Dell debuts Vostro All In One desktop
By Donald Melanson 
posted July 16th 2009 12:27PM
posted July 16th 2009 12:27PM
Dell's business-minded Vostro line of PCs may already seem like it was overflowing with options, but there's been one fairly significant gap that Dell has now finally filled by rolling out its first all-in-one Vostro desktop. As you can imagine, this one is a slightly squarer version of the company's Studio One 19 home PC, with it packing a 19-inch display, and a range of fairly standard configuration options, including Core 2 Duo or Pentium dual-core processors, and 2GB of RAM and a 160GB hard drive in its base configuration. What's more, while the system packs the usual built-in kickstand, it can also be used with an optional VESA mount to free up even more desk space, and you can of course also grab it with a wireless mouse and keyboard to further cut down on clutter. Look for this one to hit North America on August 11th, although folks in Japan and China can grab one right one for a starting price of $629.
[Via Electronista]
[Via Electronista]
I love the smell of iMac in the Morning
Lawl. But I mean, there aren't alot of design choices after square, thin, and sleek.
"dsteve303" Good Point. But they could atleast put the speakers at the top or around it. When I looked at this article i was like "holy shit, apple's made a black imac". As that's obviously what kind of reaction dell is tryin to recieve.
sorry, I changed my name just there I'm PATRICKmcnicholl. lol
Their last AIO design was actually pretty original, and I liked it a lot; speakers were nicely placed and even had a glowing ring under the right grille to show when a disc was loaded. Swing-and-a-miss with this design, though... looks too much like the old iMac design with the ugly plastic block at the bottom.
I've never understood why all-in-one PCs put the components in the monitor rather than in the keyboard. What peripheral would a person be more likely to want to replace or upgrade: the keyboard or the monitor?
Put them in the keyboard?
And then what? Give you a free monitor? Plus people spill shit on their keyboards all the time.
What if I want a better keyboard that fits better my needs and hand?
The current setup is the best.
Its been done before... Apple II
@dsteve303 - Do you live in some sort of colony for clumsy people? People spill shit on their keyboards all the time, so that makes it a bad idea to put things under the keyboard... really? I bet the billion-dollar laptop industry wishes you had told them that sooner. And for the record, I have never ever spilled anything on any keyboard. Ever. But that's just me, living in my normal person world.
@Good_Bytes - Again, I ask, what are you more likely to want to replace, your monitor or your keyboard? You can only pick one. I'd like to know a single person here who has replaced their keyboard more than their monitor.
Monitors are far and away the best choice:
A) Several different keyboard styles, Natural, standard, multimedia, etc.
B) What if you want wireless keyboard?
C) Keyboard more likely to fail or be broken
D) About the only thing most people care about on monitor is size, which you can pick on purchase
E) Monitors are generally more stationary than keyboards
F) Keyboards are considerably smaller than monitors and require more effort to shrink
Yeah, it does suck that it's built into a monitor, but that's the downside of an All-in-one. If it bothers you that much, get one of the Nettops with VESA mounts.
@Kamokazi
Keyboards are far and away the best choice:
A) Several different monitor styles, aspect ratio, size, resolution, inputs, etc.
B) People who spend $100 to buy a wireless keyboard aren't the kind to buy a cheapo all-in-one computer.
C) Keyboards are cheap to fix. Proprietary monitors are very expensive.
D) About the only thing most people care about on keyboards is size, which is perfectly fine on an all-in-one
E) Keyboards are generally stationary on a desktop computer
F) Keyboards have plenty of space for components, about equal to a large non-compact laptop
@ Tonicboy "Again, I ask, what are you more likely to want to replace, your monitor or your keyboard? You can only pick one. I'd like to know a single person here who has replaced their keyboard more than their monitor."
It's hard to say what I have switched more since I use multiple computers and vary the configuration. But I will list all the keyboards, monitors and tower builds that I have used for any significant length of time.
Monitors I have used:
19" Samsung CRT
19" Phillips LCD
20.1" Viewsonic LCD
22" Viewsonic LCD
27" Dell LCD
Number of long-term (1yr+) computer builds: 7
Keyboards used:
Microsoft Natural
Logitech Natural Wireless
Noname Compact Keyboard
Logitech S510 Keyboard
Microsoft Natural Multimedia
Logitech G15
Logitech G15 (Replaced under Warranty)
Logitech diNovo Edge
Microsoft Natural 4000
Remember, just because YOU do it, does not mean that is the norm. I may not be the norm either (actually I can guarantee I am not), but since manufacturers are doing it, that would indicate that more people replace keyboards than monitors.
A) Several different monitor styles, aspect ratio, size, resolution, inputs, etc.
Most people only care about screen size.
B) People who spend $100 to buy a wireless keyboard aren't the kind to buy a cheapo all-in-one computer.
You can get wireless keyboards for $20 easily.
C) Keyboards are cheap to fix. Proprietary monitors are very expensive.
Yeah, but when that keyboard is integrated into a $500 PC, it becomes very expensive, too, and it is FAR FAR more likely to break than the monitor. I am responsible for maintaining ~150 PCs. We replace at least one keyboard a week, and MAYBE one monitor in a month.
D) About the only thing most people care about on keyboards is size, which is perfectly fine on an all-in-one
But making a keyboard an all in one makes it considerably larger/heavier and puts limitations on what size it can be.
E) Keyboards are generally stationary on a desktop computer
Yes, but they get repositioned more than monitors.
F) Keyboards have plenty of space for components, about equal to a large non-compact laptop
You have to add significant thickness and weight. It's better to add that extra bulk to the monitor.
Normally I detest foul language in innocuous gadget blogs, but dsteve303 hit the nail on the head with that one. There is no way I'm running an all-in-one PC through my dishwasher.
@Tonicboy
They put the components and the monitor together because there is much more room to put things. You will never fit full size components inside a keyboard unless you want it to be 2 1/2 in thick.
Then you are not a normal person. And I mean that as a compliment. Even careful people have an occasional spill. "Normal people" think nothing of using the keyboard as a backscratcher/cricket bat.
@dlewis - They don't use full-size components in an all-in-one. They don't even use use SFF components. They use laptop components and last time I checked, a full-size keyboard has as much space as a large laptop, which means they can build it with the same parts they use to build those laptops, for very cheap and with no need for extra engineering to miniaturize.
u.g.l.y
The best method would be a standardized solution, such as a nettop that attached to the monitor. Want a new PC? Disconnect the nettop and replace it with a newer faster one.
Well, there's always these...
http://www.cybernetman.com/
I don't want to place the weight of my hands in all the components of a PC more than the necessary. And when I use my PC in a cramped desktop while using books and notebooks the only thing I throw away is my light, cheap, and wireless keyboard, which I can bring back with no regret of being violent when I need to type in something.
BTW...that stand is genius.
Dell's All-in-Ones look so sleek and sexy. Too bad I can't say the same for their laptops.
What's up with that stand? Sticks out like a sore thumb.
better question is how it holds the pc up.
I like the stand. Its small and relatively inoffensive.
And its obviously a dek clamp design which I think is really practical and sturdy
*Should read "desk"
Does it get clamped/bolted onto the desk? Even if it is perfectly balanced, it'd still be mighty top-heavy. One jolt and that thing is done.
The external desk mount arm on the Vostro AIO is from Ergotron. Here's the link to their product page - http://www.ergotron.com/Products/tabid/65/PRDID/56/language/en-US/default.aspx
Mounting Options: Desk clamp attaches to surface edge 2.6" (66 mm) thick; grommet mount attaches through surface holes .31" to 2.0" (8 to 51 mm) wide and up to 3" (80 mm) thick
Weight Capacity: 14 to 30 lbs (6.3 to 13.6 kg)
Attaches to this and to all LCD displays via VESA mount pattern
DO WANT. Discreet graphics option...?
"grab one right one"?
where the hell were you on that?
You're right, I've been slacking hard. I need to go back on duty.
Found the product page. Ubuntu for a business machine? Weird.
http://translate.google.com/translate?js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww1.ap.dell.com%2Fcn%2Fzh%2Fgen%2Fdf.aspx%3Frefid%3Ddf%26s%3Dgen&sl=zh-CN&tl=en&history_state0=
A lot of large businesses have site licenses for Windows and use standard images, so this way they avoid having pay for a useless copy of Windows.
Looks about as stable as Mark Sanford's marriage.
*drums* baa-doomp-chssh *drums*
Can't wait for more of these to come out with ION or something better than Intel's suckiness they call graphics.
If you read the release, the word "business" is used about 50 times. Business users rarely have any need for good graphics performance. Also, this isn't a nettop running an Atom, it's running a Core 2 Duo processor. I know it's trendy to say "ION" in comments, but it just doesn't make any sense in this case.
"If you read the release, the word "business" is used about 50 times."
No one said anything about it not being for business use.
"Business users rarely have any need for good graphics performance."
Lmao you're kidding I hope
Reread: "Can't wait for more of these to come out with ION"
As in All-In-Ones, nothing to do with business here, buddy.
I know it's trendy to argue with someone wanting an All-In-One with ION, but in this case, it just doesn't make sense.
thats pretty intenseee right there
i think my pupils just vomited.
with almost the same design, apple makes a much better all-in-one, by far.
I gotta say there Johnson, your logic doesn't hold up. Almost the same design, which you said yourself, but your pupils almost vomited? Really buddy? And how do you KNOW that either machine is better, when one of them isn't even out yet? Oh yeah, you don't. Nice try though.
they started out with something so good, yet managed to stuff it up so badly. and who has a 19" screen on a desktop anyway?
but, i guess they are looking for different demographics, so it doesn't really matter. i'll stick with my iMac anyway.
Acer has a nettop, that the computer actually mounts onto the back of your monitor. You can then simply replace the whole computer, or the monitor, since they are actually two different devices.
Much better idea than this.
.....Physics....?
/incredulous_stare Why?!
I, for one, think this looks pretty sexy. Yeah, we all know that Apple has done this. However, it's good to see someone else do it... and do it very well. However, I wish it would have a larger monitor than just 19".
All:
Here's a blog post on our blog Direct2Dell: http://bit.ly/7p6fK. Since we're not selling it yet, it's not on Dell.com. The post does link to a spec sheet on our SlideShare account, but if you only want to see it, go here: http://bit.ly/r7x17.
@GRAMMAR POLICE: Unfortunately, no discrete graphics. It uses Intel's GMA4500HD integrated video.
Thanks,
LionelatDell
Should have mentioned that we're giving one of these away to a small business person who can show us they have the world's messiest desk.We're asking for pictures on Flickr. See more details here: http://bit.ly/T87SL.
One reminder to folks questioning why someone would choose this over an Apple... starting price of $629. Besides that, it's built on a desktop chipset and uses desktop procs and hard drives. Not a bad deal.
@Cormier6083: What you see in the picture is an external stand option. There a different one can be used. Best to look at these pictures on Flickr: http://bit.ly/Z8dhi.
The external desk mount arm on the Vostro AIO is from Ergotron. Here's the link to their product page: http://tiny.cc/gnRKh