-minded.”
At the core of this 7.75-inch square by 3.5-inch tall desktop PC, there's an Athlon Neo X2 6850e processor, coupled with up to 8GB of dual-channel DDR2 memory, up to 1TB of storage space, an integrated DVD/CD-RW optical drive with optional Blu-ray drive and the ATI Radeon HD 4330 graphics processor. With a colorful design that could resemble that of Apple's Mac Mini, the Zino HD also packs WiFi b/g or b/g/n and Gigabit Ethernet connectivity, along with four USB 2.0 ports, two eSATA ports, HDMI, four-in-one memory card reader, VGA and audio in/out connectors.
Available in a wide range of colors, as it's custom for Dell's Inspiron series, the Zino HD will be shipping on November 26 for a starting price tag of US$229. The entry-level configuration comes with no DVD drive, while a higher-end solution, with Blu-ray, largest RAM and hard-drive, plus fastest CPU option will go for US$929.