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This week on the Digital City, Joey tests the new Netflix/PS3 BD Live disc, with mixed results; we talk about all the cool new luxury laptops you'll never buy, including Sony's Vaio X, Dell's Adamo XPS, and HP's Envy.

We also show off Nokia's new Booklet 3G Netbook, and debate the relative merits of games sequels, from Bioshock 2 to God of War 3. We also note how everyone in New York seems to have gotten their hands on a copy of Modern Warfare 2 early, giving the holiday season's biggest game an unusually sloppy launch.

Related links:
>>Hands on with Nokia's Booklet 3G
>>Say goodbye to sleep: Modern Warfare 2 arrives
>>Hands on with the new Dell Adamo XPS

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After months of teaser shots and cameo appearances, Dell has officially announced pricing and other details for the revamped Dell Adamo XPS laptop. Without setting a specific date, Dell says it expects to "begin taking orders and shipping the Adamo XPS in time for the holidays." The ultrathin luxury laptop starts at $1,799.

We had a chance to take a quick test drive with an Adamo XPS earlier this week, as well as capture some hands-on footage on a Flip handheld video camera.

Our initial impressions of the Adamo remain largely the same after getting to handle it at greater length. The system is ridiculously thin, especially for a 13-inch laptop. Unlike the 11-inch Sony Vaio X, which weighs next to nothing, the Adamo feels slightly heavier than it looks, even with an solid-state hard drive. Dell says the Adamo starts at 3.2 pounds, which is nearly twice the weight of the Vaio X.

The Adamo opens in an unusual way, with the lid shut tight until you swipe a finger on a heat-sensitive strip centered on the front edge. Then the lid lifts up, tilting the screen back and lifting the keyboard on its unusual inset hinge.

At least on the nonfinal version we played with, the lid opening action wasn't as smooth as we would have liked. When using one hand to lift the lid, at about the halfway point the front of keyboard tray itself started to lift off the table, requiring us to hold it down with our other hand.

Dell's new Adamo XPS has an unusual inset hinge.

(Credit: Dan Ackerman/CNET)

When fully opened, the keyboard sits at maybe a 20-degree angle. It's an unusual setup, but one that provides a more ergonomic typing experience than the average flat laptop keyboard. We also liked the keyboard's metal keys and the reasonably large touchpad.

The system's components seem to be located behind the screen, as the ports (two USB, a headphone jack, power connection, and mini DisplayPort) are on the side edges of the lid. The screen itself is a 13.4-inch LED, with a 1,366x768 resolution. The Adamo's lid has a larger footprint than the lower half, and when closed, the keyboard essentially fits inside the inset lid.

With a 128GB solid-state drive and a 1.4GHz Intel ULV processor, we have high hopes for the system's battery life, which Dell claims is up to 2.5 hours with the default battery and a bit more than 5 hours with an optional extended battery (which we haven't seen in person yet.)

While the new Adamo has a much more radically unique design than the original MacBook-like Adamo, the high starting price means it's still likely to be relegated to coffee shop curio status, along with other luxury laptops such as Sony's Vaio X and HP's Envy 13. Not that there's anything wrong with that; high-end concept-car-like products like these invariably trickle their technology developments to mainstream systems down the road.

We're waiting for a final shipping version of the Adamo XPS to arrive, at which time we'll run it though our standard battery of benchmark tests.

Hands on with Dell's new Adamo XPS

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> Games, laptops, and more every week on the Digital City video podcast.

In recent years, Monster Cables started to expand its business to include a handful of headphones, the first models coming from a collaboration with hip-hop producer Dr. Dre. The company's offerings now comprise a couple of in-ear sets, including the top-of-the-line Turbine Pro In-Ear Speakers, a $299 number that features the same heavy, metal earpieces as found on the first Turbine earphones. While we wish Monster had incorporated an integrated mic and iPod controls at this price point, it's hard to overlook the Turbine Pro's high-end look and feel and top-notch sound.

Read the Monster Turbine Pro review

Monster Turbine Pro earphones--photos

The new Adamo's offset hinge.

(Credit: Dell)

We've mentioned a couple of times how the new, revamped version of Dell's high-end Adamo laptop has a pretty interesting design twist. After offering a few tantalizing teases (including a brief appearance at a press conference last week), the company has now released a couple of shots that show just how the superthin laptop can get away with being only around 10mm thick and still be usable for typing.

Dell says: "Because so many people who have had a sneak peek of Dell's superthin Adamo XPS laptop seem to be falling in love with it, the company today released two more photos of the highly stylized, thin 9.99-mm Adamo by Dell system. The Adamo XPS is as intriguing open as it is closed."

We say, it's an intriguing way to design a laptop, and even though we've only seen it up close very briefly, the idea of an offset hinge which, in effect, props the keyboard up at a more ergonomic angle, is worth further exploration.

Dell has hinted that the new Adamo would be out in time for the holidays, but for now will only say, "Stay tuned for more information on this head-turning product."

(Credit: Dell)

A quick sneak peek at Dell's new Adamo design.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

At a press conference to show off new licensed laptop lid designs from Major League Baseball and nail polish brand OPI, Dell teased the audience with a brief peek at the new design for its high-end Adamo laptop.

The system, purported to be only 9.99 millimeters thick, was previously hinted at with a single-shot teaser Web site launched by Dell in September. This time around, Dell VP Alex Gruzen pulled one of the new Adamo systems from a laptop sleeve and, keeping the lid closed, held it aloft for a few seconds before handing it off to be spirited away.

Also onhand were two new partnerships for customizable laptop lids on Dell systems. The Dell Design Studio will offer MLB designs for all 30 teams, with "Fan, Classic, and Die-Hard" versions available. Concurrently, OPI, a leading nail lacquer brand, will offer "26 exciting, high-style OPI fashion shades," as laptop lid design options. On top of that, Dell is adding another 80 designs from artists from around the world to the options available when customizing a laptop.

In keeping with Dell's current premiums for custom lids on most of its laptops, these new designs add $85 to the cost. Basic single-color lids are still an extra $40.

We managed to snap a few photos of the elusive new Adamo's brief appearance--check them out in the gallery below.

Dell's superthin new Adamo spotted--photos

(Credit: Dell)

Dell offers a tantalizing sneak peek at a revamped Adamo laptop today, with a photo and brief teaser description of the new system:

9/9/09 comes only once and today Dell is offering a glimpse of its highly stylized, thin 9.99-millimeter Adamo By Dell concept that's as beautiful as today's date is unique.

You'll recall the original Adamo was similarly teased at CES 2009, and we brought you a first-ever hands-on look of it back in March. At the time, we said: "Dell's upscale Adamo is a 13-inch laptop for those who value design and finish as much as performance, but its luxury price will limit the potential audience."

Details on the Adamo 2.0 (our nickname) are scant right now, but if you want a sneak peek at Dell's new "world's thinnest laptop" candidate, head over to www.dell.com/AdamoXPS.

No, it's not white, it's "pearl."

We previously got an exclusive early hands-on look at the Dell Adamo, the new luxury 13-inch that's one of the most buzzed-about new laptops of 2009. That was a pre-production model in black (Dell calls it "onyx") and now our final shipping version of the Adamo has arrived, and this is the white "pearl" version.

As a Core 2 Duo laptop that's less than 0.65-inches thick, the Adamo is much more powerful than other new slim systems such as HP's 12-inch Pavilion dv2 (with a new AMD Athlon Neo CPU). It's also much more expensive, starting at $1,999 and running to $2,699.

We're running our benchmark tests on the Dell Adamo right now, so stay tuned for a full review. In the meantime, check out these new pics of the new white Adamo and our original first look video.

Unboxing the Dell Adamo (Pearl)

BerkerXSwarovski light switch

(Credit: Berker)

It seems like everything under the sun is getting the Swarovski crystal treatment. Back in February, we introduced you to the top five Swarovski disasters, which included phones, radios, and even a whole piano covered in the stuff. Now you can add light switches to the list of useless abominations sprinkled with Swarovskis.

This time around, Berker Switches and Systems has teamed with Swarovski to present the "Crystal Collection." Why would you settle for a boring old plastic switch when you can get a large, multi-faceted Swarovski-cut crystal instead?

OK, the technology behind the light switch is actually kind of cool. There's a sensor behind each crystal that senses infrared light disruption (i.e. from a hand), similar to rain sensors in automobiles. They call this type of optical recognition "HALIOS," or High Ambient Light Independent Optical System.

The crystals themselves are embedded in matte-finished stainless steel, shining chrome, or gold, and are available in four colors: crystal, black diamond, topaz, and siam. No word on the Berker site about price; I assume that depends on the crystal combination you choose for your switch. What ever happened to just being born with a silver spoon in your mouth?

Check out the slideshow below for more images.

Light switches brace themselves for Swarovski crusade