The rumors about Dell's Studio Hybrid PC have been going around for a while and some early pictures appeared on various Websites, but it looks like Dell is set to launch this new tiny addition to its desktop range today.

Due to its size, it relies on mobile processors and it will be available with at least a Celeron 550 or a Core 2 Duo T9300 processor, although more choice might be available, as well, depending on the market. Other features include up to 4GB of RAM, up to 320GB of storage space, DVD or Blu-ray options, optional WiFi and TV-tuner modules and a wireless keyboard and mouse option.

In terms of ports, this tiny system is crammed full, it has DVI, HDMI, optical S/PDIF out, Gigabit Ethernet, FireWire, three rear and two front USB 2.0 ports and a multi-format memory card reader. It only has analog stereo in and out, as well as a front mounted headphone jack, so unless you have a set of speakers that accept S/PDFI input, you can forget about getting surround sound.

The Studio Hybrid relies on an external power brick and only appears to have a single small fan for cooling. Hopefully it will be quiet, as it has every chance to be quiet, but it all depends on how well Dell has designed the cooling system.

It will be available in a range of colors and as it features exchangeable "sleeves" you can mix and match to suit your taste. Available options include Bamboo, Emerald, Quartz, Ruby, Sapphire, Slate and Topaz, with the first one being made of real bamboo, while the rest are made from shiny plastic.

The Studio Hybrid is meant to start at an affordable US$499, but we'd expect it to retail for a fair bit more in Europe, maybe even as much as €499, but we'll find out later today when it launches.

Update

So, the European price ended up at €599, including VAT and shipping in Germany, although this is for the most basic European model with a Core 2 Duo T2390 CPU, 2GB of RAM and a 160GB hard drive. In the U.K. you're looking at a whopping £558.99 (€707) for the same system. The default color is black and the other options are €10/£10, although the bamboo model doesn't seem to have made it to Europe.

There's no Celeron version available on the European market and we presume this is the $499 model in the U.S., but Dell has yet to launch the Studio Hybrid there, so we can't verify this.