Dell painted a picture in broad strokes Thursday of the company's forthcoming Adamo XPS laptop, which is slated to hit the market in time for the holidays. The new machine -- which is housed in a finely machined aluminum case and comes in the user's choice of pearl or onyx -- is even thinner than the inaugural Adamo laptop that Dell began shipping last March.
Measuring 13.4 x 10.7 inches and tipping the scales at just over three pounds, the new machine is just four-tenths of an inch in thickness, yet packs a host of high-tech goodies. With the Adamo XPS, however, Dell is clearly aiming to appeal to trend-conscious consumers looking for gadgets with more than a modicum of visual appeal.
"I think when you see Adamo for the first time, it's just a stunning, elegant, minimalist form," said Dell Senior Vice President Alex Gruzen. "We think the Adamo XPS will inspire an emotional connection with anyone who sees it."
Faster Boots
Under the hood, the Adamo XPS sports a 1.4GHz Intel Core Duo processor, 13.4-inch high-definition display and 4GB of DDR3 memory. What's more, the machine's 128GB solid-state drive runs cooler than traditional hard drives and also boots up faster.
On the wireless side, the new laptop offers both high-speed Wi-Fi (802.11n) and Bluetooth, together with the requisite location-awareness technology  for delivering local maps that show users where they actually are in real time. Dell's design team also did not compromise when it came to providing wired connectivity options, such as display and audio ports, two USB 2.0 connectors, and Ethernet connectivity via a dongle.
"So even though you have a very thin product, the user has the ability to stay connected -- either through the landline or wireless, and still have enough ports to really be productive," said lead designer Nicolas Denhez.
Dell also has improved upon its initial Adamo design by making the battery that ships with the XPS both removable and user replaceable. In another twist, Dell said Thursday that the Adamo XPS, which will ship at prices starting at $1,799, includes a preinstalled copy of the 64-bit edition of Windows 7.
Sculpted Keys
Though visual appeal was high on Dell's list of potentially lovable features, designers also took time to incorporate a few other little things for consumers to appreciate. For example, the Adamo XPS features a capacitive sensor on the lid that enables the user to open the latch by simply swiping a finger across it. (continued...)
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