Dell Adamo ultrathin laptop rumors surface
By Joshua Topolsky 
posted December 18th 2008 4:56PM
posted December 18th 2008 4:56PM
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
posted December 18th 2008 4:56PM
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As opposed to Apple....where Macbooks are birthed in Steve Jobs private chambers in Guandong Province?
Very high quality build standards*, indeed.
* Quality build standards does not include video card selection, memory issues, overheating issues, performance issues, video display issues, track pad issues, discoloration issues, issues using ports such as USB, and all other undisclosed issues. Apple reserves the right to reduce the quality of any component at any time and at its discresion. Use of an Apple computer requires the user to not blame Apple for any problem with their computer. All Rights Reserved. All hail the Great Leader.
Let's put a couple of news stories together, shall we?
1. MSI wins Dell notebook orders - April 2008
2. MSI chief refers to a new 13.3" affordable Ultra-portable at CES 2009, says people will be "shocked".
3. Dell laptop rumors surface as to a 13.3" affordable ultra-portable.
Not necessarily related, of course.
@nohone
That list so exaggerated its ridiculous. Those problems seldom happen to any Apple built product. Quality is Apples main priority, and you all know it.
Im also not saying other companies dont manufacture quality products, but the Air is what is being referenced in this article.. so before you all get your Fanboy Flame suits on, f*in relax.
Dell laptops are known for their poor quality.. I would know, I used to have one. If the keyboard wasnt falling off, the case was cracking, the battery was overheating, the internal fans were breaking, or it was just making stupid loud noises all together. If you dont believe me, check any "Computer Help Desk" at your local University... you'll see plenty of unhappy Dell customers.
My MBP, and my friends' HP notebooks, look brand new like they did the day they were purchased.. over a year later. Dell is garbage, and in both of your replies, neither of you tried to deny that fact. Point made.
@sdemo (or is it sdemo45)
Over the past 13 years I have had 3 Dell laptops, and gave one as a gift. I also have had 4 Dell desktops - 3 of which are still in use (the first was running a Pentium/166 and not of real use quality any more). Of these 8 computers, problems I have had with Dell computers:
1) The nub on the first laptop broke. This was caused by, while working, I would constantly pull at it with my fingernail, a kind of a thinking twitch.
2) The one I gave as a gift had the display go out. This was because the person I gave it to dropped it down stairs while it was open. Dell fixed it free of charge (still in warranty).
3) My latest one had the battery die, after 3 1/2 years of use because of battery memory common to all laptops - including the Air.
4) The network driver for the last desktop could not be found on Windows update, so I needed to manually download from Intel's web site.
In the case of 1 and 2 truely user error. 3 is common among all laptops, and number 4, not really an issue. Yes, this is one person's anecdotal evidence, just like your anecdotal evidence of how Macs and specifically how wonderfully the Air is built and how bad your Dell was. You have had one bad experience with a Dell, and I understand how that can taint your view of a company - just how my view of Apple has been tainted by 2 defective iPhones, and a Mac Mini that has been, let's say, less than well built.
Is that denying it enough for you?
Advertising is Apple's top priority, and you don't know it.
10 years ago, when Apple built their computers in California, they were really built like tanks. I have a 2001 Powerbook that works like a charm. But these days, it's hit or miss - a 3 year warranty is something I'd get for every new Mac.
Macs have other virtues absent from any PCs, such as a design that was completely thought through, no superflous lamps, small form factor, great display, etc. But build quality? No. As much as I love my MacBook Pro, this isn't great build quality, far from it.
I run a special program to keep this machine from getting too hot, I have had the display replaced, and the hard drive. Service is still excellent so with 3 year warranty it's Ok.
i hope its built better than the studio laptops,,, they just feel cheap and crappy
But the real question, can it cut cake?
the cake is a lie.
the cake is a lie.
the cake is a lie.
the cake is a lie.
Well, it will probably cost less than $1800 to find out.
I want one!!!
Rival the Macbook Air?
Outside the RDF and the usually preening iBoi bi-coastal demo....the MBA==FAIL. Even the most rabid of fanboi's cannot dimiss how overpriced and underspec'd that product is.
In the "thin 'n' light" laptop category, I don't think you'll find anyone who thinks the MacBook Air is either overpriced or underspecified relative to the competition. If you are comparing it to other types of laptop then you simply don't understand what it is for and aren't in the target market. The problem that the Air has is not with its price or specification, but rather that the target market is very small relative to the rest of the laptop market.
I understand why companies use made-up words for product names- they're easy to trademark- but sometimes they just sound dumb.
small comment...it's not made up. As far as I know, Adamo is an italian name. Here in Mexico we had an architect and sculptor named Adamo Boari, a good one by the way ;) the Palace of Fine Arts was his design.
Just FYI - using an Italian name isn't 'out of the blue' for Dell. Vostro is an Italian name as well.
2 USB 3.0s
VGA and HDMI out
256GB SSD
DDR3 RAM, at least 2 GB
XP Pre-installed Standard (Home or Pro, SP3), Option for Ubuntu (or Fedora???)
Have Chrome or Firefox as the out-of-the-box Internet app
Ummm. This is Dell we're talking about, buddy. =)
yeah, i must have thought it said Lenovo or something
try 2 USB 2.0
VGA
32Gb SSD or 250Gb HDD @5400
1-2 DDR2 800
vista home (they wont be running XP if their aiming at a mac air slayer!)
Also, why would they run chrome or ff out of the box on windows? I have literally never heard of that being done, MS would go crazy and land them a whole load of extra payments!
again, this is a dream, not anything close to what-would-be a reality
but they took Chrome out of Beta so that computer makers could pre install it on their pc's
@Oli D
If Microsoft were to punish Dell for installing Firefox or Chrome on their computers then I think we'll be seeing those anti-trust lawsuits making a rapid return.
What I'm curious to find out is just what happened to the Studio XPS line that was tipped to emerge at the end of November this year?
This is quite exciting though.
If there's one thing that BORES me it's Apple fanboys talking nonsense, and Windows fanboys talking equal nonsense back. Six to one and half a dozen to the other. Personal preference. Get over it.
That said, the Air is overpriced, underpowered and underspecced for the cost. It's just too expensive, however thin, beautiful or well engineered it is. Break out the cost/benefit analysis for a sec.
Linux based Adamo OS as well?.
Dell like Ubuntu, I can't see them tailoring an OS just for this.
I don't know what's up with them lately. They pulled both the machines my mom and I bought from their Ubuntu page--
wait, wait--- Okay, they put the Inspiron 1525n back. Time to see if they upgraded any of the specs..
Blast, they just removed the 1440x900 LCD option.
Ye, The LCD panel in my Vostro is screwed but an internet friend (who works for dell support australia) says it should be warranty replacable. They better let me upgrade to the 1440x900 display!
I love my Air, just got it to replace a XPS M1330 laptop, with the defective Nvidia Card, just received my 3 replacement laptop. The Dell overheated so much it warped the casing of the laptop. If Dell comes out with a laptop better than the Air, if it has built in mobile broadband then I might get one. If not I'll keep using my Air.
Well, well, well. Dell certainly have been busy. :) I will be very interested to see what this finally evolves to. If its got a decent CPU and HDD then my vostro 1400 may see an early retirement. Obviously assuming linux is some option... Im going to install Ubuntu on it so is a bit of a waste paying for a copy of windows which i will never use.
hum i am hoping no Atom 1.6 g but it will be..sadly
@sdemo
Over the past 13 years I have had 3 Dell laptops, and gave one as a gift. I also have had 4 Dell desktops - 3 of which are still in use (the first was running a Pentium/166 and not of real use quality any more). Of these 8 computers, problems I have had with Dell computers:
1) The nub on the first laptop broke. This was caused by, while working, I would constantly pull at it with my fingernail, a kind of a thinking twitch.
2) The one I gave as a gift had the display go out. This was because the person I gave it to dropped it down stairs while it was open. Dell fixed it free of charge (still in warranty).
3) My latest one had the battery die, after 3 1/2 years of use because of battery memory common to all laptops - including the Air.
4) The network driver for the last desktop could not be found on Windows update, so I needed to manually download from Intel's web site.
In the case of 1 and 2 truely user error. 3 is common among all laptops, and number 4, not really an issue. Yes, this is one person's anecdotal evidence, just like your anecdotal evidence of how Macs and specifically how wonderfully the Air is built and how bad your Dell was. You have had one bad experience with a Dell, and I understand how that can taint your view of a company - just how my view of Apple has been tainted by 2 defective iPhones, and a Mac Mini that has been, let's say, less than well built.
Is that denying it enough for you?
did you press reply and engadget commenting screwed you, or were you completely oblivious to the fact that you can reply to a comment
I'd *love* to see Dell build an ultraportable. Let's just hope it doesn't sacrifice performance as badly as the Air, and many of these other laptops...
I'd like to see this under $1299.
Thin to me means under an inch thick. LED backlit display. 1.8" hard drive.
Obviously the display needs to be something in the 11.1 to 13.3 inch range. Sounds like its going to be a 13, which is a nice size. Presumably a 13xx/12xx x 768/800 or so screen.
I could personally care less about the CD drive, though it looks like its going to actually have a drive bay, which suggests it will be thicker than I'd like, but lets see. Slot load would be better.
Battery life is going to be important, so either integrated graphics only or the new-style switchable graphics that Apple is doing in the Macbooks. No requiring logout for this please!
Whole thing needs to stay under 4 pounds. The lighter the better.
Colors please. Or something other than black. Carbon fibre could be nice of course. But stickers, colors, anything to customize the look.
The one thing that the Air didn't sacrifice was performance. I'm not sure if this is still the case, but the Air was certainly much faster than its competitors due to the faster processor. What things are like now with the Penryn processor and nVidia graphics is up for debate. The problem that the Air has is that it sacrificed in other areas, such as the lack of expansion ports, no replaceable battery, etc. If you are expecting a thin 'n' light laptop to be running Cryssis then I think you're going to be waiting quite a long time.
a little sad Joshua?
A *fashion blog* beat you to the news? Ouch!
Thin is great but not at the expense of productivity IMHO. If this turns out to be true, I hope it has more built in functionality than the AIR.