What's the Dell 'Adamo?' Inadvertent catalog entries give clues

By Scott M. Fulton, III | Published December 19, 2008, 4:20 PM

Gee, what do you suppose Dell's super-secret new Adamo brand, due to premiere at the next CES, could be? We could ask a slew of analysts for their best advance speculation...Or we could just Google it.

About one hundred percent of the media speculation today over the identity of a curious new Dell brand device called Adamo centered around the possibility that it is an ultralight computer, probably an offshoot of its existing XPS series, designed to compete with Apple's super-thin MacBook Air.

That speculation appears fairly safe this afternoon, as earlier today, Google apparently cached the appearance of a complete slate of Adamo accessories that appeared on, then disappeared from, Dell's online catalog. Among those items were 250 GB and 500 GB external 5400 RPM SATA hard drives -- the clearest indication yet that the Adamo is an ultralight device, probably with its own internal solid-state drive.

081219 Adamo 13 inadvertent listing.jpg
An inadvertent listing for an accessory product that the Adamo 13, whatever that is, appears to need, taken from a Google cache of Dell's accessories catalog on Friday.

Accessory devices which regularly appear in Dell's catalog for a variety of existing notebooks computers, also evidently appeared briefly as being available for a model "Adamo Thirteen," though that listing later disappeared from their online entries. Such accessories included HDMI and DVI-I DisplayPort video dongles, suggesting high-quality video delivery capability, and maybe even a built-in player capable of high definition output. At last check, only Blu-ray drives regularly played 1080p movies.

Also listed were 45W power adaptors, replacement Blu-ray and DVD/CD-RW combo drives, USB memory keys, and automotive/airplane power adaptors.

It wouldn't be the first time that a mission numbered 13 had a problem.

A group of independent filmmakers already speculated about Dell's possible response to Apple's MacBook Air.

Comments

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Oh, you must be refering to all of the American built computers using American sourced components.

Short list, isn't it?

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I'd hate to say this but I'd take an Apple over any Dell.

I find it hard to believe people keep buying Dell junk after getting terrible customer service, a s***ty PC or notebook, and no restore discs.

Every Dell owner I know has huge problems of some kind or another. They seem to have a lot of VPN, VNC, and general wireless network connectivity issues.

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I see they sre getting the Adamo out to stores for the holiday rush ..... wait, no they arent. Genius.

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I find it hard to believe people keep buying Dell junk after getting terrible customer service, a s***ty PC or notebook, and no restore discs.

Did you buy a Dell from Wal-Mart or something? It's easy to get restore discs--just click the checkbox next to the option when you order your dell online. It's free.

Also their customer service is superb next to the competition--just choose the small business channel when you order your Dell.

Every Dell owner I know has huge problems of some kind or another. They seem to have a lot of VPN, VNC, and general wireless network connectivity issues.

Umm...our law firm uses strictly Dell, we have 9 wireless access points, we use a VPN and IT uses VNC to remote into desktops in other offices that we need to troubleshoot. We have had 0 problems with any of that. Even the 4 and 5 year old Dell Dimension desktops that attorney's bring from their house work fine.

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Dell is a has-been. Given their latest round of prices that I checked in 11/08, they are dramatically out of touch with the rest of the market.

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lol not compared to apple.

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Gee mister weezel, not all of the market consists of netbooks and kiddee lunchbox pcs that appeal to you.

There are PLENTY of high end laptops that cost MANY times the cost of any of the Apple notebooks.

But as you are evidently ignorant of those as well as the need for a more capable portable machine, its fun to watch you turn this into an Apple issue.

And considerting that Apple makes almost 1 in 5 of all laptops sold, they are anything but out of touch - even if I think their laptop offerings are less than optimal!

Get a life and a clue.

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I didnt say their laptops were bad. There prices are bad and you know that.

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Their prices are squarely in the laptop mid-market.

Many are higher, and many are lower.

But thanks for selectively focusing on one portion of the market and only one brand to the exclusion of the rest of the market - which if you looked at the market as a whole, renders your observation meaningless.

What we know is that your comment is simply that of a fanboy.

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pffft, is this important? I highly doubt it....

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LOL. That video is hilarious. I'm sure "Adamo" will be a little more interesting than that machine though.

Despite being an Apple Fanboy, I am not much impressed with the Air either. I don't understand why anyone would buy such a compromised machine either - be it Apple's or anyone elses.

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Ill pass.

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What is interesting is that with so many ultra-light noteboks now available, many receiving substantially higher critical ratings than the MacBook Air, that the entire category, and any new entry, is still being defined by and compared to the MacBook Air.

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If Dell can come out with an Air-like laptop, minus the Air flaws, I might be willing to drop my long-standing dislike of laptops and finally give up my desktop PC.

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have u checked out the VooDoo envy?

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