Thanks in large part to the Raspberry Pi, cheap little computers continue to be all the rage. Most of the time, though, these little computers aren’t products of the big name hardware manufacturers. Dell has apparently taken note of the tiny computer market, and has responded with the oft-rumored Project Ophelia, a $100 Android-powered USB stick PC that plugs into any monitor’s HDMI slot.

Dell started its attempt to go private a few months ago, and perhaps Project Ophelia is not just an acknowledgement of the tiny, cheap PC market, but also a bid to stay relevant as part of a new company focus. Ophelia is something of a fat USB stick, but with an HDMI tip. It plugs into any display with an HDMI port (including your TV), and turns that display into a caseless computer. Even the tiny Raspberry Pi requires wires and a small amount of desktop space (though it’s small enough to hang from the ceiling if you want to get creative). It can do anything an Android-powered PC can do, such as play games, stream media, browse the internet, and download apps from the Google Play store.

Perhaps the biggest benefit of Ophelia is that it’s a desktop PC you can carry around with you, the only limitations being an available HDMI port, and if you happen to have Bluetooth input devices handy. (It also has two USB sockets for wired peripherals, but wireless is obviously the idea here.) The portable desktop, as we’ve written about before, appears to be what the future holds for stay-at-home computers, and is something Canonical is aiming for with its Ubuntu Edge.

We don’t yet know Ophelia’s hardware specs or what version of Android it’ll run, but Dell has started shipping units to beta testers. Details have already changed since Ophelia was introduced back in January, but for $100, we can assume the specs won’t be all too impressive. However, we do know that the device will have WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, and that Dell has demonstrated the device running on monitors of wildly different sizes, ranging from 19 to 55 inches. In order to set Ophelia apart from other Android USB-style PCs, Dell plans to employ enterprise features, such as a remote wipe in case it gets stolen, and usage-tracking in order to monitor employees if the stick is used as a work computer. Ophelia will also integrate Dell’s Wyse tech, which opens up a variety of cloud features for the PC stick, such as remotely accessing files on other devices.

Though pocket PCs may be underpowered, their relative cost and portability make them an attractive prospect for employee computers, or convenient entertainment devices (assuming you have a mouse handy).

There is currently no timetable for Ophelia’s release, but units shipping to beta testers is a good sign that a release will happen at some point.

Now read: Dell needs a better business strategy, not a buyout

[Image credit: Big Brown Box Blog]