Dell Adamo
Dell initially teased the existence of its upscale 13-inch Adamo laptop at CES 2009, and formally announced details and ordering availability 2 months later. we tend to previously had an opportunity to urge our hands on a preproduction version of the system, and have currently been able to check the finished product.
Adamo could be a departure for Dell, a corporation engineered on selling mass quantities of mainstream laptops (Dell's Inspiron 15-inch remains one in all the foremost cheap and configurable systems obtainable, and an initial stop for several first-time laptop buyers). Instead, it is a high-end, ultrathin 13-inch model that starts at $1,999 (there's conjointly a $2,699 version) and partly shares a general style sensibility with the MacBook Air and also the HP Voodoo Envy 133.
Dell is pitching the Adamo as a "luxury complete notebook style for the luxurious aware client," which can not seem to be the foremost timely of concepts, considering the present economic climate and also the resultant growth in low-cost Netbooks. however it is important to notice that the ultralow voltage Intel Core two couple processor utilized in the Adamo runs rings around alternative recent slim laptops, like the HP Pavilion dv2 (with AMD's new Athlon Neo CPU).
And whereas you will be able to get faster parts for fewer, the Adamo's real selling purpose is its style. There aren't any visible stickers or screws (even the same old Microsoft and Intel badges are replaced--the logos are etched into a panel on the underside of the system), and it includes high-end options like a solid-state laborious drive, an etched anodized aluminum chassis, and a backlit keyboard.
The end result's an enviable package which will positively attract many stares at the low look or airport lounge, not as a result of|simply because} of its sharp appearance however conjointly because, with a $2,000 beginning value, you are unlikely to examine several of them within the wild.
| Price as reviewed | $1,999 |
| Processor | 1.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo U9300 |
| Memory | 2GB, 533MHz DDR2 |
| Hard drive | 64GB SSD |
| Chipset | Mobile Intel GM45 Express Chipset |
| Graphics | Intel GMA 4500MHD (integrated) |
| Operating system | Windows Vista Premium (64-bit) |
| Dimensions (WD) | 13.0 x 9.5 inches |
| Height | 0.65 inches |
| Screen size (diagonal) | 13.4 inches |
| System weight / Weight with AC adapter | 4.0/3.4 pounds |
| Category | Thin-and-light |
Built into an aluminum case with unibody construction, just like the present MacBooks, the 0.65-inch-thick Adamo is, in step with Dell, the thinnest laptop within the world. It actually is skinny, however going toe-to-toe with the MacBook Air, the true "thinnest" title is open to interpretation. The tapered Air is thinner at its narrowest purpose, however slightly thicker at its widest purpose. In either case these are each terribly slim systems (see an on the spot comparison here). finding out the Adamo, it feels a trifle heavier than the system seems like it ought to. At a hair but four pounds, it's actually light-weight, however based mostly on the dimensions and thinness, we have a tendency to were expecting one thing nearer to the 3-pound MacBook Air.
The Adamo is accessible in each white (Dell calls it "pearl") and black "onyx" versions. the rear of the lid is split between etched metal and a shiny finish--actually a zero.5mm glass inlay--which is best for wireless reception than alternative materials. The pearl end contains a wavy pattern etched into it, whereas the black model contains a a lot of ancient brushed-metal look.
Opting for a refined look on and round the keyboard tray, the Adamo has solely some of tiny LED lights, for the ability button, the touch-sensitive media controls, and also the Caps Lock button. The backlit keyboard itself may be a massive amendment from the standard Dell laptop keyboard, that has invariably had tall, tapered keys. This borrows a lot of from the Dell Mini nine, with flat, closely spaced keys, similar in vogue to what you may notice on a MacBook or Sony Vaio, however slightly scalloped rather than flat.
Typing felt terribly snug, however the individual keys were slightly clacky and also the area bar needed a solid hit to register, that did not match our lightweight typing vogue. The metal bit pad worked well; typically using nontraditional surfaces on barely pad will add uncomfortable friction and finger drag, however that wasn't the case here.
The 13.4-inch one6:9 LED show offers a 1,366x768 native resolution and is behind a sheet of edge-to-edge glass. it is a sleek look, however terribly at risk of glare and reflections. The screen hinge concerning|is ready} back about an in. from the rear of the system, leaving what appearance {a little|a bit|a trifle|to a tiny degree|somewhat|slightly|alittle} sort of a small handle when the show is open.
| Dell Adamo | Average for category [thin-and-light] | |
| Video | DisplayPort | VGA, mini-HDMI or Mini-DVI |
| Audio | Stereo speakers, headphone jack | Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone jacks |
| Data | 3 USB 2.0 (1 USB/eSATA), SD card reader | 3 USB 2.0, mini-FireWire, SD card reader |
| Expansion | SIM card slot | ExpressCard/54 |
| Networking | Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, optional WWAN |
| Optical drive | None | DVD burner |
The slim choice of ports and connections is one space where the Adamo falls short. aside from a headphone jack and a user-accessible SIM card slot on the correct facet, all the opposite ports and connections are on the rear edge. There are 2 USB ports, a USB/eSATA port, and an Ethernet jack, and a DisplayPort video output (a DisplayPort-to-DVI dongle is included within the box).
The lack of an SD card slot is especially annoying (it's one in all the items we have a tendency to frequently knock MacBooks for not having), and there is no internal optical drive. Dell offers specially matched external models: a DVD burner is $120, and a Blu-ray read-only drive is $350.
While our review unit included a one.2GHz Intel Core a pair of pair U9300, 2GB of RAM, and a 128GB SSD onerous drive, a costlier configuration with a one.4GHz SU9400 and 4GB of RAM is additionally accessible (and we have a tendency to usually recommend 4GB of RAM to be used with Windows Vista).
