Dell Hybrid: First Thoughts

So we got a Dell Hybrid in the dealnews office the other day and I got to test drive it while reviewing Google's Chrome browser. Before I say anything about the Hybrid, I have to admit I'm a bit of an Apple fanboy. Sorta. I use a MacBook Pro at the office and I have an iMac at home (although I also have a tiny Asus ultraportable at home that to this date is one of my favorite all-time computers). So in other words what I'm saying is — I've pretty much written Windows machines off. Until now. I like the Hybrid. I like it a lot. It actually made me want to use a PC again.

Form factor-wise, it's very tiny. It's a little chunkier than the Mac Mini, but it's still small enough to tuck away on your desk. It's also very nicely designed. We have the red one in the office and the minute you turn it on, the Dell logo lights up on both sides. Not in a tawdry way, but in a "nice touch" kinda way.

The system is based on an Intel Core 2 Duo processor and hums along very rapidly. Up front it's got a media card reader, 2 USB ports, a slot-loading optical drive, and a headphone jack. Rounding off the rear you'll find an HDMI port, 3 more USB ports, DVI, 10/100 Fast Ethernet, a FireWire port, and both digital and analog sound outputs. Above all the ports is the system's vent. Granted, I didn't really push the system's processor, but the entire time it was whisper quiet. Load this up with Windows Media Center, give it a dedicated graphics card, and I'm sold.

Which brings me to one of the things I don't like about the Hyrbid. You're kinda bogged down by its lack of upgrade options. Integrated video is the best you'll get. I also think it's too expensive. Sure, you get a keyboard and mouse and it's packing a C2D, but for the price (starts at $499) you could get yourself a decent, budget laptop.

Oh, I also hate that it's running Windows Vista, although I like that's it's not loaded with bloatware. About the only bloatware I found (aside from IE Explorer) were a few Google Gadgets. Another thing, the Hybrid's desktop is kinda "Macified" in the sense that it's very clean and rather than have a column of icons along the left, it has a dock that sits on top of the screen. Nice touch, Dell.

My quick impression, the Hyrbid is very cool if you're into design and aesthetics. It's powerful, quiet, and comes with ports a plenty, but don't expect to conquer the world with it.