Dell Adamo -- Ars Technica

Dell unveils slim Adamo ultra-portable with $2K base price - Ars Technica

Today Dell took the wraps off its new Adamo luxury notebook line. The aluminum-clad machine is billed as "the world's thinnest laptop," and its stylish casing and overall specs make it a worthy entry into the ultra-portable fray. However, the Adamo's $1999 starting price seems like an odd choice given the state of the economy and the popularity of inexpensive netbooks.

First, the specs: this notebook packs some pretty decent power into its 0.65"-thick, four-pound frame. The display is a 13.4", 1,366 x 768 pixel, LED-backlit flat panel with true 16:9 HD proportions, and has a built-in 1.3 megapixel webcam and microphone. It comes with either a 1.2GHz or 1.4GHz Core 2 Duo processor with a Centrino chipset and 2GB or 4GB of DDR3 RAM. The only internal drive option is a 128GB SSD, though Dell offers matching aluminum-clad external hard drives in 250GB or 500GB capacities, as well as external DVD-RW or Blu-ray optical drives. Of course networking includes draft-N Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and gigabit ethernet—3G "mobile broadband" is an add-on option, but it doesn't appear to be available in Dell's configurator at this time.

On the outside, the styling is quite nice, and is far better than the styling from most mass-market laptops. Dell touts the fact that the Adamo's case is milled from a single block of aluminum, a technique another well-known notebook maker uses in its entire line. A sliver version has "pearl" white paint in some areas and a fine, deco pattern etched into the aluminum. A black anodized version features a brushed texture on its service with matching "onyx" paint. The full-size keyboard has fairly large-looking keys with backlit characters. External connections consist of RJ-45 ethernet port, two USB ports, an unusual eSATA+USB "combo" port, DisplayPort, and a power-in arranged along the back, and an audio port that I'm assuming is on the side or front, since it doesn't appear in any of the photos I've seen so far.

The way Dell is marketing the Adamo—with slick photos emphasizing its style—practically begs for comparisons with Apple's MacBook Air. Both are carved from a solid block of aluminum for rigidity, have 13" glass-covered displays, use low voltage Core 2 Duo processors (Adamo likely sports the same small-footprint Core 2 Duos that debuted on the MacBook Air), have dual-channel DDR3 RAM, have no internal optical drive, and purport to be the world's thinnest notebook—Dell sneaks in under Apple with a 0.65" even thickness, though Apple chose a tapered design that varies from 0.16" at its thinnest to 0.76" at its thickest point.

Apple beats Dell with faster processors—1.6 or 1.86GHz vs. 1.2 or 1.4GHz—and far better integrated graphics. The MacBook Air uses NVIDIA's multi-core 9400M, while Dell is saddled with Intel's ho-hum Centrino IGP. The Air is also lighter—3.3 vs. 4lbs—and (surprise!) is less expensive. The Dell has an edge in available ports, higher resolution screen, higher available RAM, and a slightly higher capacity battery that is said to eek out an extra half-hour of runtime. However, the MacBook Air still seems like a much better value, even if you want to use it primarily as a Windows machine.
Ports on the back of the Adamo
Pictured above is the rear port array of the Adamo, including the unusual eSATA+USB "combo" port.

The Dell competes fairly well with other high-end Windows notebooks, such as Lenovo's ThinkPad, Toshiba's Portege, and Sony Vaio ultra-portables, though it is one of the heaviest in the bunch. However, the Adamo also faces competition from similarly spec'd budget Windows notebooks and the increasingly popular inexpensive, compact netbooks. There are already rumors that Dell has a version of the Adamo in the works with a netbook-sized 9" screen. Netbooks may be all the rage, but we're not yet convinced that a luxury netbook will have a place in the current market.

The Adamo comes in a 1.2GHz processor/ 2GB RAM configuration for $1999 and a 1.4GHz processor 4GB RAM configuration for $2699, both with Windows Vista Home Premium. High-end, matching TUMI bags and sleeves, the aforementioned external drive options, various version of Microsoft Office, and some "premium service" options naturally add to the price.

Apple's MacBook Air has shown there are customers willing to pay a premium for power and a decent-sized screen in a thin, stylish, lightweight form factor. But with prices higher than the MacBook Air, already considered by many to be too expensive, the Adamo faces a tough challenge in an uncertain economic climate. Apple and Sony in particular have long commanded higher prices with their respective reputations for style. Will Dell be as successful moving its image upscale?