AMD has a blog posting about this computer, it gives some more pictures and info
http://blogs.amd.com/home/2009/11/12/the-dell-inspiron-zinohd/

Look, I'm a mac guy through and through but you're comparing apples and oranges here. Windows Media Center is designed to operate as a HTPC. Macs have a lot of fine choices for HTPC but from what I've seen from Windows Media Center is far superior right now. Add the fact that Cablecard support is PC only right now and I don't think the PC v. Mac argument is even relevant here. Any other PC v. Mac argument I will fight you to the death on behalf of my macs but not in this one. ;)

excellent question and I can't figure out the answer. I believe there are some USB options for adding an IR receiver out there but it would seem silly if they didn't include it

I'm a mac guy but I would consider this as a HTPC. The only question is with the TV tuner...I think they could have absolutely blown this thing out of the water if they had a built in cablecard tuner. A HTPC that runs windows media center via cablecard in the sub-$500 range would effectively put TIVO out of business and might force a paradigm shift by the cable companies. I love the theory of my set top DVR that I get through my cable company but the truth is that the interface is crap, it is buggy and slow. Nothing is more frustrating than a channel guide that is sluggish and unintuitive. If I could get rid of paying $15 a month, plus have a superior performing DVR plus stream everything in my house to this PC, I'd jump on it. I suspect many others would too. This may force the cable companies to actually innovate and/or drop their fees.

Those of you accusing engadget of "advertising" for apple, etc, get over it. I'm not here to debate the merits of apple, but their product updates have always gotten more p.r. than p.c. updates because of carefully managed press relations. For whatever reason, apple seems to generate a considerable amount of interest. If apple is providing some machines for engadget to do a "hands on," what do you suggest engadget say? "Gee, thanks for giving us an advanced preview of a computer you're releasing today, but even though we're a tech blog and even though you're one of the more widely followed companies in the tech world, we're going to have to decline because reporting on your products might offend a few of our readers"

I really don't get some of these readers who sound like whiny babies ("Keep it up, Engadget (i.e. AOL), and you've lost yet another reader."). If you don't want to read the article, then read another article or another blog (though I would guess that any tech blog is covering these updates). If Apple is not your personal choice, its a free country but I don't think anyone would dispute that the two companies with the biggest mindshare in tech these days is Apple and MS, and they both get a lot of play on this site. I'm an apple guy but I still read about companies that I'm not a big supporter, rather than attacking them.

Right now Apple is expecting us to be running through an imaginary keynote in our heads, which is why the store has been down for so long.

Right after imaginary Joss Stone finishes her song, imaginary Steve will thank us all for coming and the store will be back up

The FCC is going to go after apple's CLOSED ecosystem but they're going to stand by and watch the cable industry rape customers by allowing the cable industry to buy sports teams and venues that are given massive tax breaks (i.e Madison Square Garden) and then allowing them to deny HD feeds to other competing companies (rather than compete on price, of course)?

I think the FCC needs to get their head out of their A$$ and start helping consumers instead of this nonsense.

This should be a bell weather decision to see if the FCC is in the pocket of the cable industry or is about true competition in the marketplace.

Cablevision says they shouldn't have to provide their HD feed, but the truth is they own the teams and networks so that they don't have to provide the HD feed. Rather than compete on price, they want to compete with content exclusivity. BAD for consumers.

They advertise all over the NY market that the only way to see every NY sports team in HD is to have Cablevision because they refuse to make the HD feeds of the Knicks, Rangers, Devils, and Islanders available to FIOS subscribers. If the FCC sides with cablevision, what is to theoretically stop Verizon from purchasing a sports franchise solely to keep the HD feed from Cablevision subscribers? It would then be an impossibility to see every team in HD regardless of what company you have (I'm leaving Direct TV out of this for the sake of simplicity). Is this a consumer friendly policy?

Maybe I'm a little old school, but I think cable companies should not own the content they provide because of this tremendous conflict of interest.

I'm also having trouble wrapping my head around how the FCC held up the Sirius-XM merger for over a year because of theoretical anti-competitive issues, but they haven't yet addressed this.

As an aside, you can always tell the "new" apple fanboys vs. "old" ones. Those of us who have been loving the company since the days when we didn't know if the company would be in business next week (pre-second coming of Jobs) still can't believe that Apple is a market leader again or that companies compare themselves to Apple or even that every time Apple farts, its picked up by the mainstream media. After surviving the Copland debacle and years of promises down the drain with absolutely no direction to go for the Mac platform, even the most ardent Apple supporters were just hoping that the company would be bought out by a company that could keep Macs in production. I think there's a deep appreciation for the company's current position amongst us old schoolers after teetering on the brink of buyouts, bankruptcy and hostile takeovers.

The new Apple fanboys just seem a bit more cocky and kinda like the MS fanboys that us old school Apple fanboys used to want to punch in the face. I miss being the underdog sometimes.

Luis, forgive me, I'm not trying to insult anyone who drives a BMW. Like I said, they're great cars, but my point is really directed toward the value proposition of a BMW versus a Ford