Teen machine: the Hip-e
Hip-e
The product: We were extremely suspicious of Hip-e's all-in-one desktop PC, and not just because it comes in pink fur or leopard skin--more because of its teenspeak-drenched marketing materials. Nevertheless, our interest evolved when we saw it in person. Featuring a futuristic and somewhat flimsy-seeming design, the Hip-e looks like something an Apple designer might cook up on a bad acid trip, but it packs a decent set of features, including a 1.5GHz Pentium M, a 17-inch wide-screen LCD, TV tuning and recording capabilities, and built-in 802.11g wireless. Also onboard is a detachable speaker system that connects to Hip-e's MP3 player.

• ATI M11 Video with 64MB of VRAM
• 512MB SDRAM memory
• 120GB hard drive
• 7-in-1 memory-card reader
• CD-RW/DVD combo drive
• Six USB 2.0 ports
• One FireWire port

The price: The basic system costs $1,699. Hip-e's MP3 player is sold separately.

The prospects: We snickered at first, but Hip-e might be on to something. Maybe. While we're still skeptical that the Hip-e can compete with more mainstream systems on a performance basis, it does offer a compelling set of features. And it's surely easier to bug mom and dad for one Hip-e than for a TV, a CD player, a DVD player, a DVR, and a PC.

By Justin Jaffe, senior associate editor, CNET Reviews