Dell Adamo announced: 1.2GHz Core 2 Duo, $1,999
By Nilay Patel 
posted Mar 17th 2009 1:00AM
posted Mar 17th 2009 1:00AM
Update: Looks like CNET scored one early -- check out their hands-on here, and a pic of that magnetic cover here.
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ROUND ROCK, Texas, March 17, 2009 - Style-minded people who place a premium on precision craftsmanship and design can now add Adamo to their list of must-have items for 2009. Dell today unveiled the world's thinnest laptop as a kick off to the new Adamo by Dell brand.
Adamo, derived from the Latin word meaning "to fall in love," will serve as a flagship in a line of products created to disrupt the personal computing space with the combination of new design, aesthetics, personalization choices and sought-after technologies.
The News:
Adamo is the pinnacle of craftsmanship and design and features:
· A chassis milled from a single piece of aluminum featuring precision detailing and a scalloped backlit keyboard
· Striking high definition edge-to-edge glass display
· Fully connected with WiFi, Bluetooth(tm) and optional integrated mobile broadband* and full complement of connectivity ports with no compromises
· Cool, quiet and robust solid state drives
· Available in Onyx and Pearl colors with a broad range of complementary accessories
· Price starting at $1999
Quotes:
"Great design needs to be timeless and evoke emotion in people", said Alex Gruzen, senior vice president of Dell's consumer products. "While a premium computing experience was assumed for Adamo, the intent was for people to see, touch and explore Adamo and be rewarded by the select materials and craftsmanship you would expect in a fine watch."
"Dell continues to signal a commitment to design and personalization across its entire product line and has made significant strides forward in the past year," said Rob Enderle, Principal Analyst, Enderle Group. "The Adamo laptop is a showcase for this commitment and a flagship product that will draw buyers to the brand."
People who choose Adamo will be offered a unique color matched collection of Adamo by Dell branded peripherals and accessories including, in the U.S. an exclusive line of bags from TUMI. Choices will include:
· External storage option with 250GB** or 500GB** external hard drive.
· External DVD+/-RW or Blu-ray disc drive.
· 8GB** USB drive.
· Connectors and cables including DisplayPort to HDMI, DVI, and VGA.
· Adamo Premium Service (US Only):
o 24/7 access to Dell's best trained technicians
o Consistent communication with a dedicated personal team
The Adamo by Dell brand is being supported by innovative and new approaches to marketing and promotion for Dell. Designed to challenge people's perceptions of what a computer is, the Adamo by Dell brand was inspired by fashion, luxury brands and timeless design.
Dell has looked beyond traditional approaches to reaching computer shoppers and launched a provocative campaign featuring:
· A stylish worldwide print campaign shot by acclaimed British-based photographer Nadav Kandar and featuring high-fashion models that reinforces the "fall in love" positioning. Kander, whose work is celebrated in galleries worldwide, also shot the moving portfolio, "Obama's People," which appeared in The New York Times Magazine earlier this year.
· AdamoByDell.com , the centerpiece of the campaign and a highly stylized site where viewers can learn about Adamo, register for updates and, beginning today, place orders. Since its launch last month, AdamoByDell.com has attracted nearly 800,000 unique visitors from around the world and more than 1 million page views.
· Artful packaging in which the product arrives "floating" in a clear box with minimal clutter - a beautiful experience for a sophisticated product.
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 (preliminary)***
· 2 USB ports, 1 USB/eSATA combo port, Display Port, RJ-45 port
· Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition SP1, 64-bit
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.
2GB of RAM...?
Ew.
The MBA can only go up to 2gb
This one can be upgradeable to 4gb though
Sexy machine but fails for the ridiculous price. Thin shouldn't be that expensive, shhhhhiiiiiittttt, i rather go out with a fat one then a skinny shallow gold digging chick. Wait a year or two and you'll see this in the 600's.
"Wait a year or two and you'll see this in the 600's."
Could that possibly be a wronger statement?
@AVG
Yes, he could have written "Wait a year or two and you'll see this in the 500's."
Looks like people would be better off buying a Macbook and a copy of windows saving the extra money.
Its name is difficult to pronounce and vaguely French sounding, so it must be high quality.
intergrated graphics for 1900
ew!
I'm actually buying a Dell 13 XPS studio with sli. Not as pretty as Adano, but pretty enough..way better deal!
This thing makes the Macbook Air look like a pretty good deal all around, also the MBA can run windows/OS X without a problem and has a really nice LED backlit screen something Dell forgot to throw in the MBA also has a way faster processor.
Hey, it's DDR3 in case you didn't notice.
What is it with Dell- do they have a death wish? They had one chance to get this niche right ... and blew it. You want to break into a field as a noob? You sure as hell don't offer an underpowered, overpriced product. Period. As in effing period.
It's so stupid, it makes me want to scream. All that engineering, all that hype and Dell can't get the most basic things right. It needs more ram, STAT. It needs a more powerful CPU, STAT. And it needs to have the balls to announce exactly what kind of screen it's offering and it better damn well be a good one. Hint: It won't be, cuz they would have mentioned it. And it needs to have battery technology/management that delivers an amount of time that doesn't already have "quotation marks" around it.
You want part of this market Dell? Then MAKE a product that MAKES us want to go out and buy it. Or just STFU. All that hype. For a limp bizkit.
//end rant
I just love how hard Dell's trying. They're trying so hard it's funny.
From the obvious French accent on the designer, to the pause before the "league of it's own" catch-phrase, to the black and white pictures of models holding it behind them. They're trying to be Paris-chic, and it's not working.
These guys are suits. They don't do casual. Dell are just so corporate, you can imagine this being planned out in a boardroom, with phrases like "customer experience" and "inspired design" being touted around every couple of minutes.
This would have been so cool...if it was released in 2005.
So apparently no one paid attention in Marketing 101?. This system isn't for us tech people (duh!) That's very very obvious. It's made to be a fashion statement. That's why they have the models and everything looks like it's marketing for fashion magazine. It's an accessory, a statement. I bet it's a huge access for it's target market, which probably isn't Engadget readers, no offense.
And this looks much more beautiful than the MBA.
It's a broken pencil.
@KarlW
I totally agree, though I get the feeling you are subtly suggesting that some other computer companies don't work that way. Sadly, They are all the same, the only difference is that some have hidden their corporate stuffiness better and for a longer period of time.
Still, Dell has been rather transparent in this case.
I think they're trying to tout laptop Uni-body construction that they copied from Apple. But, of course, Dell would never do something like that. If this thing were a $1000 cheaper, I'd consider buying it, but then I realize it doesn't have an Apple logo and it runs Windows. Pass. And besides, the name Adamo sounds totally gay.
So basically, they stuffed a Latitude E4200 into a different chassis. A much thinner chassis, but still. I'd rather get the Latitude starting at $1500 over this chump. More options too.
It sure is thin though.
If you compare this to a Voodoo Envy 133, this is 10X sexier and worth it.
The processor may be slow, but I still think it's sexy.
I honestly dont find it that sexy, the rear end looks terrible and those irregular holes make it look like an experiment in design. The Voodoo Envy is cleaner.
Also, after seeing the specs for size and weight, even the Alu Macbook can compete with the Adamo.
A 1.2ghz processor.
WOW.
Even the Viao-P has a 1.6ghz.
WHAT A RIP OFF!
For 2,000 (and that is just the starting price), I can get all of the sex I want...and then come out with a very lightweight, top quality computer with more than twice the resources.
Get outta the ether people. This machine is grossly overpriced. REMEMBER, THE PRICE STARTS AT $2,000! When Dell is done with you, you could pay 50-100% more for your coveted Adamo. Not in this economy as Dell will most definitely discover.
Brad H, you are comparing the 1.6GHz Atom CPU in the Vaio-P to a 1.2GHz Intel C2D ULV.
The Intel C2D is a supremely better CPU. It also costs double the price. It's designed [the CPU] to use extremely little power while still having significantly better performance than the Intel Atom.
I can't believe half of Engadget posters haven't realised this. And people are bitching about 2GB RAM, hey - you can double it to 4GB or order it and do it yourself. Wow.
The Macbook Air has a slightly faster CPU and that's it's only advantage. The Dell Adamo has a 128GB SSD which is $500 option from Apple. You get 3 USB ports and an RJ-45 jack on the Dell Adamo. To me, it even looks better. But enough with the comparisons, they are two different machines altogether..
@Brad H.
I think you should go back to Engadget Jr. High. Engadget High School has proven too much for you.
1.2 GHZ means nothing.
SU9300 kicks 1.86 atoms for exemple..
It probably kicks a P4 3GHZ too in some applications.
@Daza - that's incorrect - the CPU in the MBA is not a ULV CPU, it's a full blown C2D (small package). GHz by GHz, the Atom is a lot slower than the ULV versions, and the ULV versions, likewise, are a lot slower GHz by GHz than the C2D.
A C2D at 1.6GHz should be about 2x as fast as the 1.2GHz ULV in the Adamo. In addition, the integrated NVidia graphics in the MBA are about 2x as fast as the Adamo's X4500. So it's way more powerful. I am guessing the Adamo has a much longer battery life - it better, considering that it makes pretty significant performance sacrifices.
Design aside, all these companies are just cooking with water, or, in this case, with the available CPUs, chipsets, and batteries. None of the components are exclusive to any one manufacturer. They just make different tradeoffs of speed vs battery life vs heat generation.
I give them credit for making it 0.65" thick. That's about it, pretty lame for Dell to come up with something like that and we make a big deal of it.
If Dell really want to be sexy they should start by dropping the Dell name and create a spin off instead for a computer looking like this.
$2,000 and just that? What did Dell become...Apple?
Ouch, what an insult.
Not to be an Apple fanboy, but unfortunately the MacBook Air has better specs for a lower price. Though I must say, this thing looks HOT.
Yeah, I'm fairly convinced I must be missing something that makes this a better buy than the Air. I'd never buy the Air because I think it's way too limited for fashion's sake, but at least it is thin and light for your ~$2k.
Though maybe a 1.2ghz c2d beats a 1.6ghz Atom?
"Though maybe a 1.2ghz c2d beats a 1.6ghz Atom?"
How is this relevant to this topic at all? This isn't competing with the netbooks and the Air also uses C2D.
Wow, fail, I didn't notice that the Macbook Air was upgraded to C2D.
Also, I see the Adamo has an SSD standard so I revoke about 20% of my scorn. Still seems pricey.
> $2,000 and just that? What did Dell become...Apple?
They're trying, but not yet. The MacBook Air is still cheaper and lighter and better looking and was released years ago. But here comes Dell, bringing up the rear...
@unixsysengie-
Yeah, that's too much for too little. The SSD is the single premium internal component, but my guess is that Dell is getting them at a good price and using them as a point of distinction to try and take the edge off the sticker shock. I have no love of Apple, but I'd probably buy a 13" Macbook and a copy of Windows before I bought this at the introductory price.
But, what differentiates Dell from Apple is that the price will eventually go down as revisions are made.
@UnixSystemsEngineer
"Wow, fail, I didn't notice that the Macbook Air was upgraded to C2D."
Fail indeed...
Especially since the AIR had a CD2 since day one.It NEVER has an atom.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacBook_Air
There's no way this is going to replace my iPhone.
(I just wanted to try out that age old, pointless and irrelevant comment.)
LOL you totally beat me to It! I was about to make the very same post! crummy hardware at a premium price FTW!
I'm not so fond of that part that stick out form behind. SSD aint bad though???
Air with 128G SSD adds $500 bumping it up to $2,299. Most people would probably pay $300 for a 600 MHz faster CPU and the 9400M, however.
I don't think Dell made the right choice by launching with SSD only, even if it's the future and should be pushed more in general.
They should have launched with a regular HDD at $1,499 and at $1,799 with the 128G SSD instead.
@Purple Haze
I would rather spend $2,499 on the 1.83GHz, 128GB SSD Macbook Air....
1.2 Ghz for 2K?
there's a fine line between ridiculously expensive and ridiculously overpriced.
this laptop crosses that line.
People pay for size and weight. Making things small and light costs a lot of money. Not everyone wants to lug around a DTR.
That being said, this looks like a decent X301 competitor.
Shyam D:
People do pay for small size and weight. That said, this thing is four pounds. If someone wanted small and light, they could go cheaper and significantly smaller/lighter with the Air, Vaio P, or even a netbook.
"People do pay for small size"
i thought it was rather the contrary ;p
if you know what i mean
Shyam, you're delusional. The faster and better equipped Dell M1330 weighs the same 4lbs as this and costs about half. Doesn't look as nice, but all things considered.....
This could have been good competition for the MacBook Air and Voodoo 133 (the X301 as well, but its not as sexy as the other two), except then Dell made it a pound too heavy and more underpowered than it could have been. The X301 is much more functional as well, with its integrated DVD drive and WXGA+ res screen.
Yah, yah. I didn't read the 4 lb thing until after I read all of your comments. I just had the expectation that it would be ~ 3lbs.
an XPS m1330 costs less, has more power, and is lighter than this. It's not quite as handsome, but it's definitely a better value.
im very disappointed also. i thought this would be around 2lbs. 4lbs is epic fail.
looks like the toshiba r600 and lenovo x series are still the kings of lightweight and powerful.
The day it comes out and it's already outclassed by their own 1330 and Latitude line. If you haven't taken a look at those business laptops, they're flipp'n awesome these days.
Prices starting in the low $500 range for a lower spec'd machine, from 12.1 to 15.4 in size. Starting weights of 2.2 lbs, backlit keyboards, all metal cases, and when equipped with a battery slice, 16 hours of battery life. I don't think the Adamo looks nearly as good either.
Wow. I need some food.
Care for an orange? They're good...
*devours another slice*
slow and spendy. looks cool though.
4 Pounds! That's almost as heavy as some regular 13in laptops like the Macbook or M1330
The aluminum MacBook weights 4.5 lbs. So for an extra .5lbs you get: optical disk drive, better cpu, better graphics, and a bigger battery.
Looks like it's trying to do what the Mac Book Air was trying to do. I am sure some executive somewhere who just have too much money to spend (maybe the AIG execs?) will buy one of these and these machines will find their niche somewhere. But a high-price, lower-power combination isn't a recipe for success in this economy.
The machine does look beautiful though.
$2000.,????ARE U FREAKIN SERIOUS !!talk about a major fail,no success here. Success is measured in sales..A dell netbook $2000. add to the guaranteed to fail list.,priced even higher than the apple air,..,.,tank city..
This is no netbook. This Dell, the MacBook Air, and others belong in the category of ultra-portables. Screen size is kept around 13 inches and everything else is compressed to save as much weight as possible and make the computer as thin as possible. And yes, this is done at the expense of performance. All of that comes at an added production cost. People in the market for these things understand these factors. People in the market for netbooks look for different things.
I don't think you can call anything that weighs as much as this or the MBA an ultraportable. Although the miniaturisation costs money these things are expensive because of their looks.
Seems like the MacBook Air gives you more bang for your buck... Wow. Didn't see that coming!
The MBA has a faster processor, far superior graphics, weighs less, AND costs less. Add on the superior build quality, cleaner looks, and ability to run OSX/Vista/XP and you have total domination.
Where's all the shit talking on Dell?
Where's all the people pointing out the ridiculous spec/price ratio?
Where's the snide remarks from Engadget?
Oh that's right, the technological geniuses reserve that for Apple. This place is a joke.
The MBA isn't better, it's much better.
This thing seems like a god damn joke. Seriously, 1.2GHZ and integrated graphics for 2000$. I'm sorry, but the thing is a load of crap even if it has a nice design.
And it runs Windows Vista 64-bit.
lol
kid: if you would care to look, plenty of people here are saying this is overpriced, and a few saying the air is better. and while i'm no apple fan, there's no two ways about it, the air is actually a better deal.
me neither dude. Dell have lost all their marbles if they think than can sell a 1.2ghz computer for $2000. And it actually looks ugly compared to a Macbook Air ( not that I'm gonna buy either one ). Oh and Dell, while 16:9 aspect ratio is great for TV sets it's terrible for 13" screens.
WTF, I thought that Apple was the only company that had enough balls to not care about the consumer but Dell has actually left them in the dust. I suppose Apple needs to send them a thank you letter for finally proving that there is no such thing as Apple tax.
Its pretty Ironic...
seriously? i really thought dell was on to something here...
the laptop cover looks like a design that is used on women's purses. This is one ugly POS.
Interesting, you think it's trying to look like a Gucci bag? I'm sure Dell would be glad you noticed that. It didn't jump to my mind until you said it.
Typical overpriced Dell garbage, and not even that attractive either.
Congrats to Dell for making a Windows PC that's even less of a useful buy than a Macbook.
Overpriced and dell in the same sentence? Say it ain't so!
And they're right next to each other! Oh the horror!
Typically overpriced Dell?
Huh, what?
You've been living on the same planet as the rest of us for all these years?
Apple is the word you're looking for, Apple, not Dell.
specs and price aside, I never thought I'd say this about a dell but
that thing is DAMN sexy
Sexy? Perhaps. Problem is she has very little between the ears...and if you make love to her, she will relieve you of your bank.
Now, just how sexy is she?...you just caught something from her...a disease called bankruptcy...and you ain't gonna like her once you see her friends. And you can do her friends for 25% less and get more out of the experience.
She is certainly overdressed and overpriced for this street corner...and wait until you see how much her jewelry is going to cost you...get ready to pay!
Dell made it pretty at CES...then really disappointed everyone when the rubber met the road! I was expecting so much more, I already have a great computer with a 13 inch display and it weighs 4.25 pounds. It is a year old and it has three times the resources...and it cost me 70% less than the Adamo is selling for stripped.
I forgot to mention...she definitely has a weight problem, too!
Who needs another Air?
If you're interested, we just published a couple of Adamo videos on Direct2Dell: http://bitly.com/sVFdG
Thanks but not interested.
this thing makes a MBA look like a good deal, especially with its bulky battery behind the screen
What a disappointment.
They do realize that, regardless of how well-crafted it is, this machine's biggest mainstream competitor is the MacBook Air, right? And that the Air is significantly cheaper, lighter, and more powerful in nearly every way?
Not to mention that the majority of consumers won't be able to see the Adamo in person (and thus witness its supposedly amazing build quality) unless they start selling it at Best Buy or some other major chain.
What the hell were they thinking?
and people make fun of Apple.
I'd take a top end MacBook Air over this.....better looking, lighter, thinner, faster, better video card, webcam, larger multi-touch tackpad, not Vista. That offsets having 1 less USB port than this thing.
A-damn-O face
Ouch.... wtf such a waste, guess beauty is only skin deep even if the outside is sexy
I don't know why everyone keeps saying this is more expensive than a MacBook Air. The cheapest MacBook Air with a 128GB SSD is $2300
Yes, but that's not its base configuration. From this press release, it appears that there won't be a choice other than the 128GB SSD.
No, the most expensive MacBook Air is $2499....
C-C-Combo breaker!
...sorry, had to do it.
What a waste of money. Over-hyped and underpowered. Should've seen that one coming...
Wow, it makes the MacBook Air look awesome. Amazing.
Meh, I'll pass on both.
I was excited about this laptop but this is just a massive letdown.
Comparison to Sony Vaio Z:
2.26Ghz (P8400) - 2.66Ghz (P9600) Core 2 Duo
Up to 4GB DDR3 SDRAM
Up to 6 hours battery life (standard capacity battery)
Expresscard slot
13.1" Screen 1366 x 768 or 1600 x 900 Resolution, LED
Built-in DVD-RW drive or Blu-ray Disc RW drive
Hybrid Nvidia 9300m GS and Intel 4500MHD graphics cards
All the usual ports and some extra features
3.42lbs, a half pound lighter than the Adamo
Base prices $1600 for non high res screen, $1750 for high def screen and spec bump. Still cheaper than the Adamo. Sigh.
Hold up there. You're missing the most important bit, the SSD. $2399.99 is what I get for 2.4Ghz with 128GB SSD. The SSD is the major contributor to the high price.
the z is more bang for the buck, but still a little expencive
The Vaio Z is more of an equivalent to a regular Macbook, not a MBA or this Dell.
Look at it
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&categoryId=8198552921644570897
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_mac/family/macbook?mco=MTE3MzM
It's best processor is a little faster than the Macbook, but dang, look at the starting price!
And, they cut corners on some little things.
A 0.3 mp webcam?
They start at $1600 and go all the way up to $2950!
pass on that.
kevinm: Hmm that's true. But I really dislike when CTO laptops don't give you a HDD option cause then the base price is so much higher. I would get a third party SSD and upgrade it myself.
liquidmark: Why is it not a competitor to the MBA or Adamo? Because it's not super thin? I guess in my opinion the weight is more important when comparing similar laptops. The Macbook is 4.5lbs taking it out of the range of ultraportable. The Z while still a little hefty at 3.42lbs has alot more features than other laptops that shed off many things in order to get down to 3lbs or less. The reason I am comparing it to the Adamo is that originally I understood this to be one of those stripped down laptops but the whole point of doing that is to make it lightweight. At 4lbs they totally missed the mark.
I have a Vaio Z which cost me only $2000 Canadian (back when they were at parity). There is no comparison to even a Macbook, 1600x900 screen it has is one of the best screens on any laptop, it has a fast CPU, 3G DDR3 and hybrid graphics. Decent battery life. Card reader, HDMI output, even firewire and modem. And it's 3.4 pounds. The only thing Macbook has over it is build quality (unibody) but that comes at a HEFTY weight premium. No it's not cheap but given the size (13" narrow, real 16:9 widescreen) and weight it's the best ultraportable option that does not sacrifice anything in the realm of performance.
LOL, and people thought the MacBook Air was overpriced. This is a shame. Hopefully, though, Dell coupon codes will be able to bring the price of this bad boy down a bit. Even so, you're still stuck with that lame 1.2GHz processor. No thanks.
I understand the Macbook Air because it can run OS X and Windows fluidly without any hacking workarounds. Well this is Dell's luxury line meaning the style conscious is happy and the business/thrifty consumer sticks to their Inspiron and Latitude lines. Let Dell have fun, it's by far the best looking Dell ever.