Since then, numerous companies have attempted to woo the space-conscious user with aesthetically-pleasing, small-form-factor computers that replicate much of what is found in the larger boring beige boxes.
ASUS is jumping firmly on the small-is-beautiful bandwagon by releasing the Essentio CS5110 mini-PC.
Touted by ASUS as the world's smallest PC, the CS5110 packs in quite a feature-list. A slim-slot Blu-ray SuperMulti drive lets you play high-definition content, which is accelerated by an MXM-based (laptop) GeForce 8600M GPU. The brains of the outfit are provided by an Intel Core 2 Duo CPU (user-provided) sat atop of a G35 chipset-based motherboard.
Continuing the laptop heritage of the product, there are two SODIMM slots, for a maximum of 4GiB, and all the gamut of connectivity options, including Bluetooth, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, gigabit LAN, and FireWire. There's an IR receiver and HDMI port for concurrently exporting audio and video, as well.
ASUS has opted for a 3.5in SATA drive, rather than the 2.5in shipping in most laptops, and thus opening up the possibility of including a 1TiB model, which is a sensible move.
Designed as a home-theatre PC, ASUS reckons the unit - which measures a scant 200mm x 290mm x 80mm (DxWxH - as pictured) and weighs 3.4kg - is whisper-quiet, too.
Small, quiet, and feature-rich, the CS5110 will be available in a number of pre-configured SKUs. No word on pricing or availability, but it looks as if ASUS is on to another winner.
The full specifications can be found here.
