Dell Adamo Arrives: Available For Pre-Order Today

Dell previewed the stylish "Adamo" at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this January, and consumers worldwide have been eager to find out when this attractive laptop will be available ... and at what price. The wait is over. Starting today people who place a premium on precision craftsmanship and design can pre-order the Adamo for a starting price of $1,999.

Adamo, derived from the Latin word meaning "to fall in love," will serve as a flagship in a line of products under the "Adamo by Dell" brand. Dell claims Adamo was "created to disrupt the personal computing space with the combination of new design aesthetics, personalization choices and sought-after technologies."

Those are some fancy words for saying, "This notebook looks hot."

The Adamo uses a chassis milled from a single piece of aluminum featuring precision detailing and a backlit keyboard. The 13.4" edge-to-edge glass display features a 16:9 ratio ideal for viewing HD movies. Wireless connections include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and optional integrated mobile broadband. Unlike some other thin notebooks on the market (such as the MacBook Air) the Dell Adamo doesn't sacrifice important features like a full complement of connectivity ports. In addition, the Adamo is available with solid state drives and comes in your choice of either Onyx or Pearl colors with a range of matching accessories.

The color matched collection of "Adamo by Dell" branded peripherals and accessories include:

• 250GB or 500GB external hard drives
• External DVD+/-RW or Blu-ray disc drive
• 8GB USB drive
• Connectors and cables including DisplayPort to HDMI, DVI, and VGA

Product Specifications:

• Intel Core 2 Duo processors with Intel Centrino technology
• DDR3 system memory
• 13.4-inch 16:9 HD display
• Draft-Wireless N
• High-performance solid state drives standard
• Bluetooth 2.1
• Mobile Broadband option
• Up to 5+ hours of battery life
• 2 USB ports, 1 USB/eSATA combo port, Display Port, RJ-45 port
• Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium Edition SP1, 64-bit
• Adamo Premium Service (US Only):
  • 24/7 access to Dell's best trained technicians
  • Consistent communication with a dedicated personal team

The Dell Adamo is available for pre-order today at www.adamobydell.com and shipping worldwide starting March 26, 2009. Adamo will be available online for purchase in 24 countries including U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, U.K. France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, UAE, ANZ, China, Honk Kong, India, Korea, Malaysia/Singapore, Japan, and Indonesia.

Stay tuned to NotebookReview.com for a full review of this exciting notebook.

Related Articles:
Exclusive hands on with the Dell Adamo

 

Wow! I'm definitely looking forward to the full review!
Thanks for the heads up, Jerry

 

Is it only me or the keyboard on this thing looks really nice and smooth?

Overall, looks awesome! Can't wait for full review!

 

Man, 16:9 is really a deal breaker for me !!!

 

wow.

impressive.

 

I wonder how far you can open the lid?

 

$1999 for a low speed c2d.. no thanks

 

5hrs battery (prob. 3.30h in reality) and no battery options...

 

The pre-production unit I got to mess around with at CES felt really nice.

Really? You'd better get used to it, then, or else you'll be in for a world of disappointment.

 

At least major players (HP, Dell, Lenovo) are still going with 16:10 for their mobile workstations.
But yeah, I guess I won't have a choice at the end.

 

Yeah, like JR suggested, the 16:9 will be the new standard for all notebook laptops. Screen manufactures are no longer producing 16:10 and any manufacture that you see right now that are still using 16:10 are using them only to get rid of their inventories.

 

is it just me or does this look like a mac?

 

Sure, it looks nice but $2000 is way out of my league (and for most people as well I imagine). With estimated 5 hrs battery life, this thing better weigh 2 lbs or there not a whole lot going for it.

 

I don't understand the whole 16:9 display? What is wrong with 16:10?

Are they doing this because of all the HD video?

 

16:9 is lame on this notebook. Look at all that bezel under the screen. They could've easily fit a 13.3 in 16:10 screen on this and not wasted that.

They should've used a Geforce 9400 chipset too. Better graphics performance than that lame x4500.

 

As much as I still prefer the 16:10 aspect ratio, 16:9 is the international standard format for HDTV and since laptops today are more multimedia driven than the past, it is slowly becoming the new norm.

 

They are doing it because the companies that make the LCD screens also make screens for HDTV's and they can get more screens out of a sheet of glass by making all of the sizes 16:9, thus saving them money. A side benefit to this, me thinks, is that computer makers can truly claim that their machines feature "HD monitors."

It really does suck, (I had 16:9 = FAIL as my user title a while ago ) but I guess that's the card's we are dealt.

 

Other than the fact it is thin, it does not look like a mac at all. Dell never would have made this laptop of the Macbook Air did not exist though.

 

Actually, I think it looks more like the Voodoo Envy 133 than anything else.

 

I'm a bit torn really, 2000 dollars has always been a lot of money...
but now it's even more so in these troubled times. This IS a ultra-premium product though, something for us plebs to aspire to someday I guess...

 

Man, 16:9 v 16:10 is almost as big on NBR these days as Mac v PC.

I really like how it comes standard with a SSD. Maybe add +$100 and Dell could add a better ULV CPU, and we have a deal.

 

I agree, it's nice that it comes with an SSD that the average person can use Let's hope they come out with a "entry-level" version with a physical hard disk though. Choice is good!

 

Hmm..apparently it weighs about 4lbs according to

http://www.ubergizmo.com/15/archives/2009/03/dell_adamo_live_images_details_pricing.html

so not that light.

 

$2000 isnt a lot of money if you can afford it; just depends on your priorities. If youre looking for a cheapo gaming rig, this isnt it.

The silver finish isa bit toooo stylish for me, not something that you would want to bring out at a meeting for example. It would draw too much attention. The black would prob. be better.

The spacing around the keys seems a bit too small?

 

though it looks awesome,why does it cost so much?it even costs more that sony z,which has same weight,but is far more powerful and has better screen!

 

Priced like one to. Specs of a sub-$1000 notebook for $2K, yipee! Plus external optical drive! I think Dell screwed up here.

 

I never thought I'd see the day where a Dell would seem overpriced compared to an Apple.

 

yes, and in this order

actually, with a fast ssd, you don't really care much about the processor speed. I have that configuration in my 2710p since over a year and it's working great for about anything (and i do have a 2.4ghz core2quad at home for comparison). about no what ever complicated app needs a high cpu. the only place where I could need more is ableton live, a music production software.

 

I think this is going to be a tough sell for a number of reasons. The economy. The price (starting @ $2000 and up). The fact that Dell, known for being a mostly budget PC brand, is trying to sell an upscale model with Dell branding (Imagine if Toyota decided to sell the Lexus brand with Toyota branding instead of a Lexus branding). The weight (4lbs?). And that Dell is late in the thin PC market.

They should have had this out Q1 2008, Q2 2008 at the latest for this to at least develop some good traction.

What's more, Dell is known to stick with things long past their prime. Look at the XPS 1730. Still selling that Santa Rosa notebook as if it's premium while everyone else has moved on to Montevina.

With that in mind, if they update this in 2010 with the then current Intel platform, and the economy turns around such that conspicuous consumption returns to vogue, it might just have a real chance.

Otherwise, it'll just add to the red on their balance sheet.

 

$1999, and $2699 on Dell's site w/premlim ship dates of 4/21 now...yeah that's quite a chunk of change...I was hoping the pricing would come in at a lower median..in this economy...they even want $95 for the Sleeve...


McCin'

 

That was in the prelim spec sheet we got, and I agree 4 pounds is a problem. The MacBook Air and ThinkPad X301 both have a 13.3" screen and weigh 3lbs. The body on the Adamo must be solid and thick, maybe too much so given the weight.

 

I just went to the site to order one, but from the limited amount of info I can dig up the RAM is not upgradeable. So if you buy the cheap one you're stuck with 2GBs of RAM. The last time I checked Vista isn't very happy with that amount of RAM. W7 should be better, but that is a few months off. My wife would kill me if I coughed up $2700 just to get two more gigs of RAM. What to do? you Dell.

 

You are incorrect. Ive been running 2GB ram on my VAIO TZ (1.2 GHz U7600) for almost 2 yrs. Its rarely maxed out at all; mostly hovering around 1GB of use with office apps and Internet use. Are you going to use this for virtualization?

The bottle neck with Vista is the harddrive; in this case, its fine because it uses an SDD. FYI: my SSD-equipped TZ boots Vista Business in 20-40 seconds.

 

This seems ridiculously overpriced.

I, for one, have no problem paying 2000$ for a machine that is worth 2000$ and gives a good return. This just does not seem to be the case here.

It is indeed still early to make definite observations based on what little information we have but this thing has a modest specification with a ULV processor, a pretty normal weight for the 13" category, no optic drive, average battery life (according to CNET's first impressions at least) and no CTO options.

It's true that it has a large SSD but for about the same or even less you can get something like the Dell E4300 with a 128gb SSD drive which has a better processor, excellent quality, Optic drive, lower weight, decent battery life, CTO options and 3 years of warranty included in the base cost.

It looks like you are basically paying for the showoff with this machine, not my cup of tea.

 

Hmm this unit is 4 pounds and low battery life, what is the reason for buying it?

The Samsung X360 is the complete opposite weighing in at 2.8 pounds, great battery life, and for those that got it for $700 post-rebate are a bit lucky.

Since they didn't cut costs for weight obviously, I don't know what exactly makes the price so high. Sadly this unit offers nothing in my eyes.

 

Looks like a sweet laptop.

I am guessing with bluray and 5+ hour battery it has the GMA4500

But they keyboard looks more for style than usage.

I hope it is high res to.

 

If I was in the position to waste $2500 on a pc for taking to starbucks... I'd get the macbook air instead. The Adamo has an ugly rear end, it weighs a fair chunk, and the cpu and gpu are slower than the Air's. The Air looks better (no rear end!), it's lighter, 9400 graphics, and faster core duos.

 

Looks like a sexy notebook..

 

i hate starbucks. but i'd prefer my 2730p in it. no "just another apple fanboy guy" but uhh he has it on one leg, with a pen, what's that cool silver thing?

then again, the boyfriend of my girlfriends sister is called adamo, so we have a special relationship to that notebook. he has a notebook with his own name, how cool's that?

 

Two things that dont sit well with me also. This craze of 16:9 has me seriously contemplating upgrading before I need/want to.

 

Well, I think the more important question is to see what Dell's long term strategy for this new product line up is. Are they trying to compete against high-end notebooks like some of the Viao and Mac lines? I mean, I don't think they can have too high expectations for this selling too well right now, but at the very least it can serve as a stepping stone to the next generation.

 

$2699 with 4GB and 128GB SSD?
No thanks, an X301 please.
Don't care much for looks but I like the Thinkpad look much more, go figure.

 

Dell really dropped the ball on this with that price. It looks great, but definitely isn't worth 2 grand.

 

Agreed !

Maybe Dell should update their Adamo ad, "Prepare to get Dumped".

 

That, or "We're not Apple, but our prices are."

 

Heh, its not like they're dumping their consumer, XPS, and Business lines anyway.

 

Heck you can buy an aluminum MacBook with better specs sans an SSD for $1200.

 

or, "We know, why don't you just get the MBA...."

As far as pricing goes, Adamo = FAIL!

 

Well, even the direct competitor the Macbook Air is cheaper. You would have thought Dell would work to undercut Air sales by, you know, making it cheaper.

 

I was really hoping that this would at least have discrete graphics , or perhaps even an integrated 9400 chipset would be better. I don't know why my 10 inch Asus N10j netbook can have a discrete graphics card, and the Adamo cannot.

I was really hoping that it would provide serious competition for the MacBook/Pro, but alas it seems to fall short. Too expensive, too underpowered. Dell can't bank on fashion alone carrying them through - Apple already has the trendy/pretty market. They needed to be prettier, cheaper, AND more powerful. Alas, that doesn't seem to be the case here. Too bad too - this was the one I was waiting on.