Asus announces tiny media center PC

It looks like the success of the tiny Eee PC laptop is giving Asus ideas. Good ones, at that. The company has announced the Essentio CS5110, a diminutive desktop PC with a focus on multimedia. The CS5110 measures just 200mm x 290mm x 80mm, and includes an HDMI output for a 1080p HDTV or high resolution monitor. it also has S/PIDF output and support for 7.1 sound.

It's also got 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0, and a cooling system designed to help keep the noise down if you put this little guy in your living room. Ther'e's rom for a 3.5inch hard drive, an optical drive, a 10-in-1 card reader, 6 USB ports, a VGA port, and line in/out jacks as well as your typical headphone and microphone inputs.

The computer runs Windows Vista Home Premium, which means you've got media center functionality out of the box. But I don't see any info about PCI or PCIe cards, so if you want to add a TV tune, it looks like you might need to find a USB model.

No word on pricing or availability.

[via Chris Lanier]