Semiconductor maker AMD let myself and some other writers-slash-bloggers mess around with its technology last night at Greenhouse in Manhattan.

Reductively, AMD’s VISION technology is what powers the upgrades in performance and useability Microsoft has been touting in its advertising for Windows 7. The chips support new video formats like Blu-Ray, touch-screen monitors, multiple-monitor setups, and other neat consumer technologies.

The new Dell Inspiron Zino HD, a small computer that runs AMD’s Athlon 64 X2 dual-core processors and could compete with Apple’s Mac Mini, was on display as well. One of the reps there told me that the product would start shipping next week and that pricing, sans monitor, keyboard, et cetera, begins at around $250, while the Mac Mini starts at $600. These “mini” computers look like useful consumer products, and the shivering masses might be most turned on by the fact that the Dell Zino comes with interchangeable covers so that OMG YOU CAN CHANGE ITS COLOR!, but either way, they’re good for your living room, not hardcore computing.

Organizers also put the AMD Fusion Media Explorer, a free multimedia search engine and browser for Windows-based computers, on display. AMD’s blog has a post about that product and what it aims to do, along with video from one of the developers.