dell adamo

Apple's Retina Displays are drop-dead gorgeous. But be careful what you wish for.

Like many, I got the third-generation iPad because of the 2,048-by-1,536-pixel-density Retina Display. And, like many, I didn't see a huge difference at first.

That was then. Now it's painful to pick up my Dell laptop with its 1,366x768-pixel 13.3-inch display and Windows 7 fonts (note: font-smoothing utilities go just so far).

And while my 11.6-inch MacBook Air fares better than the Dell (it packs the same number of pixels but into a smaller area giving it a higher PPI … Read more

Here's an enticing rumor: a black MacBook Air. But is this a real rumor or simply the manifestation of somebody's wish list masquerading as rumor?

Apple enthusiast site MacRumors scored the MacBook rumor of the day with this intriguing prospect. However, don't take the rumor too seriously yet as MacRumors throws in more than the usual rumor qualifiers and a report on 9to5Mac states that "a reliable source has told us that they haven't seen any black in the new MacBook Air materials."

Another thing to keep in mind: Be careful what you wish for. Black can be a vexing color on metal. The Dell Adamo--an all-metal ultrathin design that competed with the Air--also came in jet black and was a magnet for fingerprints. I used a black Adamo for a few weeks, and after a day of heavy use its pristine black exterior became a fingerprint mosaic.

And that may be one of the reasons Apple has yet to release a black Air or MacBook Pro. That said, this hasn't stopped Samsung. Its Series 9 is both black and metal. So, Apple could possibly offer this as an option for those with Samsung Series 9 envy, considering the rivalry between the two. And it wouldn't be unprecedented. Remember the black MacBook?… Read more

Dell has released some revealing multimedia as it prepares to announce a new 15.6-inch ultrathin laptop later this month.

As CNET reported earlier, the new ultrathin will be the first in a line of laptops designed in the spirit of the company's discontinued Adamo brand.

And with a 15.6-inch screen size, it will be the thinnest in this class of laptops, claimed sources familiar with the product.

Built around the the latest Intel "Sandy Bridge" Core i5 and Core i7 processors, the ultrathin will have a high-resolution display, be crafted from special materials, and come … Read more

Dell will introduce a sleek new laptop in the coming weeks--the first in a line designed in the spirit of the company's erstwhile Adamo brand, according to sources close to Dell.

The new line will debut at 15.6 inches and be the thinnest in this class of laptops, according to the sources. Dell's initial model will pack the latest Intel "Sandy Bridge" Core i5 and Core i7 processors, have a high-resolution display, and be crafted from special materials--all for less than $1,000.

Though branding was not specified, the line will be positioned as a "prosumer" product that has plenty of performance for business users but also "style and beauty" for consumers, according to the sources.

The elegantly designed Dell Adamo, an ultrathin laptop that was discontinued earlier in the year, was criticized in some quarters for underwhelming performance--criticism that Apple's original MacBook Air also received.

Dell's new line, however, will be both thin and fast.… Read more

Dell continues to cut the price on the ultrathin Adamo 13, now dropping it $500 below the least expensive 13-inch MacBook Air from Apple.

Dell's Adamo page is showing the price of the aluminum-clad laptop at $799. The Adamo is a 0.65-inch thick alternative to Apple's 13-inch MacBook Air, which now starts at $1,299. Apple's least-expensive Air is an 11.6-inch model, priced at $999. Dell last cut the price of the Adamo 13 in December.

Rolled out at the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show, it was Dell's answer to the svelte line of Apple MacBooks. Compared to the Air, the Dell laptop has a slightly larger 13.4-inch screen and is a bit heftier, at just under 4 pounds. The new 13-inch Air weighs just under 3 pounds. … Read more

A lower-priced Adamo 13 has popped up on Dell's Web site. The Adamo page is now showing the price of the aluminum-clad ultrathin laptop at $899--and this discount comes with an unexpected bonus, too.

The Adamo is a slick, well-conceived alternative to Apple's 13-inch MacBook Air, which now starts at $1,299. And at 0.65 inches thick, the Adamo is about as thin as a 13-inch Windows laptop gets.

Dell has not only brought down the price but also upped the configuration from the $999 model it had been selling for a while. Now, for $899, you get a 2.13GHz Core 2 Duo SL9600 Intel processor and 4GB of memory… Read more

The aluminum-clad Dell Adamo 13 isn't a MacBook Air. But it's close enough to warrant another look at the ultraslim laptop and its integrated 3G option.

First, let's get the price comparison out of the way. The 13.4-inch Dell Adamo has come way down in price since it was announced in March 2009. The ultraslim laptop now sells for $999 with a 128GB solid-state drive, 2GB of memory, Intel GS45 integrated graphics, and a 1.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo SU9400 ultra-low-voltage (10-watt) processor. It weighs in at just under 4 pounds.

The recently announced 13.… Read more

How do you reinvent a reinvention?

It might look something like what Dell is doing right now. The company's consumer PC business has, despite a concerted effort to reverse its sagging fortunes, remained stagnant over the past three years. An onslaught of expensive designer laptops and cheap, colorful mini notebooks, and high-profile outside hires can't automatically make a successful consumer PC business, it turns out.

Now, for the second time in three years, Dell's consumer business is undergoing another extreme makeover. The folks in Round Rock have in a few short months, quietly hacked away the fat … Read more

Apple's new Air is the first flash-only MacBook. So, how does it stack up against the handful of laptop lines out there that offer only solid-state drives?

Well, it's actually not a very pretty picture for other laptop lines based on flash memory only, or more commonly referred to as solid-state drives (SSDs). A few previously prominent laptops have either been phased out or are languishing.

Dell Adamo: This line of 0.65-inch thick aluminum-clad ultraportables from Dell have been SSD-only from day one. So, Dell actually beat Apple to the punch in this respect. But the line has been reduced to a single $999 model with a 128GB SSD--the higher-end Adamo with a 256GB SSD and faster processor is no longer available from Dell. And the novel Adamo XPS is no longer available for sale on Dell's Web site--this was SSD only too.

Dell Latitude E4200: Announced in August 2008, this line of pricey business ultraportables is still available and comes standard with only 128GB SSDs. Prices start at $1,729.

Lenovo ThinkPad X300/X301: The venerable ThinkPad X300 was from its inception SSD only. Alas, this line has been discontinued. Lenovo still offers comparable X series Thinkpads and IdeaPads but none are SSD only.

Sony Z series: The Z line is alive and well, thank you. Z laptops come with 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB options, with prices ranging from about $1,800 to well over $3,000.

Toshiba R500/R600: The Toshiba R500, now quite dated (first announced in June 2007), features only flash storage but the specs are a little long in the tooth, namely its older U7600 Intel processor and Windows Vista operating system.… Read more