Dell is planning to release a one-piece computer called Studio One 19 set to launch in Japan next week. In an effort to go against Apple’s one-piece iMac line and HP’s TouchSmart series, Dell (News - Alert) will rollout Studio One 19 in the U.S. later this spring.

 

The company’s marketing campaign is targeted toward the kitchen.

 

"More and more people are making the kitchen the center of their entertainment and computing experience," said Alex Gruzen, Dell senior vice president of consumer products. The new model, he continued, is "the ideal system for that need" because of its form factor, its capabilities, and a pricing that is "very affordable for the family."

 

Some could argue this to be true. Growing up, I had a small black and white television with a radio attached on our kitchen counter. My brother and I never missed our beloved cartoons. But since technology has since evolved, and greatly, Dell’s one-piece computer comes with a touch screen.  

 

The multi-touch screen is optional and comes with a hard drive of up to 750GB, the Studio One 19 will start at $699. Made of aluminum, glass and fabric, which Dell expects will offer a "style statement" that people will want to display rather than park in a corner and colors include Solid Pure White, Tuscan Red, Navy Blue, Powder Pink, and Charcoal, according to NewsFactor.com.

 

Dell’s feature push is its multimedia capabilities. If the multi-touch option is chosen, it could then be used for photo editing, slideshow creation, playlist building, note-taking, and Web browsing.

 

Options for processors include the Intel (News - Alert) Celeron, Dual Core Celeron, Pentium Dual Core, Core 2 Duo, or Core 2 Quad Core. Integrated graphics options include the Nvidia GeForce 9200 or GeForce 9400. There are six USB ports and dual-channel memory is available up to 4GB.

 

You Paint finger-painting software offers a playful means of expression without the mess, and there's a multi-touch percussion center for creating music. Videos can be recorded and uploaded right to YouTube (News - Alert) with touch controls and, similarly, photos can easily be uploaded to Flickr.

 

Media input includes a slot-load optical drive and a 7-in-1 media-card reader, Web camera, Blu-ray Disc drive, and wireless capability are options, like face-recognition security.

 

Doug Bell, an analyst for industry research firm IDC (News - Alert), called the Studio One 19 "a very nice product." He pointed out that this isn't Dell's first all-in-one product, but multi-touch could boost the model’s popularity for installation in the kitchen and/or living room.

 

"Relatively speaking," Bell continued, the Studio One 19 "has great specs and some nice bells and whistles." Although PC sales are down in many categories, he noted, the "all-in-one PC form factor is a bright spot" and growing.

 

In addition to the Studio One 19 one-piece computer, Dell may have to release another product, preferably in the MP3 market, to keep up. Apple (News - Alert) this week announced the release of its new iPod shuffle 4GB that plays your music and tells you the artist name and song title.