New Adamo XPS image takes a stand
By Ross Miller 
posted Oct 12th 2009 6:27PM
posted Oct 12th 2009 6:27PM
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Is this a weapon?!
nope it's a razor
This looks wayyyy too thin to actually house a computer. Dell just got my attention.
I am expecting to see some carbon fiber in new uber-thin-ridiculously-expensive laptops from now on, though.
I thought it was cool at first... now I'm confused..
In the first picture, isn't that a sideways laptop..?
it's an apple. an adamo's apple.
...the computer is male by the way.
I don't understand Engadget... You trickle useless false info, ridiculous patent drawings which say nothing and every possible rumor about the "iTablet" for over a year now, and 2 stunning pics from Dell is too much?
@ pic: I'm very impressed and intrigued... Yet hoping for anything but atom.
That is some of the best gadget porn ever.
And to all you folks who say "apple made the macbook air first and everyone else is copying" you are too young or underexposed to remember the original vaio z and sharp pc-mm20 laptops. other companies made "macbook air" form factors way before apple.
and i'm tired of seeing "mac vs pc" commercials. A MAC IS A PC NOW AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT THE COUNTER-ADS SHOULD SAY.
This will be smashed by the tray table on all us flights!!!!
More like, it will be banned on flights much the same way as steel utensils...
"on all us flights"?
So, you're a flight? If you're the spokesflight for all of 'em, I have some questions for you...
how is that going to sit on my lap?
At first I was thinking how great it would be on a table, but you make a great point my friend.
Pretty much the same way as any other laptop i presume.
I don't think the way it's sitting open in the picture is actually the upright position.. I think the keyboard is on the part with the ports and that half is supposed to be sitting flat on the surface. And the thin part without ports is actually the display and is supposed to facing up.. I believe they just rotated the picture like this to confuse everyone
@rube why are there vents on the side of the screen so?
I think it is positioned correcting in the first picture. The second pic makes it look like the keyboard can be detached and it can then be used as a tablet. So, im guessing the screen portion actually houses the cpu and hard drive, etc. thats why that portion is a bit thicker and has vents.
@stephen earley i believe those are speakers dude
I think it is positioned CORRECTLY...
@stephen, I'm only speculating and can't answer that.. maybe they are for aesthetics or maybe they are somehow functional but there could also be more vents located in the areas we cannot see yet
If you look at it from the current position.. it makes no sense to sit like this because if you tilt the screen any farther back.. it will probably fall over. not to mention how unattractive it is like this with a huge gap underneath it.
and if you rotate the image 90 degrees counterclockwise you will see how it makes more sense to sit this way.
But maybe this is the direction that ultra thin laptops are going.. having large gaps underneath for airflow like the sony vaio x with the extended battery.. If this is how they are going to look then I'm not ever buying one
@stephen
I never said anything like that. jeez.
if you look at where the rubber feet are positioned in the pics here http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/dell-announces-updated-adamo/ then that pretty much confirms 99.99% that this pic is infact, the right way round. but still....WTF?
I see that some people didn't see from the earlier pics that this is the upright position...
The laptop would tip over too easily in picture 1. It has to flipped.
hell.. if I'm going to have a huge gap under my laptop like this then they might as well make a 20 cell battery in the shape of a wedge to give me 200 hours of usage
@rube, you mean a wedge battery like this
http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/vaio-x-spotted-in-champagne-propped-up-by-extended-battery-rip
@smrterthnu
In answer to your comment: 1) I'm assuming that there is a limit to the angle the computer can open to, like in the original Adamo, so that the computer could not fall back without snapping off the keyboard. 2) For all we know there could be some kind of spring in the hinge mechanism that creates greater force when the unit is open, "locking it in place" as it were.
@ rube
Look at the original teaser pics of the Adamo XPS and you'll realize how wrong you are. Just look at the placing of the rubber "feet". That's how you know which side is the bottom.
I'm gonna go ahead and guess that this doesn't have a keyboard, but a multitouch screen, or possibly just a huge touchpad, maybe even two
Sit it up like this if you want a raised 'keyboard', rest it the other way if you want a more traditional laptop position.
Think about it, that's why it's so thin, and why they haven't shown us any pictures of the device's inner shell. Dell know how to do Multitouch already, it would make sense that they would want to make a portable version of the Inspiron One
the mostly likely structure is that (in the pic used in the article) the horizontal thin part is the screen, and the vertical part is teh body with the keyboard (and vents and ports on the side). however, it differs from current laptops because the screen part folds INTO the body (i.e. the edges of the main body surrounds the screen), this is how it can be so thin from side-on in the 2nd picture.
Finally a cake cutting Adamo!
Bye air, hello Adamo :)
By the looks of it, this thing should EAT some cake instead of cutting it.
That looks sturdy.
WHERE IS THE SNAKE OF DOOM???????????????????
no thanks. i wont click on your website.
Fine, but what do you have against the Shift key?
Hahaha, I like lolcats :-)
It's LOLcats.
I like the part where they release this for $2999 with 1.6ghz Core 2 Duo and nobody buys it like the Adamo :D
Lol. Adamo is purely made for PR and proving they can do sexy. Dell isn't make them to turn a huge profit.
why the picture rotated 90 degree to make it look weird?
To make it look weird.
No, the top half if larger than the bottom. It's a unique design, not a rotated picture.
saw that coming, i like though how comfortable it would be on ones lap is another question
What if I DON'T wish to induce a severe case of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, by turning my wrists up 60 degrees?
Is there a setting to "switch this to off", I ask ya?
Here's that "setting". DON'T buy it, I tell ya.
Congratulations, Dell... welcome to Apple, circa 2008.
stfu fgt.
How's that for 2008?
Actually this was shown at the MS Company Meeting, it came out on stage inside the shell of a Macbook Air. Seriously. Sinofsky had a Macbook Air in his hands and when he held it up, he opened the case and this was inside the Air, (obvioulsy minus the Air's innards) with the shell totally closed around this Dell.
If you look at the first pic carefully you'll notice what looks to be an SD card slot. This singular fact alone makes this superior and more innovative (see more convenient for anyone with any camera other than a cell phone) than any mac prior to the latest batch of MBPros.
Since when does an SD slot make a notebook innovative? By that argument, Apple's FireWire was pure genius. Anyway, Apple still did "small" first, and nearly 2 years ago. It's taken Dell and others that long to finally do something similar and without significantly improved functionality. And it'll still be less than half of the Mac's value in 2 years anyway...
@MaXPL
It's okay, but you might just end up doing so in the future anyway.
i'm worried that the TSA won't let me carry this on flights because it might be seen as a weapon :(
404'd. lol.
the only thing i can think is while this looks like a hella cool concept, a machine of that width is not running any high profile tech because 1. the fold out keyboard is probably taking up more space than in a regular laptop and 2. things would probably overheat very easily. Now dont get me wrong, i respect dell and they really do make some good products, but show me some nice specs and a good price point before you gloat how easily you can snap your laptop in half
It looks too fragile and price tag probably around $1999.99 with crappy specs.
You gotta be kidding.It looks very solid and metallic man.......That thing looks like it can be used as weapon...a KILLING WEAPON
Didn't Dell learn last time?
I don't think there are more than about 40 people in the country who are willing to spend $2500+ for a Windows machine simply because "It's so thin!"
I work and live in Manhattan, go to Starbucks at least once a day on average, make my rounds at B&N, Borders, etc. and still, to this day, have never seen even one of the original Adamos.
Unless you're Paris Hilton or whatever, people that spend $2k+ on a machine also want their computer not to crash when they're watching youtube, or playing an .mkv. Get the memo, Dell. You too, Sony.
Well dont compare this to the previous adamo. I think the thinnes is pretty amaizing to achieve. And i agree with you, it will propably have crappy specs (they've got alienware if you want spects and 4 bricks) but dell is not marketing this to make huge profit. With such products they increase their company image and not only keep developing cheap crappy plastic laptops like the inspiron and all the sh**.They just want to show that they can be the best in all categories including extra thin and light ( mb air and new vaio x).
look at where the dell logo is on the link thats provided - there is no way that that part would be the keyboard, more likely its the back of the display so that everyone can see that its a dell. so the pics that are released are just for the artistic view, i think that the part with the usbs has the keyboard and that the thinner shorter side with the vents is the display. just my .02
Normally, I would agree, but if you look closely at the picture in the old link, you can see what I think is a camera hole on the large section. That would seem to indicate that it's the display and that the photo above is oriented correctly.
I'm thinking that the keyboard part is too elevated to be comfortable. If this is Dell's upcoming design for the Adamo XPS, I'm hoping the height is adjustable otherwise several people will develop wrist problems. None-the-less, I'm intrigued on this.
Where the USB port is, that's where keyboard is located. The smaller half is the screen. According to this image, http://i.afterdawn.com/storage/pictures/500x_adamoclose.jpg, the rubber feet are around the bigger half and the screen is in the middle with the Dell logo.
the images here say otherwise http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/07/dell-announces-updated-adamo/
The smaller part that opens out, and does not have USB ports on it... has a Dell logo on it. Clearly that's the screen, why would Dell put there logo on the bottom of the laptop. This image is rotated to confuse.
http://mms.businesswire.com/bwapps/mediaserver/ViewMedia?mgid=200705&vid=5&download=1
Take a close look at that image. Make a mental note of the orientation of the port logos. You might have to put the pics side by side to figure it out, but compare it to the open pic and after a while you might see how it is not turned the wrong way. However, I am just assuming that the logo is not printed upside-down to further fool people into thinking their design is not interesting.
"the rubber feet are around the bigger half and the screen is in the middle with the Dell logo."
So you are claiming that the feet sit on a surface and you open the screen downward into the desk or your lap? That would be an interesting design. Might be hard to type on the upside-down keyboard though.
@mike, @ramrom, @everyonewhothinksthelogomeansitsthescreen
Thank you, that has to be the stupidest reason I have seen for thinking that the screen is on the "smaller section". Dell would put a logo on your ass if they could even if your proctologist is the only one who will ever see it. Or they'll put it backwards so you can see it in the mirror.
Hey, funny thing just happened. I lifted up my Dell computer and, what do you know, it actually has the word "Dell" on the bottom. It's not that hard of a leap to image them putting the logo on the bottom instead of just the word "Dell".
The design is not convincing at all, unlike the Macbook Air. The Macbook Air's design is pretty much spot on and very clean, this Dell still has those ugly vents.
Ugly vents? Seriously??? you are going to bash a laptop base on ugly vents? Talk about being petty.
The MBA has a bigass long row of vents on it. And they're very badly placed, it's nearly impossible not to block them when it's on your lap.
ugly vents?
lol?
lol, ugly vents? now you're just plain grasping at straws.
Meanwhile you might wanna check out the Apple support forum iKurt. The topic is: MacBook Air Overheating
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1387729&tstart=0
Yeah, because the last thing a user wants is a system that actually has a means for actively cooling the CPU! (and yes there is a fan, go look at some more of the teaser pics)
Is that a SATA connector?
My guess is that the price will be somewhere around $1199-1399
I wish...
I have a friend whose father works at Dell as a janitor. He spotted this thing in their marketing department and he said this thing will be going for $4500.
So, can we all just move on...it's just another Dell Adamo.
Yeah, well my mom's boyfriend's sister's aunt's son's cat's brother's owner's dad IS this laptop!
Actually, your friends father works for a company called Dill, and it was a dildo that he was looking at that will sell for $45.00. It's called "Adildo XLG". Looks to me like your team lost the phone game.
The Air barely has any ports and the Adamo has no power. I'm sure this is slower and has a fewer amount of ports. And it looks hideous from the side.
uh, dude, you can see how many ports it has in those two pictures. It has one Displayport, 2 USB, power, and headphone. Therefore, it has one more USB port than the Air.
Looking at it closely they almost look like USB 3.0 ports.
Glue a giant platinum turd on it and i will take two!
Two USB, power, headphone and displayport - that's minimism for you.
Still wondering if this is going to be some gimmicky dual touchscreen design that looks cool but lacks practicality.
SD slot as well if you look at the first pic, near the bottom of the keyboard (the downward slanting section for those who can't tell)
"Feel like I'm gonna break this damn thing." --- J (Man in Black)
I think this design is interesting. It looks like 2 speakers are located next to the ports on either end of the device. Then Cooling fan slots on the fold out keyboard area.
My vote is that this is running an embedded processor, like an ARM chip or Tegra. With Windows Embedded or Linux as the OS. Doing that would also put this in the under $1000 price range which would kick ass.
Also, I think this would be rather comfortable in a person's lap. I locates the cooling fan up higher away from the person's legs so it doesn't get blocked. Then it also located the hardware itself up off of their legs so their legs don't get hot.
The angle also looks good for the keyboard, you just have to hold your wrists higher then the keyboard. All I know is I can't wait to find out what the specs are and some more pictures of the device.
I can't even see it. What the hell is going on? Is this some sort of joke engadget?
Whoa. That's all I have to say.
It is clear that the laptop is rotated. The side that is oriented vertically is the base. The screen would not need to get wider only the base would need to as it needs to make room for the processor, ram, etc. What is interesting is the area that would be behind the screen. At first it seems like this is some dead wasted space but they can use this space to vent heat out into the air (instead of down into your lap). Considering how many laptops have heat issues this might not be a bad thing.
This first picture. it's a computer porn (the position) except nobody would use computer in THAT position. Dell is so obsessed with JOBS (not blow) - remember he was humiliated by him some years ago - that he will turn himself into a decepticon whose order is one and only: kill apple
The engineering behind this thing makes the Air or original Adamo look like tinker toys.
The orientation of the pic is correct. Part of the "guts" are in the bottom half of the screen, and part in the keyboard. Look where the vents are in both sides.
Also, the keyboard is not detachable but actually folds into the screen portion, which is recessed in the top half to hold the keyboard half flush when closed.
Furthermore, Dell has stated this machine will house a C2D.
All they have to do now is keep it under $2K!
i think this is way to thin, i dont think the components inside the computer are good enough...
has nobody thought of the possibility of it being the new android phone?
Android phone with a 13.3" screen running on Intel silicon?
Awesome, can't wait to hear how well the Atom Z520 and GMA500 in this thing are going to benchmark with Windows 7.
To all the haters out there. Rather than think of the Adamo line as overpriced, underpowered, poor selling machines, I think the more appropriate approach would be to view them in the same light as concept cars. Every year every auto maker comes out with ultra futuristic designs that display the bleeding edge of technical innovation. No on expects any of these cars to ever hit the market as shown, although some have been sold in ultra low quantity, very high price runs. Dell is not stupid, they by no means expect the Adamo to take the world by storm. But think of the engineering and design experience they're gaining in the process of making these things! Dell is pushing the very limits of personal computer design. While we won't see Adamos around coffee shops or bookstores any time soon, we will see Dells that are thinner, lighter, and better designed, thanks to lessons learned from the Adamo line.
How many other companies out there are taking such bold and innovative risks in a time of recession? This will only better prepare Dell for the future.
If the computer was really designed as pictured, I can only imagine better keyboard ergonomics and improved cooling.
If Dell only cared about the slimness of this laptop,they would have called it Adamo light/mini etc and stuff an atom in it.XPS is the the performance brand of Dell so im sure it at least has C2D and discrete graphics.Maybe with all those cooling vents there could be an Core i7m lurking somewhere inside:)
Not necessarily true... Look at the Dell XPS 210. Or the XPS 2010. None of these were incredibly powerful machines. Especially, the XPS 210, which I own. Kind of a better example.
The XPS 210 is a small desktop. I'm liking the fact that Dell is pushing the envelope with this design, showing that its possible. I'll guess that it would be priced to compete with the Sony Vaio X. Maybe $1499 - $1799. This is PURE SPECULATING. I would like to think they are putting OLED screen, Atom processor and the Tegra GPU. Don't be surprised to see this with 2GB of RAM and a 128GB solid state to compensate for low CPU.
I'm wondering how the battery will do. If it can handle 4 hours, like the rest of the Dell computers, that would be amazing!