Dell's much-awaited Adamo notebook is out. The company has launched the lightweight, sleek notebook for road warriors who want a fashionable yet powerful machine.
"We wanted something that is thin, elegant and offers quality that beat competitors," John New, Dell's executive for consumer marketing told Wired.com.
While Adamo has been compared to the ultralight MacBook Air, spec-wise and size-wise it's closer to a mainstream notebook such as HP's 13.3-inch Voodoo Envy. The Adamo's basic model comes with a 13.4-inch screen, a 1.2-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2-GB memory and 128-GB solid state drive. It also offers two USB ports, one USB/eSATA port and a display port. But all of that — plus the design-focused touches Dell is touting — carries a stiff price tag. The basic version of the Adamo will cost $2,000, while a more expensive model costs $2,700.
The Adamo has brought more buzz to Dell recently than any of its other products. At the Consumer Electronics Show in January Dell showed a prototype of the machine. The company hired a model to show off the notebook, but did not turn it on, offer any specifications or allow anyone to touch it.
Still, it was enough to get bloggers excited about the product. During a hands-on session with the product, New explained to Wired.com how Dell has pulled out all the stops when it comes to design.
The Adamo's scalloped keys on the keyboard make touch typing easier and the sleek polished finish gives it a nice glow, said New. The notebook also comes with a gloss screen, which may annoy some users in a brightly lit room because of the reflections. The Adamo will be available in two colors: black "onyx" and white "pearl."
With its design and the use of a large, solid-state drive, the Adamo echoes Apple's MacBook Air. But the Adamo is a tad bigger — probably too bulky for a manila envelope.
The MacBook Air is 12.8 inches wide, 8.94 inches deep and has a thickness of 0.16 to 0.76 inches. In comparison, the Adamo will be 13.03 inches wide, 9.5 inches deep and a uniform 0.65 inches thick.
The Adamo weighs four pounds compared to the MacBook Air's three pounds and that extra heft does make itself felt.
The idea with the Adamo was not to make the laptop as light as possible, but rather to offer one that would give users the right balance between weight, design and technical specs, said New.
"If it is just about weight, we have ultrathin 2-pounds laptops from the Latitude line," he said. "But we wanted something that would have full size ports and options such as an external Blu-ray drive."
What's also interesting about Adamo is how Dell is trying to position it as a lifestyle product. The Adamo comes with some clear plastic boxlike packaging. Optional accessories include covers designed by Tumi, a stylish laptop tote for women and a more rugged laptop bag for men.
Dell says there's more to come under the Adamo brand. "The Adamo brand is new to us," says New, "and it is just the first product that will be in this line."
See below for more pictures of the Adamo and its accessories.
See also:
Dell's New Notebooks Take Design Seriously
Dell's Mystery Notebook: Thinner, Lighter Than Air
Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com
