Today I have big news about a little PC – Dell just announced that they are refreshing the Inspiron Zino HD mini-PC! If you’re not familiar with the the Zino HD, it’s a full featured desktop that’s packed with an impressive array of technology – like an AMD Athon II V140 processor, 2GB of RAM, a 250GB drive, DVD drive/burner, and ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4250 graphics – all stuffed into a tiny 8” x 8” package (about the size of a college dictionary). Following this whole “smaller is better theme” is the starting price: $299. That’s less than the price of a lot of netbooks – and less than half the price of an entry-level Mac Mini!
When I get mine from Dell (it’s “in the mail”), I’m planning on taking it home and setting it up as a media center PC. I love the idea of having a tiny little PC that can push HD content to my TV with Play To, and play music off of my main home desktop machine with Remote Media Streaming. Of course, I’ll be posting a blog about my setup. A lot of entertainment enthusiasts (like me) are enamored with the concept of a small but powerful PC that doesn’t take up a lot of space in the living room, but it’s also a good choice as a desktop PC for a home office or dorm room.
If you’re looking for a bit more zip in your Zino, you can grab the promotional configuration that Dell’s selling right now on Dell.com. That model has a more powerful AMD Phenom II X4 P940 Quad Core Processor, 6GB of RAM, a massive 750GB hard drive, Blu-Ray, and ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5450 MXM discrete graphics. It’s selling for $749, which is over $300 off the list price. That’s a heck of a good deal!
Have a question about the U Bamboo or any other PC? Post a comment, hit me on Twitter, or Ask Ben Anything via email. Your question might appear in my monthly Ask Ben Anything Q&A column!