    The new Studio Hybrid owes nothing to Dell's other desktops. Instead of the traditional boxy tower case, this $499-and-up design packs its components into a compact, oblong cylinder. Perched on its tiny metal platform, it should fit on any desk — or TV stand.
This little machine marks Dell's entry into a category of computer that it and most mainstream computer vendors have ignored so far: the small-form-factor (SFF) desktop. These fit-in-a-shoebox models — for example, Apple's Mac mini and Shuttle's XPC line — preserve many of the core virtues of desktops, such as easily upgradeable components, but take up a smidgen of the space occupied by traditional designs.
They're a compelling alternative for people who don't want to waste space on a massive desktop but don't want to pay more for a laptop.
Many SFF models can be described with another abbreviation: HTPC, meaning a home theater PC plugged into an HDTV to bring digital music, photos and video to the living room.
True, tiny desktops like the Mac mini, XPC and Studio Hybrid lack the expandability of tower-case systems: You can't pop in an extra hard drive. But for the many users who never crack open their machines, that's a meaningless attribute.
The Studio Hybrid doesn't just look small (at a bit over 8 inches long, under 8 inches tall and less than 3 inches wide, it takes up about a fifth of the space of other Dell desktops), it also looks fairly sharp. Its slot-loading CD/DVD-burner drive and memory-card slot are so well integrated into the front that you might miss their presence at first.
Seattle Times
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