While not quite as stylish as the Studio Hybrid, Dell's new Studio Slim line is a promising update to their standard PCs for those of us ever-interested in an inexpensive media PC. Starting at $US549, systems begin with 2.53GHz Core2Duo processors, 2GB of RAM and integrated graphics, but include HDMI out and are pumpable with Blu-ray. Plus, at less than 4 inches tall (on its side), a Studio Slim shouldn't be much more obnoxious than your current DVR setup...even if it doesn't have its own matching stand like the Hybrid. [Dell via Electronista]

The Gadget: Dell Studio Hybrid. An HDMI-equipped small PC, with 2.16Ghz processor, 2GB of RAM, 250GB hard drive and internal Blu-ray drive.

AU: Remember, the US Hybrid is differently specced to the Australian model.

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UPDATE: Turns out that the Australian Hybrid machines are higher specced than their US cousins - So rather than hating us, Dell actually love us by giving us better hardware. For a full list of differences, you can check out the Dell websites, but we get 2GB RAM and a 320GB hard drive instead of 1GB and 250GB. The same spec upgrades go for the Latitude PCs as well...

We saw the Dell Hybrid announcement come from the US overnight, and its US$499 price tag was actually pretty exciting for a desktop computer. Of course, the computer was pretty exciting itself - 80% smaller, using 70% less power and packed in 95% recycleable packaging.

But now that the pricing for Australia has been announced, some of that excitement has quickly worn off.

If you're interested in greening up your desktop PC with one of these bamboo-cased wonders, you may need to start saving, as Dell in Australia have the starting price set at $999 - almost double the US price. The US$499 equates to $525 on today's exchange rate.

Obviously the exchange rate isn't everything when it comes to pricing - there's also the whole 'economies of scale' thing - Dell are going to sell a lot more of these in the US than they will in Australia (just based on populations), so they can afford to reduce the profit margin over there. But double the price? That's a bit rich, isn't it?

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Dell's Hybrid mini PC is pretty much their worst kept secret ever (which is kinda sayin' something!) but as of now it can officially adorn the desktop corners of eco- and space-conscious college freshmen or slip into entertainment centres for US$499. It's 80 percent smaller than a standard desktop while slurping 70 percent less power, and 95 percent of the packaging is recyclable, plus it comes with a system recycling kit.

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In case you hadn't heard, Ferrari will have a hybrid car by 2015. Yes, this announcement is kind of inevitable and/or vague, but this is Ferrari we're talking about. And when Ferrari starts to go green, you know you have a widespread automotive trend on your hands. [Jalopnik]

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AutoObserver reports that the next generation Prius will be four inches longer, get a more powerful 1.8 liter gas engine that when combined with electrics will do a total 160 horsepower (compared with 110hp in the current 1.5 liter setup). The kicker is that it'll be more fuel efficient, too. Using Japan's metrics for fuel economy, the current setup gets 84mpg, but the next gen has been reported to run 94 miles under the same conditions. The car is set to be unveiled in 2009. [AutoObserver, photo above of the Prius Concept, not the next gen model.]

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That neighbour of yours thinks he is so badass with his top-of-the-line riding mower. With the Husqvarna's new autonomous lawn mower, you can sip a beer on your porch and tell your neighbour to suck it while he toils away on his yard. And the best part is that the mower is a solar/electric hybrid—so it will mow your lawn whisper quiet with nearly zero emissions.

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San Francisco's Municipal railway has shut down hybrid bus service on two lines that run through housing projects in San Francisco's Hunters Point neighbourhood. Apparently, kids have taken to flipping the power switches located on the outside of the bus—which shuts down radios, lights and makes it impossible to accelerate. They say that service will not be restored until locks can be installed on the power boxes. Locks? Goddammit its a crisis! Why the power switches are located in an open box on the exterior of the bus is beyond me, but it seems that a quick trip to the local Wal-Mart could solve this dilemma right away. [SF Chronicle]

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The Bottom Line: The Samsung BP-U5500 follows up their BP-U5000 which just started to roll to stores recently. The fuctionality remains similar: Blu-ray and HD DVD playback along with CD and DVD support in a single box. The news is the $US599 MSRP which might even break the $500 barrier once discounted.
The Catch: The BP-5000 is having some issues with audio format support, that Sammy hopes to fix by software soon. Hope this set ships cleaner.

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Hard to believe the face of green cars, the Prius, is 10 year old this month. And it's still so slow. Here, mod yours with a switch to run in purely-EV Stealth mode. [Make and Gizmag]