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Correction: The previous price listed was incorrect. This post has been updated to reflect the correct price of $599.

The company famous for its stylish, small Linux desktops is trying its hand at touch screens.

Shuttle X50

(Credit: Shuttle)

The Shuttle X50, an all-in-one desktop with the low-power Intel Atom processor, is now available in the U.S. and Europe, the company announced Thursday. The X50 was first announced at CES in January.

It sports a dual-core Atom processor, 1GB of memory, a 160GB hard drive, Windows XP Home Edition, 5.1-channel audio, a Web cam and built-in microphone, 4-in-1 card reader, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, and a 15.6-inch touch-screen display. It's priced at $599.

The touchscreen all-in-one Atom-powered desktop is a growing category of Nettops, which are generally defined as low-cost, low-power desktops. Before Shuttle's product was announced, Asus had already released the EeeTop, which has very similar specs. MSI's version is called the WindTop. Though these have only just begun to trickle out to consumers, PC industry observers see this as a viable subcategory of the tired desktop market. Because of the influx of these inexpensive touch-screen Nettops, the overall category of all-in-one desktops--which includes the much pricier Apple iMac and HP Touchsmart--is expected to grow more than 80 percent during 2009.

(Credit: Shuttle)

If you're a hard-core gamer who hates monster computer boxes, Shuttle, the maker of custom built small form-factor PCs, now offers another choice.

The company unveiled on Friday its newest liquid-cooled SDXi Carbon Extreme gaming solution.

Shuttle's Liquid I.C.E. cooling solution.

(Credit: Shuttle)

The SDXi Carbon features a cream-of-the-crop quad-core Intel Core2 Extreme QX9770 processor, dual-slot Nvidia GeForce GTX 280 graphics card, and up to 16GB of high-speed DDR2 memory.

With these specifications, the box is designed to deliver the best possible experience for the most demanding applications and games.

Normally, this kind of powerhouse will generate a ton of heat and noise. This is why Shuttle equipped the SDXi Carbon with its Liquid I.C.E. cooling solution.

The company claims this new liquid cooling solution delivers the most efficient performance in an extreme small-form-factor system, while at the same time keeping it quiet even during the hottest gaming section.

Cosmetics-wise, the SDXi Carbon looks decent as it's painted in a unique-looking premium automotive level finish.

The Shuttle SDXi Carbon is available now as a pre-configured complete solution, starting at $2,599.

Shuttle's KPC K-4800.

(Credit: CNET)

We covered Shuttle's bargain-basement KPC K-4500 a few months back and were quite happy with it. We can't say the same about the beefier model, the KPC K-4800. Beefy is extremely relative here, as we're still talking about desktops below $300 to start. But where the KPC K-4500 was all low-cost charm, the K-4800 and its highfalutin DVD burner butt up against budget Windows PCs with better hardware for the price.

This super cheap PC category, where a $30 hard drive upgrade can represent a relatively major price increase, gives desktop vendors very little flexibility. Unfortunately, Shuttle hit the breaking point on this model.

Read the full review of the Shuttle KPC K-4800.

We're waiting to get our hands on the delayed CherryPal PC, an innovative and inexpensive desktop meant to connect you to the cloud, but it's not the only mini PC vying for your attention.

Acer Aspire X1200

Earlier this month, we reviewed Acer's Aspire X1200 and HP's latest Pavilion Slimline, two relatively full-featured desktops shrunk down to a small form factor. The Acer is the better deal on paper, though it may require some mucking about with drivers and settings before it's fully operational. A few tweaks and a BIOS update were required before we had video and audio running to an HDTV via the system's HDMI connection, for example. And other users have reported similar problems with the HDMI connection along with networking problems. The HP Slimline s3550f doesn't have an HDMI port, so we didn't run into such problems with it. We like it as a budget PC for those where space is at a premium. It's also easy to add to your network with its integrated 802.11b/g Wi-Fi antenna.

Asus Eee Box

Cheaper and smaller than the Acer or the HP is the Asus Eee Box. It costs only $350 and is incredibly compact--it looks like a flatter version of the Mac Mini. Despite its small size, it's no cloud-computing computer but one that serves up an operating system and a hard drive. It's similarly outfitted as the Asus Eee PC Netbook, with an Intel Atom CPU, 1GB of RAM, and Windows XP Home. It also packs Draft N Wi-Fi and Asus's ExpressGate technology--a Linux shell that lets you bypass Windows to browse the Web, instant message, view photos, and make VoIP calls with Skype.

Dell Studio Hybrid

The Dell Studio Hybrid is a bigger, pricier version of the Eee Box. The added size and dollars net you an optical drive and a faster processor, more memory, and a larger hard drive. We liked its overall design, but at a price north of $800, it gets harder to recommend the Studio Hybrid when other SFF PCs costs hundreds less and similarly priced midtower PCs provide considerably more performance.

Shuttle K-4500

We've reviewed two systems from SFF PC pioneer Shuttle this year, which sit at opposite ends of the spectrum. At $229, the KPC K-4500 is cheaper than the CherryPal PC. This is no bare-bones kit but a fully featured desktop--minus an optical drive (but plus a photo frame!). It runs Linux, which means you'll likely need to hunt for software codecs and hardware drivers, but you'd be hard pressed to find a cheaper, smaller PC. We'd recommend it to anyone looking for a cheap entry into the world of Linux.

Falcon Fragbox 2

We don't recommend the overpriced Shuttle XPC P2 4800X, however. At nearly 14 times the price of the KPC K-4500, this tiny gaming PC serves up unquestionably high-end components. The thing is, Falcon's Northwest Fragbox 2 delivers only slightly less power and framerates for less than half the cost.

Apple Mac Mini

Lastly, we can't end this small-form-factor PC tour with only a passing mention of the Mac Mini. Aside from adding Leopard to it, Apple hasn't touched the Mac Mini since we reviewed it last year. Among SFF PCs, it has the smallest footprint and arguably the best-looking design. It's not the cheapest SFF PC, but then again, with the iLife 08 suite, it serves up the most functionality out of the box.

And, thus, we conclude our tour of small-form-factor PCs.

(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET)

After taking a closer look at the Virgin Mobile Shuttle at CTIA Fall 2008, we managed to get a review unit in house to put the phone through its paces.

I have to say that despite its 3G speeds and location-based services, I was a little underwhelmed by the Shuttle's offerings. Now, this is not to say I dislike it. Indeed, I actually think it's one of the best phones in Virgin Mobile's lineup, with its smooth curved design and sleek slider form factor. Even its 1.3-megapixel camera wasn't too bad, despite the washed-out picture quality.

My main problem with it is that it just doesn't fully make use of the EV-DO speed. It only has a WAP browser, and we couldn't stream video or audio to really test out the 3G. We did manage to load Web pages faster and download games quickly, but that didn't seem enough. And at the time of the review, there was no store where we could download the location-based applications--I had to go to the Where.com Web page directly from the phone's browser, which then proceeded to approximate my location less than accurately (it was a good six or so blocks off).

Of course, these are still early days in the Helio and Virgin Mobile partnership, and we hope to see Virgin Mobile improving its broadband and location-based offerings. I'll definitely revisit the review once we get native location-based applications loaded on the phone. Despite my issues with it, I still gave it a decent rating because it's a pretty good 3G phone with location services for only $99.99 without a contract.

Check out the gallery of the Shuttle for a closer look and read our review for a full rundown of the phone.

On the one hand, we'll cut Shuttle a little slack with the XPC P2 4800X. By shoehorning an Intel X48 chipset into a small form factor case, not only do you get support for Intel's most recent Core 2 Extreme quad core chips, but the computer also features two eSATA ports. If you're a designer and you want a fast little system that will accommodate speedy external storage, you might find something to like here. The case itself is also unique because it comes with a built-in fingerprint reader behind a front panel door.

Shuttle's XPC P2 4800X: sorry, we just can't recommend this one.

(Credit: CNET)

But on the other, more important hand (the one with the rating on it), Shuttle positioned this system against the Falcon Northwest FragBox 2. That system lacks the X48 chipset, and thus cannot use Core 2 Extreme CPUs. It can, however, support two graphics cards via AMD's CrossFireX. That's important for gamers, and moreso than an Core 2 Extreme CPU for those who want to play at high resolutions.

Technically, the X48 chipset can support more than one 3D card, as well. Only, not in this Shuttle. By opting for a smaller chassis than the FragBox 2, this Shuttle system has only a puny 450-watt power supply. That means it can't supply enough power for more one 3D card. Shuttle also doesn't offer the Radeon HD 4870 X2 as a two-chip, single-card upgrade option (unlike Falcon Northwest, which will sell you two of them).

Sorry, Shuttle. We liked that little Linux system from a few months back. We're also working on our review of that newer one. We just can't recommend this gaming system.

Read the full review of the Shuttle XPC P2 4800X.

I finally had a chance to take a closer look at the Virgin Mobile Shuttle yesterday at the Mobile Focus show at CTIA. As you might recall, the Shuttle is Virgin Mobile's first ever 3G handset with EV-DO. It also has GPS functionality, and borrows a couple of Helio location-based services such as Buddy Beacon, a friend-finder application, and Where, which lets you find nearby restaurants or gas stations.

Despite its high-end features, the Shuttle looks and feels like any other Virgin Mobile phone. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but we were expecting a more sophisticated Helio-esque vibe to the overall design. As it is, it simply looks ordinary. That said, the Shuttle is a slender slider handset with nice curved tips toward the top and the bottom, and is clad in the classic red and black colors of Virgin Mobile.

The navigation array consist of two soft keys, a circular toggle, the Send and End/Power keys, a dedicated speakerphone key, and a Back key. The two soft keys, the speakerphone key, and the Back key are not physical buttons--they're actually touch-sensitive. Whenever you touch any of these buttons, the phone vibrates as a form of haptic feedback. I found this rather annoying, and would much prefer actual keys, but I only played with it for a few minutes so I'll have to wait to get our review unit for a proper verdict.

Virgin Mobile Shuttle

(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET)

The overall handset felt, well, kind of cheap. And the display isn't the best we've seen. However, considering it's only $99.99 without a contract, it's not that bad. Plus it has quite a number of features, such as a 1.3-megapixel camera, video capture and playback, a music player, stereo Bluetooth, 3G support, and GPS services.

The Virgin Mobile Shuttle will be available September 28 at Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile.

Virgin Mobile Shuttle is the carrier's first 3G phone.

(Credit: Virgin Mobile)

Virgin Mobile and Personal Communications Devices (formerly known as UTStarcom) have announced the Shuttle, the carrier's first-ever 3G handset. Equipped with EV-DO, GPS, and a slew of high-end features, the Shuttle is one of the first signs of Virgin's Helio acquisition, in that it is enriching its rather basic lineup with strong full-featured devices previously associated with Helio.

Virgin Mobile's Shuttle has a slide-out design.

(Credit: Virgin Mobile)

Indeed, the Shuttle will feature Virgin Mobile's first location-based services from uLocate, like Buddy Beacon, a friend-finder application found previously on Helio phones, as well as Where, an application that delivers local information such as nearby events and restaurants. Other features include a 1.3-megapixel camera, a 2-inch screen, video capture and playback, messaging, an integrated media player that supports both streaming and sideloaded music, stereo Bluetooth, SD card support, and support for Virgin Mobile's Contact Vault that lets you back up your contacts online.

Following the Virgin Mobile tradition, the Shuttle will be available without any contracts for only $99.99, which is a fairly decent price for a multimedia phone. With the Shuttle, Virgin Mobile is also introducing its first Mobile Web data packs, available in monthly plans or a pay-as-you-go. For the monthly plans, it's either $5 for 20 MB of Web surfing and unlimited VirginXL, or it's $10 for 50MB and unlimited VirginXL. For pay-as-you-go, it's $5 for 5MB of Web surfing only, $10 for 20MB and unlimited VXL, and $20 for 50MB and unlimited VXL. (VirginXL is a Virgin Mobile service where you can download games, graphics, and ringtones, as well as get access to streaming video from partners like MTV and Comedy Central).

It'll be available exclusively through Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile starting September 28.

The Shuttle X27, which we reported on last week, is small physically. Turns out, so is the price.

(Credit: Shuttle)

Shuttle let us know Thursday that the miniscule desktop will start at $189--sans monitor, and peripherals, like all Shuttle PCs. It will be available in mid-September.

Now, $189 isn't the cheapest PC Shuttle makes. But that's the lowest price we've seen thus far in the emerging Nettop category, or small desktop PCs bearing Intel's low-power Atom processor.

The Eee Box from Asus, another Nettop, goes for $350. CherryPal, a newcomer to the space, makes a tiny desktop that keeps most data in the cloud, has a Freescale processor, and is to sell for $249.

Cheap is good, but as my colleague Rich Brown points out, is there actually a large market for these small, low-power PCs when you can get a full-fledged desktop for about the same price?

Shuttle plays to the nichiest of niche markets--people who love Linux--so that's probably not its biggest concern. But the company is clearly hoping PCs that can cut down their power usage and space, as it promises with the X27, will catch on.