Dell Studio Hybrid - Saving or Stealing from the Pandas

The new Dell Studio Hybrid desktop is not technically a mobile device, but its so small, that it could possibly be one.  Its 80% smaller than a standard desktop, weighing only 4.8lbs.  That’s lighter than quite a few laptops.   So, if you had a monitor and outlet readily available, you could carry the Studio Hybrid around with you.  Dell is marketing this desktop as their greenest desktop PC ever.  In addition to the small size of the computer itself, Dell has reduced the amount of paper included by 75% as compared with a standard desktop.  I think all companies should look at reducing their paper usage.  How many people actually read their manuals?  Mine is collecting dust on my shelf as we speak.  If I have a computer problem at home, I just go to work and ‘google‘ the information the next day.

With the cost of gasoline and electricity being so high, power saving is on everyone’s mind.  Dell has designed the Hybrid to use 70% less power than an average desktop, as well as meeting Energy Star 4.0 standards.  That standards translates to an 87% power efficiency.  I am in favor of anything that helps to reduce our energy usage, plus this offers a pay-back of helping you save money as well.  Not everything that helps the pandas has to be a sacrifice.  The best solutions are mutually beneficial.  Dell does not just help save power, it also helps out with recycling.  The packaging material is made from 95% recyclable material.  So, once your new toy is unpacked, you can take all the cardboard and plastic to your local recycling center.  The Studio Hybrid also comes with a recycling kit to help you dispose of your old PC.  Many of the components in electronics, such as the metals, are highly toxic to the environment.  That material can leech into the soil, and make it into our water system.  The best thing to do with your computer is to find a special recycling center, and Dell does an excellent job in helping to educate consumers as to how to dispose of their computer safely.

Now there are so many environmentally friendly points to the Dell Studio Hybrid, how could they possibly be stealing from the pandas?  Well, the answer is bamboo.  One of the covers available for the customizable Studio Hybrid is bamboo…real bamboo.  (I did check with Dell to make sure it was real.)  Pandas eat bamboo, so this would be stealing their food.  It put me in a tough position to figure out what to think of this PC.  Looking at everything, the pluses do out-weigh the one minus.  Luckily, bamboo is a renewable resource, and grows rather quickly.  However, I would ask Dell to stick with just their different color choices.  Do you really want to take food from those faces?

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