The most impressive point about the Prius Plug-In Hybrid is certainly its charging time. In under two hours at 200V (three hours at 100V) you can fully charge the battery. And that’s simply by plugging it into a standard power point. What’s more, while switched to full electric mode, you’ll be able to drive around 20km on a fully charged battery. Depending on where you live, that’s enough to get you down to the shops and back.

The Prius Plug-In Hybrid looks no different to the current Prius model, it just comes with a plug attached. It can operate with or without the battery charged and has greater fuel efficiency thanks to the improved battery. We asked Yukihiro Okane, Chief Engineer, Product Planning of the Toyota Product Development Group when we could expect batteries that could last for around the same distance as a tank of petrol now, but he said it was still too far away to tell.

This was the Japan premier of the Plug-In Hybrid. When word drops of when we can expect it Gizmodo will be sure to let you know.

Damian Francis is the editor-at-large for Australian T3 and contributing technology editor for GQ Australia. He is in Japan as a guest of Toyota Australia.

Dubbed the Long Endurance Multi-intelligence Vehicle (LEMV), the craft will be based on Lockheed Martin’s P-791 experimental hybrid airship, which you can see in the video below. The smaller P-791 was 38 metres long, but flew six tests in 2006. It’s known as a hybrid because only 80% of its lift comes from buoyancy; the other 20% comes from three downward thrusters on each side.

As for the LEMV: a 12-metre long, 4.6-metre wide area behind the only sometimes-manned cockpit will carry intelligence systems, like radar and wide-area motion sensors, that will beam information back to commanders on the ground.

Totally makes me think of Aeon Flux or Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. Crazy. [Aviation Week via The Register]

The plant can generate 100 kW of on-demand power and 170 kW of thermal power and consists of 30 mirrors that concentrate the sun’s rays to the 30-foot Aora Tower. The rays are used to heat concentrated air to drive an electric turbine and the microturbine kicks in at night to fill in the gaps. It is capable of running on biodiesel or natural gas, which means power 24-hours a day—rain or shine. Because it is so versatile, this technology could help power up off the grid communities without having to expand existing grids. Aora is already looking to expand into other countries—and I say bring it on. That tower reminds me of the Eye of Sauron—only more flower-y. [Aora Solar and Treehugger via Inhabitat]

Known for their watchmaking, the Ulysse Nardin has the mechanical intricacy you would expect along with a 2.8-inch multitouch screen, 5-megapixel camera, biometric fingerprint unlocking, WiFi and an email browser. It also sucks supplemental power into the battery by harvesting kinetic energy from the revolving rotor on the back. The phone is currently on display at the Baselworld watch and jewellery expo and will be available, I’m assuming, sometime in the near future for a completely absurd price. [Uncells]

For as little as $US150,000, you too can own the first-generation of the plug-in, battery-powered equivalent of a 375-horsepower motorboating experience, which uses the auspiciously named Flux Propulsion EVO 8.1 Marine Drive System to recharge itself over a four-hour run via gas motor. In all, it uses just half what a similarly beefed-up powerboat would use to pull skiers and wakeboarders and let’s not forget fat, drunk tubers. If you’re a bit strapped for cash, wait till 2012, when AutoblogGreen reports there may well be a $US70,000 version.

The funny thing is, no matter how smugly green a boat gets, any promotional video of it—shown below—still makes it look like just the thing for some good ole red-state R&R. I should know, having grown up waterskiing on Lake Maxincuckee in Culver, Indiana. Tip to director, though: For an even more successful promo vid, add some bikini-clad blondes, a case of Coors Light, and more life-threatening airborne trick action. [AutoblogGreen via Engadget]

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]

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

The Price: US$949 as configured.

Form Factor
The Studio Hybrid is small, no doubt about it. A little heftier than a Wii, its colour comes from a removable outer case that, in person, is far more transparent than the advertising art would have you believe. You can’t really make out the colour unless you’re looking for it. In our cabinet, we’d ditch that sleeve to make the case even smaller. (Dell confirmed that the PC can run just fine on its side, too.)

Web Browsing
It was a joy, really. I used the bundled wireless laser mouse right on my couch. And the keyboard is light and comfortable.

Television
While web browsing, in another window, I watched NBC over my HD antenna with a USB coax adaptor. The computer could handle the task fine, though when you changed channels, it wasn’t quite as smooth as your HD box would be. But the bigger problem I had—one that is not specifically Dell’s fault—is that the entire desktop didn’t make it to my television (the edges were cut off a bit, a common problem for TVs displaying computer content). This is something to keep in mind before buying a media PC to use on your television (buy with a good return policy), and it wasn’t ideal for TV.

Blu-ray
Dell’s integrated Blu-ray drive…really isn’t too shabby. Even on my 720p test display, I’d have to say my PS3 is rendering images with less noise and more colour—Dell’s integrated Blu-ray player warns that it doesn’t support the full Windows colour space—but loading times were reasonable, picture quality was passable and, let’s just say it worked better than original DVD drives did in PCs…though not by a lot. Still, the biggest downfalls are Dell’s lacklustre integrated controls and when fast forwarding you realise that the system does have its limits (one time our screen stopped previewing the video altogether until we hit play again).

Verdict
Most will say the Studio Hybrid is overpriced. I’m not sure if that’s the case. While the system starts at US$500 and the unit I tested—one that I’m actually pretty pleased with—ballooned to US$1000, the PC is pieced together from mostly laptop parts so you’ll pay a laptop price. That’s the cost of the form factor, and an unfortunate reality of the media PC market as it stands today (you’ll crush the Studio Hybrid’s performance for the dollar, but it’ll look like there’s a computer sitting next to your TV.)

Still, US$1000 is a lot to ask for a computer using integrated graphics.

All the same, I’d argue that the Hybrid’s flaw isn’t its potentially high price, but its target market. The computer is trying to be a general purpose system when Dell should have simply tricked out its media centre capabilities to their max, or at least allow such an option. Integrate the digital tuner instead of making me stick dongles out the back and give me a remote to control everything from Blu-ray to Hulu, and I’m sold without seeing the sticker price.

But until then, I’d say the Studio Hybrid is just alright—not quite the media PC for everyone I’d hoped it would be. (You can’t turn it on from your couch, you know?) The prospect of web browsing and Bittorrent can’t pull me away from watching media on my PS3 or Xbox 360, and my stock DVR will probably handle video recording with a lot less hassle.

Then again, if Dell ever makes a Studio Hybrid 2, I’ll be anxious to see the improvements. [Dell]

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?
Dell’s other announcements from overnight are even worse: The Inspiron 13 laptop, priced at US$800 (AUD$842)will cost $1,299 in Australia; while the Inspiron 518 Desktop starts at US$349 (AUD$367) in the States, yet will cost $999 down under.

I’m waiting to hear back from Dell as to why there’s such a large price difference between the products here and overseas, and will update as soon as I hear back from them.

[Dell]

This seems like the future of traditional consumer desktops that aren’t gaming/performance beasts or servers (since the desktop is otherwise being supplanted by laptops in the consumer space). Definitely a winner from Dell’s design department–but let’s see how well these sell.

New Studio Hybrid PC: Ultra-Small, Colorfully Stylish, “Green”
· Puts the PC back on the desktop, or the countertop, or the bookshelf, or the entertainment center
· New Inspiron PCs include sub-$800 13-inch laptop

ROUND ROCK, Texas, July 29, 2008 — Dell’s smallest, most personalised and most environmentally responsible consumer PC, the Studio Hybrid, launches today. Available immediately at www.dell.com/hybrid, the PC’s new unique shape and size, personalised with six external jewel-toned colour or bamboo finish options, unleashes stylistic expression, inspiration and fun and looks great in any room.

Dell also unveiled two new Inspiron PCs, including the Inspiron 13, a sleek and stylish sub‑$800 13-inch laptop perfect for students heading back to school, available starting next week at Wal-Mart. The Inspiron 518 desktop, available immediately at www.dell.com, is designed for everyday family multi-media activities, be it catching up on favourite TV shows via the Internet, playing online games, and storing and accessing music playlists and digital images.

“The design and craftsmanship of the Studio Hybrid alone are enough to cause you to do a double take,” Michael Tatelman, vice president, global consumer sales and marketing. “Combine that with the performance of this little beauty and its environmentally smart DNA, and you’ve got something truly unique – something that you can make your own.”

Studio Style, Energy Efficient

As with Dell’s recently announced Studio laptops, the Studio Hybrid was designed to enhance personal expression and creative living. Dell’s smallest desktop PC, about the size of a collegiate dictionary, can fit just about anywhere. Depending on the location or decor, the Studio Hybrid can be set up in a vertical or horizontal orientation, and be personalised with a choice of seven optional, interchangeable external finishes or colour sleeves: Bamboo, Emerald, Quartz, Ruby, Sapphire, Slate, and Topaz.

With a starting price of $499, the petite PC has the performance to take on the digitally enlightened user’s everyday activities like creating mash-ups, content for personal web pages, editing and uploading videos and digital photo albums. The Studio Hybrid is at home in the living room, fitting easily into entertainment centres, and connecting to HDTVs via a standard HDMI port. When paired with an optional wireless keyboard, people can easily flip back and forth from watching a favourite broadcast TV show or sporting event to checking online stats, sending email, looking at digital pictures, etc. on the TV. Customers can configure a Studio Hybrid with variety of optional technologies and peripherals to make it truly unique, like:

· Optional Wi-Fi networking – allows people to place the PC anywhere that’s convenient for them.

· Optional wireless keyboard and mouse help ensure a clean desktop, counter top or coffee table.

· Optional Blu-Ray Disc drive for watching high-definition DVDs.

· Optional TV tuner that enables users to watch, pause and record live TV.[i]

“Our goal was to design a desktop that fits in the office or in the living room, or anywhere space is at a premium,” said Michael Scheschuk, desktop product marketing. “We’ve created a desktop PC category that combines style, performance and a high degree of energy efficiency.”

The Dell Studio Hybrid is about 80 percent smaller than the typical desktop minitower, and uses up to 70 percent less energy. In addition to being extremely energy efficient and Energy Star 4.0 compliant, the Studio Hybrid’s unique packaging was designed to be environmentally responsible:

· Reduced packing materials 30 percent by weight.

· Packing materials are also 95 percent recyclable.

· Reduced printed documentation 75 percent by weight.

· System recycling kit is included.

The Studio Hybrid is available today on www.dell.com/hybrid and will be featured in select retailers later this fall.

[Dell]