Comments on: Hands-on with the Dell Adamo

One of the most buzzed-about new laptops of 2009 is Dell's Adamo, and we've managed to get our hands on a preproduction version of the hardware to bring you our initial impressions.

[streamline35]

While I think dell generally makes pretty good computers, and I'm sure this one is as nice as the macbook air, it seems to be priced just as ridiculously as the air too. I'd much rather stick with my MSI wind for mobile computing.

[schmov17]

As nice as the Air? I'm sorry but that's laughable. The Dell is entry $200 more, has a slower processor, the same RAM and is running Vista. Now I'm not an Apple fanboy, I use both on a regular basis and the fact is that a Mac can get you further on 2GB of Ram than Vista can.

But yes, I agree that someone looking for something for basic mobile use is much better off with a nice little netbook. The Air and the Adamo are purely for bragging rights

[streamline35]

I just meant in general - they both have their pros and cons. Air has a faster processor, but the dell comes with a ssd standard (have to up it to $2500 to get on in the air). 2gb of ram is more than enough for either operating system (if we were talking about 1gb of ram, then I'd agree that osx would have the advantage). The adamo has more ports, the built qualities look similar, we don't know about the battery yet, etc... overall, I'd still argue they are pretty comparable. Maybe that will change when we see the review.

But oh well, I would never buy either of these, so it's really of no consequence to me. They're just fun to read about.

[random truth]

The macbook air also has a Nvidia 9400 graphic card.

[homercles82]

The Macbook Air is also having overheating problems because of said Nvidia 9400

[don_bidarian]

Now many people prefer Mac over windows, but for me, I always go for windows. That's one advantage of Adamo over MacAir (for me)
Ethernet ports are essential these days, so it's a bummer that Air doesn't have one. Again another advantage for Adamo.
Other than those two factors, they are pretty the same, and IMO none of them worth the money. I really don't care about the thickness, no matter what size is it, I can't fit it in my pocket and I have to put it in a laptop bag, so it's not a big difference.

[Renegade Knight]

Used to make good computers. The last 3 Dells I've bought have broken or died young. Fighting with Dell to have them honor a warranty moves them out of the Luxery Computer camp. Apple could make a Luxery Computer (oh wait they do...) since they have the service to back it up. Dell. Not so much.

For the Air, X300 and bleeding edge thin crowd all would be better served by the non luxery versions of ultraportables. X200, MacBook, etc.

[cmpressler]

Why is the title of thinnest notebook open for interpretation? So if i built a laptop 2 inches thick than tappered the very front down to .5 inches (granted it would be ugly) does that mean it is now the thinnest notebook ever? NO. Because at its thickest point it is still thicker than the adamo. Thickness is an absolute, not some relative thing that is open to opinion like beauty. If any part of the macbook air is thicker than the thickest part of the adamo than the air is obviously not the thinnest notebook. Not sure if he is an apple fanboy or just trying to please them by throwing the macbook air into this article.

[tcr071]

Oh wow. They managed to fit an ethernet jack on there. I guess that is what you can accomplish when you don't taper off the edges to give the illusion that a notebook is thinner than it actually is.

Still don't see a buyers market for this device same as I didn't see a buyers market for the MacBook Air. Both items are impractical primary notebooks, lack features, overpriced, and in this case is underpowered. A standard 128GB SSD would be pretty nice for the money but I'm not banking on it.

And before I hear the "Dell stealing ideas again" line know that it takes several years for a product like this to go from concept to product. Apple happened to beat them to the market with the unibody design but no one "stole" the idea.

[remyallis]

I believer there is both marketing and product ID brilliance here. We will see if it connect with the user experience. I wrote about this in my blog:
http://blog.allisinc.com/2009/03/17/falling-in-love-with-dell/

[anjaru]

Dell is only behind by like, four years. If I want style, I'll buy apple. If I want affordable performance, I buy Dell. But I am not spending $2,000 on a mediocre laptop that looks pretty. Both the Air and Adamo are ridiculously priced for what it offers. Dell says Adamo is not about making money but instead, the first step towards reinventing itself as a design-oriented firm. If that were the case, why not start off with an introductory price so schmucks like me that don't get AIG bonus money can try one out.

[Swimatm]

You don't know it's medoicre.

[tcr071]

Intel Core 2 Duo Ultra Low Voltage 1.2 GHz processor. That is just about all I need to say.

[deecee]

There're plenty poeple guying the Thinkpad X310 from Lenovo, which is priced similar to this Adamo and in the same thickness, weight, and looks category. And I'd like one for work during air travel and absolutely need a windows PC to run all the applications I need. I bet the Adamo as well as X310 from Lenovo will see much better sales than the MacBook air for the corporate high end crowd.
For for me, I buy the X310 before the Adamo, I like the no-nonsense look of the Thinkpad, and a complete set of connectivity will be critical on a long trip. Thinkpad als has higher perfomance processor options. $3000 for a low weight, highly mobile business tool, it's completely justifiable.

[Mr. Dee]

Its a beautiful laptop, I think they should have just made it a bit more realistically affordable, maybe $1,599.

[Swimatm]

Ummm... it is not thinner than the MBA. The picture proves it.

[MastrCake]

Ummm... prove it.

When you consider that both screens are open, it is impossible to compare.

Now go play with your Air, fanboy.

[streamline35]

Did you even read the article? They air's thinnest point is thinner than the adamo, and its thickest point is thicker than the adamo (the adamo has uniform thickness, the air tapers). But let's face it - when we are talking about fractions of an inch, the difference is completely negligible.

[random truth]

@streamline
It looks like from the pictures the section behind the screen is thicker on the adamo than the rest of the computer.

[streamline35]

So dell's measurements are wrong...? Or perhaps you're just trying to measure fractions of an inch by looking at tiny photos. Again - it's completely negligible. Hardly a worthy point when comparing the two.

[MastrCake]

"...a user-accessible SIM card slot (the first time we've seen that on a laptop)..."

My Dell Inspiron 1520 has a SIM slot under the battery. I guess that is why you haven't ever seen it before... it's near impossible to notice!

[2cdneh]

My Thinkpad X300 has one too, as do many other laptops.

[montex66]

This new Dell looks like something from Bang & Olufsen would have made if they made computers... 5 years ago. Check out picture #9. It couldn't be more obvious which computer is high style and which is just a boring attempt at it. That's my problem with Dell computers - no matter how hard they try they just don't get me going inside. Apple on the other hand, can't seem to make something bad looking, but maybe Steve was right when he said the other companies just don't have any taste.

[streamline35]

Speaking of "fanbois"...

But really, it's all relative. I think there are plenty of fine looking dell computers and apple computers. But think of it this way - style evolves so fast that something that was gorgeous not too long ago (I'm thinking of just about any g4 desktop or laptop mac) would be considered pretty ugly/tacky by today's standards. I suspect in five years, we'll be thinking the same thing about today's computers.

[DarkHawke]

Yeah, this is an argument about taste, nothing really quantifiable. I happen to think the jet-black look of the Dell, with no egregiously huge spaces between the keys, looks far more spiff and up-scale than the Air. To each their own.

[got2surf2]

I agree it is a pretty neat looking computer and I suspect if it had a B&O logo, you would find people willing to shell out the extra money for the label (conspicuous consumption as defined by Marketing 101). The Dell brand is not designed for "conspicuous consumers". Hopefully they had some market insights before heading off in this direction - not sure Ron Garriques and his crew from Motorola are a team that has that successfully demonstrated that expertise.

As a Dell shareholder I'm not sure this is the thing that is going to drive value for the firm. Then again, Michael Dell had suggested Steve Jobs return the shareholders money and shut Apple down several years ago - maybe he is trying to imitate Apple's success this time around.

[montex66]

In the spirit of fairness, I expect all the windows fanbois to ***** and moan about this Dell's glossy screen. Funny the reviewer didn't mention it since we all know it is the single most greatest flaw with Apple's Macbooks.

[Nurglitch]

"I expect all the windows fanbois to ***** and moan"

Sorry, there aren't any. The fact that cult/religion of Apple exists doesn't imply that other computers also have religious following. Windows users are just that - users. We use those things and then dispose of them. We don't worship them.

[Appanage]

@Nurglitch

If only you were right. The Windows cult/religion just isn't hip like it was 10-15 years ago. Trust me, it was every bit as massive as any Apple following nowadays. Guys like me who were just trying to do this stuff for a living couldn't even consider getting into keynotes at conferences like COMDEX because there'd be this gaggle of little kids who'd stayed up all night to get as close as possible to Bill G to hear him tell everyone what the world was going to do next. Heck, right after that I even remember going to a tiny session Michael Dell had and talking to him as he walked out, all alone, no posse.

I guarantee there are plenty of Windows fanboys out there now, but it's not exactly hip to be a Windows apologist lately and may never be again. And if you let the product speak for itself it's pretty hard to imagine why they would be admitting it. Apple has the benefit of building an selling a seamless, elegant product from hardware to interface. Like it or not, that - combined with first to market design leadership and not some 'me too' thing like the Adamo - is the difference maker. Sucks to have to lead but someone's gotta do it.

[tcr071]

You must have missed the picture quote where he said "Now this is a glossy screen." Perhaps if you had read the article and taken note instead of going straight to the comments section to start a flame war you would have noticed that. You also would have noticed that this ISN'T a review. But you were too busy trying to come up with something clever/stupid to write here.

[Renegade Knight]

Glossy screens have pro's and cons just like the non glossy screens.
My MacBook screen is noticably worse insofar as color and viewing angle than an XPS screen I've got. Both are better screens than my 4 year old ThinkPads. Still I expected more out of Apple.

[pithenumber]

there aren't windows worshipers, mocrosoft, unlike apple doesn't make koolaid for its users to drink

[kockgunner]

Wow, finally some nice packaging from a company other than Apple. This is on par or maybe even cooler than Apple packaging.

[edger]

As a owner of a Macbook Air RevB, I have to tell saw that it is my laptop of choice, even over my MBP. You get really used to the lightness and compactness of the unit while not having to give up a full size screen or keyboard like most of the netbooks. I think it is sad that most peoples complaints about machines like this and others from Dell and IBM always focus on the price. Yes it is high, and yes we made compromises or choices, depending on how one sees it, but why do you care about how we chose to spend our money? If value is what you desire, more power to you, Walmart loves folks like you and I mean that to be a insult. I choose to like and spend my money on other items that I desire and meet the needs that I intended to fulfill! And as for the one commenter about the ethernet port missing on the Air, I am still searching for a time and place when I will need it! I hope you are using yours every single friggin day! It seems to provide you with great comfort knowing you have one!

[DarkHawke]

Well, dude, whoever you are, I'm glad you have money to burn on slick but overpriced, underpowered and feature-deficient tech. More power to you. So why can't you cut those of us who don't bear the sur-name Rockefeller and ARE value shoppers some slack? Walmart is NOT a four-letter word, not when it allows so many to have so much for so little. And if it doesn't happen to meet your elite standards, well, let me ask you, why do you care about how we choose to spend our money?

[tcr071]

Insult people that go to Walmart? So you are STUPID with your money means that people who go to Walmart don't have any money? I am sorry that you aren't intelligent enough to understand when you are overpaying for product. I happen to be frugal with my money because I like HAVING money. You want to shop at Whole Foods and pay three times as much for the same product more power to you. You want to buy a MacBook Air and have one third of the productivity as me for twice the price more power to you.

[dalsanto3]

lol...

Walmart loves folks like you and I mean that to be a insult.

I can't stop laughing when I read that.

This guy's got to be joking, right?

[J.G.]

A tip of the hat from another MacBook Air owner, upgraded to the second generation three weeks ago. There is very little I can't do on my MBA. My MacBook Pro gets neglected, partly because I miss having multitouch when I'm using it. I've rarely carried the MacBook Pro anywhere during the 13 months I've owned MacBook Airs. I am not quite sure where my ethernet dongle is. I've used it so rarely, I'm failing to even keep up with it. I do know that my external SuperDrive for the MacBook Air is in the bedroom closet, but it rarely gets used, either. Suffice it to say people who complain about these issues have no actual knowledge of how we use ultraportable computers.

The 'but it costs money' argument just leaves me embarrassed for the guys (invariably) who make it. They're the sort who invite me on dates and then expect to split the check. With the MBA, you get what you pay for.

[logos]

Dell's M1330 isn't that much heavier than this and it comes with a full DVD burner, discrete graphics ( just kindly ignore the reliability of the Nvidia 8400 card) and half the price. I own the M1330 and to me the Adamo is a glorified netbook, but I never was a big fan of the air anyway.

[canberra_photographer]

The Dell is more expensive, has a slower CPU and lets face it, rather bland design not mention a very annoying name.

[pithenumber]

it has an ssd

I don't really value an ssd that much, but some people do

[niko_osokin]

I agree: I noticed that the spec sheet was on par with a $500 desktop. The thin factor is not that big a deal people!!!

[cardfan1212]

Who's the idiot that would buy this? Looks like crap, performs like crap and too expensive. If i wanted that, i'd go to apple.

[blusky08]

Critical issues:
The MacBook Air weighs less. AND it has an incredible weight distribution that makes it feel even lighter than it is. The Mac Air is actually much thinner all around, except for a very *negligible* difference at the very back. The Air is cheaper, more powerful, more stylish and more convenient. The Air isn't runnig MS.

Wonder if it has a unibody like the Air or is it creaky like the typical PC?

[PolarExplorer]

I have to give Dell credit, they have a pretty good marketing campaign for Adama, better than they have had in a long time. The only thing up front that disappoints me is the processor. I would have hoped for a 18.6 GHz or 2.0 GHz processor.

Most of you making comments on here are idiots. There is no basis to your comments. How can most of you question the speed of the system without having even seen one in person. The specs can be misleading. Just because a computer has 1300 MHz DDR3 RAM versus 1033 MHz DDR3 RAM, doesn't mean the 1300 MHz system will be faster than the 1033 MHz. There is something called timing that can affect the peformance along with type of hardrive, etc.

Yes, it is more expensive than your average laptop. People will still buy it because it meets their needs and desires. I'm glad it has an ethernet port (don't' have to rely on a dongle like the Macbook AIR) because for some of us who travel extensively around the world and the US, a lot of places still do not have wireless internet throughout the hotels and you still have to use an ethernet connection. With one built in, I don't have to carry one around just in case and don't have to worry about losing it.

The bottom line is that it comes down to what you intend to use it for. It might be a worthy investment for someone who primarily uses their laptop for business work and travels around the world on a regular basis. Most of your standard laptops are flimsy and take a beating while traveling around the world. The construction of this laptop seems to address this to an extent.

For those blasting paying a lot of money for a laptop; the truth is that in general by paying more you are rewarded down the road. Typically, the low cost laptops are either outdated or will be within the next year or two while the higher end laptops two to three years down the road will be mainstream. My Sony Vario was more expensive than most of your mainstream laptops; however, it has specs very similiar to the current Macbook and Dell laptops being released within the last year.

Overall, I plan on waiting till Windows 7 comes out (so I don't have to pay for an upgrade to the newest Windows OS) before I buy my next laptop. By then, the price will come down and there will be a lot more configuration options with this laptop.

[Macajuel]

First time you've seen a user-accessible sim card slot on a laptop? Come on Dan do your research; My Dell XPS M1210 which I bought Summer 06, has a sim card slot. Maybe I misinterpreted what he was trying to say? Hmm........

[Dan_Ackerman]

Good point -- I meant right on the side of the system -- many laptops have them inside the chassis, but not easily accessible. If that M1210 has the same thing, I stand corrected.

[Macajuel]

Nope Dan, you're quite right; I have to remove my battery in order to access the SIM Card slot.

[Cyborganizer]

Yet another good looking laptop with very little functionality. Why would anyone buy this laptop or a Macbook Air. Neither one have a good processor, dedicated video card or optical drive. However, the slightly larger Dell M1330 does have a dedicated video card, optical drive and a full size processor with a starting weight of 3.97 lbs. Furthermore, the M1330 has more features and is still far less expensive than either this one and the Macbook Air.

[J.G.]

The MacBook Air has the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M, a real speed demon. You might want to do some research before commenting in the future.

[Cyborganizer]

I guess Dell updated the M1330 since the last time I looked.

The M1330, MacBook Air, and Adamo fail in comparison to the Dell XPS 13" laptop.

It has a NVIDIA GeForce 9500M with 256 MB of dedicated memory.

[random truth]

@Cyborganizer
The problem with the Dell XPS 13 is that it competes with the Aluminum macbook, where when it is brought up to spec the macbook costs less than $100 more, and you get a laptop that is 1/2 inch thinner at its thickest point.

[mac-os-vs-windows]

the macbook air wins without doubt ... it has a stronger processor with nvidia 9400m , led screen , now what you gona say ... apple fanboy i don't care about what you will say but face it , that dell is a piece of ...

[got2surf2]

I'm not sure a Windows based machine will ever be "cool" enough for someone to shell out an additional $1K for when compared to a more traditional laptop. There seem to be no unique, sexy features that justify a premium price other than look. Apple beats Dell on "cool", MacBook Air beats Adamo on weight/size and OSX beats Windows in terms of usability.

For a "cheaper cool" look I could see going with the Adamo for a $300-500premium. However, I have "upgraded" to the XPS line of laptops in the past and the support experience with Dell is not noticeably better. Can't imagine how they can transform a customer support machine to cater to the a premium price market. The technicians that show up to fix computers on site are not necessarily projecting a "premium brand" image - one regular I seem to get typically sports a 2-3 day stubble and looks more like a septic tank cleaner than a computer technician.

Good luck Dell.

[cmpressler]

Why is the title of thinnest notebook open for interpretation? So if i built a laptop 2 inches thick than tappered the very front down to .5 inches (granted it would be ugly) does that mean it is now the thinnest notebook ever? NO. Because at its thickest point it is still thicker than the adamo. Thickness is an absolute, not some relative thing that is open to opinion like beauty. If any part of the macbook air is thicker than the thickest part of the adamo than the air is obviously not the thinnest notebook. Not sure if he is an apple fanboy or just trying to please them by throwing the macbook air into this article.

[blusky08]

It's just not that simple.
Look at the picture of the two computers back to back in the article above--it sums it up much better than words.

[random truth]

Its up to interpretation, because the mac air has physically less thickness, put the adamo is thinner than the airs thickest point. I would call the adamo thinner but the macbook air has much more power.

[madcow06]

yes blusky it is as simple as cmpressler put it. If you a slot that .65 inches and try to slide the MBA all the way through it it will not fit. You take the dell and same slot you will be able to. Which one is thinner?

[blusky08]

Overall, the Mac Air is significantly thinner.

[myles taylor]

You're right in a way. Scientifically, the Adamo is thinner. However, we're not talking about science here; we're talking about consumer appeal and the Air has the illusion of being thinner. Throw in that it's almost a whole pound lighter, which in my opinion is more important, and it makes the illusion that much greater.

When you're talking about machines this thin it doesn't really matter which one is actually thinner. What matters more is the weight and the Air wins that one.

[MrMurder]

I'm not going to get one. :[