From the beginning, Dell's Adamo line of laptops have been anything but status quo. Starting with the company's viral "leaks" on phony fashion sites, straight on to the weird launch / non-launch at CES, and culminating with a burst of PR boasting the systems' surprisingly low-powered internals and freakishly high price-point, it's been nothing if not noteworthy. Now we've finally had a chance to see how Dell's answer to the MacBook Air (and X301 for good measure) performs in the real world. The big question? Is this beauty worth the time and trouble... and that big outlay of green? Read on for an in-depth look at what the Adamo does -- and doesn't -- deliver on.
Also of note are the scalloped, backlit keys with a new font, and edge-to-edge glass display. The entry level model will rock a 1.2GHz Core 2 Duo processor, X4500 graphics and 2GB of RAM, while a higher-spec version will get a 1.4GHz processor, 4GB of RAM and an integrated 3G card. However it still uses integrated graphics, and the price jumps from $1,999 for the entry-level model to $2,699.
In fact everything about the first Adamo seems intended to take money off you. Dell not only have the usual external DVD and Blu-ray drives, but a matching 8GB flash drive, 250GB or 500GB hard-drives, and even matching connectors and cables. They’ve also partnered with bag-manufacturer TUMI for some slick carry-cases. It’s a handsome machine – and at 13.03 x 9.5 x 0.65 inches it’s certainly small – but not exactly being launched at the best financial time.
Display
The 13.4-inch display on the Adamo looks great. While we would have liked a higher res option (we always like a higher res option), 1366 X 768 is fairly standard stuff for a screen of this size, and more than enough real estate to handle most tasks. In terms of clarity and color, it certainly does Aero proud, though just like the recent Macs we've reviewed, we find the persistent and almost exaggerated glare to be absurdly distracting here. Every computer maker needs to be giving users a way to opt-out of this setup -- it just doesn't work in a lot of scenarios. That said, we're assuming that if you're looking at something like the Adamo, you probably want it as glossy as possible.
Battery life
If you read our reviews, then you know we don't do hardcore battery benchmarks for most products. Instead, we find the best way to put a system through its paces is to get it out into the world and see what the day to day life looks and feels like. Dell promises upwards of five hours of battery life in the Adamos, and while it's true that the system is built for humming along at low levels, it doesn't get anywhere close to that in our testing. Most of the time, we managed to squeeze about two and a half hours out of the Adamo -- and we're talking basic tasks like document editing and web browsing. When we spent time watching video or gaming, not only did the fans hardly ever stop, but the battery life dropped down to just under two hours. It's not exactly a deal breaker, but given the fact that you've got no swappable battery here, it's certainly something worth considering. Generally, you're not going to be leaving the house without the Adamo's very, very attractive wall wart.
SHARED FEATURES
Super-thin 13.4-inch 16:9 (High Definition; 720p) WLED display
Full-size keyboard with back-lighting and scalloped, metallic key cap design
Integrated 1.3 megapixel camera and integrated digital microphone
IO: Display Port, USBx3 (1 eSATA combination), Audio Out and integrated RJ-45 port
Communications: Gigabit LOM, Bluetooth 2.1, 802.11n (3x3)
5+ hr battery life using Li-Polymer cells; 40 Whr
Compact power adapter
Dimensions: (w x d x h) 13.03 x 9.5 x 0.65 in (331 x 242 x 16.39 mm)
Weight: 1.81 kg (4.0 lb)
90 Days of Adamo Premium Service (US Only) (Select Configurations)
SOFTWARE
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Service Pack 1 64-Bit
Base: Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 9, Adobe® Flash Player, Dell Dock, McAfee SecurityCenter 30-day Trial, Dell Webcam Application, Dell Video Chat, Microsoft® Windows LiveTM , Dell Connect Point, Dell Quickset, Dell Touchpad
Optional: Microsoft® Office Home and Student 2007, Microsoft Office Small Business Edition 2007, Microsoft Office Professional 2007
External optical drive and external hard drive available
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