How would you change Dell's Adamo?
By Darren Murph 
posted May 15th 2009 11:53PM
posted May 15th 2009 11:53PM
posted May 15th 2009 11:53PM
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For once, a competing Apple computer is less expensive, and still better! I would love to understand how a company can put out such an underachieving computer. It's mind boggling how Dell can even market and attempt to sell this computer. It's like trying to sell a first gen xbox and have it compete with a PS3 or xbox 360. You can get the 1.6GHz MacBook Air, throw in the SSD, buy a copy of windows, and it will cost you the same amount as the Adamo with the 1.4GHz processor. I'm just dumbfounded. I want to walk up to Michael Dell and ask him if he has a brain.
Oh, and if you don't want to install windows on a MacBook Air, get the Voodoo Envy 133. It looks better, performs better, and doesn't have that roll of fat on the back, I mean battery.
Quite simple, make sure it beats the MacBook Air. That means a matching price, hard disk option since SSDs are still a luxury, GeForce 9400M (seriously, I think a law should be passed making it illegal to use Intel GMA chips in laptops costing more than £600). Oh, and if an optical drive can be squeezed in, that'd be great, but not a necessity for me.
Yeah, mainly it's the price.
Make it a $300 netbook!
Why doesn't everyone else ask for unreasonable upgrades. Last time I checked you can't fit a GTX295 into a laptop and keep it less than a cm think. I'm not attacking everyone just those with stupid requests. decent CPU and graphics fine but don't exepect dell to put in a workhorse and keep it weighing the same with longer battery life.
Removable battery please too.
Here is my dream Dell Adamo
- More affordable
- Better cpu, gpu, more ram, higher resolution
- Variable build options, not everyone wants an aluminium body that would do nothing but add to the price. But mind you, we don't need cheap plastic.
- Replaceable Battery
- If the new iteration of the adamo shows up by July, then market it with Windows 7. That is, If I purchase a Dell adamo by July, I would get a free Windows 7 upgrade.
I think Dell has got the looks and the name right; they just need to get some features right:
Using SP9xxx processors. and if this consumes too much power and generates hear, then SL9xxx....
Discrete Graphics: There must be a good nVidia Graphic Card, maybe G100 or ATi Mobility 4330 to match the screen
Optical Drive: A necessity and a serious flaw inmost slim laptops=Optical Drive....There must be a first time for it.....
Suggestion: Try use the DVD Drive used in Toshiba RX2
AND
if possible, getting an 11" and 8/9" Version of the laptop(with similar features, and NOT ATOM) would be gr8
also, if there could be an upgrade capability upto 4GB of RAM, that would make it the ultimate laptop....nothing better....the whole envy, X360 and Xslim market will come to Dell though I doubt the Apple share can be taken away, the fanboys are blindly in support of Apple.
Get rid of the ugly butt. It makes the laptop look terrible!
Put on it 2 muscular legs and arms armed with an double blade axe and call it ADAMOR, the jealous macbook air killer!!!
Stick to the fundamentals, Dell. Make cheapo portables and call it a day. But if you choose to enter high-end market, please do it with the high end specs as well. Good industrial design alone just won't do it. I expect from Dell: lower price, higher specs. 1.4 Ghz to Admire? This was a joke, right? Make it at least 2.0 Ghz and nVidia 9400 for 1499? I still won't buy it, but at least it's reasonable to expect such a deal from Dell.
Halve the price, perhaps. In Australia its base config is $600 more than a Macbook Pro and it has worse specs than an entry-level Inspiron. What the hell were they thinking?
Am I right in thinking that the macbook air is better specced and cheaper? I think dell have made a big mistake here! Not to mention that the macbook is way older? I don't even like macs, but that air is a better machine im affraid!
1. Lower Price
2. Faster CPU (at least 2.0GHz)
3. Use Geforce 9400 Chipset for integrated GPU
4. Wireless Slim External Optical Drive
5. 4GB DDR3
6. HDMI + Display Port Output
7. SLC SSD
8. Multitouch Screen
9. Sliding like Intel UrbanMax
The Adamo seems nice, but all the reviews I've read described it as underwhelming. I wish I had a chance to try it myself. But the truth is, there are a lot of underwhelming laptops out there. The styling seems great, but it could definitely use a slim disc drive. And honestly, it doesn't have to be a speed demon - consider the market. Gamers aren't buying this laptop. But you do want to install programs, rip cds and maybe watch a movie while traveling. It shouldn't be a magnified netbook, for the price.
9'' ?
Had my Onyx 1.6 Adamo for about a month now. Maxed out with external HD, DVD, second power adapter (the last two Dell still has not shipped) and longest warranty, tech support and damage protection came in just south of 4k. The good: its very convenient to carry around, much more so than my XPS 1330. The thin form factor means I can slip it into anything. Runs everything I throw at it in its role. What its good for: a decent ultra portable SECOND laptop.
It won’t work as your primary powerhouse system. That brings me to what I would change. Seeing as its primary role seems to be as ultraportable secondary computer, maxed out I think this thing should only cost $2500-2700 at the most. That still keeps it in the exclusivity range Dell is looking for but makes it a more realistic second super mobile computer.
Two other minor annoyances: the magnifying function on the scroll pad. I have no idea how to actually engage it, but its seems to click in at the most inopportune times making the screen too small or too large and since I can’t seem to get it to work when I want it to, I can’t change it back when it does it on its own.
Finally the screen goes bright/dim on its own without any correlation to battery power setting or background light. It just gets brighter then dimmer whenever it wants to. Very annoying pulse like bright/dim.
make it freaking affordable... >_>
But yeah... that would kill the point of this.
cheaper price, or sacrifice thinness for a slot loading drivee
I would send a robot assassin back in time to prevent its release.
The real reason the Adamo was more of a flop than a success is really because everyone expected it to be a product that was at least competitive with the MacBook Air. I was floored when Dell asked for more than the MBA, and then gave it worse features all around except the solid state drive (which probably doesn't help much performance-wise, due to the bottlenecks of the CPU and other parts). Even the big selling point, the thinness and it's looks, did not jibe with everybody; the keyboard is fantastic, but the trackpad could be a little more generous, and that back-end is really, really ugly (IMO), even if it allowed them to put many ports in. Other than those two features, I could see liking the Adamo a bit more than the MBA in terms of style.
Although it's a pound heavier, and I would rather have a 1-inch thick laptop that is lighter than a .6-inch one. Many would probably disagree.
The really tough part for Dell though is that they can't just lower the price; owners would be pissed, and consumers would once again question the value of the computer. The "luxury" line is one Dell hasn't competed in much, and people who are willing to spend the extra money on a computer or laptop expect both value and quality in return. Dell doesn't have much of a stellar record in quality with consumer-end products (although they are great in terms of value), and unless they can really make the Adamo a better quality machine in terms of internal parts and extra features you can't find elsewhere, people will notice.
So all Dell can do is upgrade basically everything (specifically the GPU and CPU) and try hard to eliminate the "butt" of the laptop, which is the only part that some people don't like, as well as trim that excess pound off. I am hoping that they make this much better; I want to see a sexy Adamo that's just as good on the inside.
I would install Mac OS X on the Adamo or let Apple produce it.
They can add a slot load blu-ray or dvd burner like the Macbook/pros and still keep the same thickness. Price it to compete at the 13 inch Macbook level because as of now it cost about $1400 more. Other than that its a pretty nice laptop.
For now, the only realistic change I want and the main reason I haven't bought a single one of these "slim" laptops.....Intel X4500 integrated GPU. Change that crap for a ATI HD 3300 or an Nvidia 8200. It still still be slim, still be portable, but have a huge boost in graphics performance. I mean we get it, we don't want to use it for gaming, but with a HDMI output, I want a GPU that will actually work in all cases, not just certain resolutions.
The cover finish should be switched!!!
Shiny part at the bottom and brushed at the top.
WHY?
Because the shiny mirror coat finish is a fingerprint nightmare and it's situated exactly where the laptop is handled the most...
I would start by stomping on it for at least 15 minutes. If it was still recognizable I'd then take it outside and drive over it with my Audi. That would be a start.
Change the design - it looks cheap. Dell should take design lessons from Sony.
Keep the price the same but:
* Increase the CPU + GPU
* Add a N-Trig Capacitive Digitizer
* Windows 7 (w/ digitizer you get Windows Touch platfrom + features!)
1. Lower the price by at least 500 dollars.
2. Invest in a more aggressive advertising campaign. (TV, tech blog and newspaper "articles", artificial internet buzz, magazine and paper based media ads, etc)
3. Availability in major electronic stores and big box stores in neighborhoods that satisfy the demographic.
Either lower the price on what the current specs are or have a better CPU + GPU
What I would also like is a 15" and 17" version
This is a technical showpiece gone wrong. Yeah it was a WLED display, Yeah, it has DDR3 Memory, yeah it has that new fangled ultra low power U9x series Intel processor, Yeah it has an SSD, Yeah it has a nice design, but Dell lost sight of something important here: They're "showing off" to 1 of 2 Audiences: The bang-for-buck crowd and the technology enthusiast crowd. Both of which will glance at this and think "Nice, Nice... wait... $2000? And that's all it does?" All the people that would be interested in this are too busy playing with their Apples to notice, oh, and it has Vista. Not to mention the economy they decided to release this in. They should have waited until Win7 release to show this off. So, stuff like this may work for Apple but this just isn't what Dell is about.
What they should have done:
First and foremost, make it bigger. 15" (and/)or 17" laptop.
Second, drop the U9x and go with the SL9500. 17WTDP, 1066MHZ FSB, 6MB L2, 2.1GHz.
Keep the WLED screen but make it full 1080P (taking advantage of the 15 or 17" screen.
4GB DDR2 Memory.
Drop the SSD and use a 7200rpm Harddrive. Hell, if you pull a Velociraptor out of its 3.5" cage would it fit in one of these? Yeah it'd hurt Battery life, but THAT would impress people. Make the SSD an optional/Green upgrade.
Use at least a NVidia 9400m GFX chipset. If space/Power allows go with 9600m GT or even the GTS 160.
Price would be comparable, maybe even a bit more, but so much more justifiable and awe inspiring. Especially if it came with something other than Vista.
What they did:
U9300 is 1.2GHz at 10W TDP. Nice TDP but the Price/Performance is questionable. Dual Core, 6MB L2 (or is it 3?) and 1066MHz FSB help, but 1.2GHz? C'mon
It has a WLED screen which I imagine is pretty badass (never seen one personally but read great things), and 720P on a 13.4" Laptop? not bad, but can you say Cha-Ching?
DDR3 Memory? especially 800MHz DDR3 Memory? Is this required of the new U9x00 Intel's? I think DDR2 would have been the more bang/buck route here.
and an SSD? really guys?
Granted, it DOES have a lot of connectivity to compensate for a lack of CD/DVD drive (which I'm only assuming it lacks due to size).
it is just too expensive ... if i wanted to pay twice as much as a regular notebook i'd buy a mac.
A bunch of people are saying it's way underpowered ... i ask what in the heck are you doing on a laptop that you need more horsepower than the 1.2 or 1.4 core 2? I'm running Windows 7 on a old single core athlon CPU and it screams on it with a low end ati graphic chip.
The price tag is just too much. I don't like Apple because of their prices and misleading advertising but i think the Air is a better deal for something thats lightweight and sleek.
Can it.
I'd make it not ugly.
-Fatten 'er up to get rid of the butt
-Bump the specs, 1.4 Ghz is just weak for something that wants to be a "lifestyle" product. The only lifestyle the Adamo is catering to right now is the "slow" lifestyle.
-Make a hot pink edition.
get a better processor, and better graphics like the macbook air
Who do they think they are? Apple? If Dell can get this much for an underpowered piece of plastic, then I don't see why people are upset about Apple asking for $2000 for a laptop carved out of a solid block of aluminum (or aluminium) that doesn't squeak when you lift it up.
Jon,
http://www.macmynd.com
Add a higher resolution screen option? Atleast 1400x1050 or something?
The CPU and the chipset/graphics card. CPU should be as fast as the Macbook Air and the chipset should be the NVIDIA Geforce 9400M.
Open the box, take the Adamo out, and slide a MacBook Air in it's place? Yeah, some of it's style choices are actually interesting, although I don't like the design as a whole. But in all other areas, a MacBook Air seems much better. I don't get why they didn't try and undercut the MacBook Air, since Dell are about being cheaper -- they're not Sony.
Nothing, I would never consider buying a "luxury" Dell Apple does eeverything way better in it's OS, and it designs for the USER not to be cool in industrial design mags.
Dell...what a fucking joke...that company sucks balls.
true dat ...word up man....
Call it the Dell 'Bill Adama' and slap a BsG logo on it.
Some of you guys have really unrealistic expectations about how much you can actually cram into such a small space. Do you really think they went with the ultra low voltage processor so that Greenpeace will be appeased? No. That's the most you can cool with the space at this point in time.
I would just like to see more notebooks fill out the Adamo line. Keep this ultra thin one for people willing to pay for it, but apply the same design language to some of Dell's other products and the Adamo brand could really take off. Perhaps something more like the Studio XPS 13, only in the Adamo flat metal slab style.
The Adamo brand should compete with the Macbook as well as the Macbook Air.
Swap the ending "O" for an "A" and get E.J. Olmos to do the ads.
Everyone knows Adama > Dell any day.
Add a complimentary MacBook Pro and a TV and I might buy it.
Uhm one thing would be to lower the price?
Lower the price, OLED screen if it doesn't have it yet, lighter weight, more powerful processor.
If their keeping the price range, copy that laptop that has the trackpad as a dual screen, add leather version, even bamboo (note same price range).
.
Adding to this, recently my Adamo started to literally fall apart. The bottom aluminum panel separated from the top shell and was hanging down. Eventually I figured out that the bottom is fastened to the top via three recessed sliders that lock in hooks machined into the bottom panel. If you put a thin screwdriver or pin into these slots you can shove the slider over and (un)fasten the hooks and the whole panel comes off.
The design flaw appears to be that you only have to slide these sliders, not, say, push and slide them. Therefore vibration and handling seems to have encouraged them to move -- first one on the right side of my Adamo and then on the bottom.
I have refastened these and will monitor how often they come loose.
Same price, better CPU, 15" and I'll buy it right away!