Dell Grows Adamo Line with Form-Pushing Adamo XPS

The Dell Adamo XPS laptop demands a second look. And then a third.
On Nov. 5 Dell introduced its newest laptop, the second in its design-minded Adamo family, which it launched March 17 with the super-thin Adamo.
The Adamo XPS further pushes the ideas of thinness, modern design and innovation that were introduced by its predecessor. For one, a user can’t just pry open the XPS. She has to slide a finger over a touch-sensitive bar, prompting the super-flat device to unfold itself. Once unfolded, the XPS arrives not at a 90-degree angle, screen edge to keyboard edge, but with the keyboard a few inches up the plane that the screen is on. The result is an angled keypad that’s raised off the desk for better ventilation, as well as a brand new laptop aesthetic.
“Our engineers and designers are breaking new ground and throwing away the old rules with the introduction of the Adamo XPS,” said Alex Gruzen, Dell’s senior vice president of consumer products, in a statement. “We think the Adamo XPS will inspire an emotional connection with anyone who sees it.”
At 0.4 inch thin, Dell is quick to point out that the Adamo XPS is the world’s thinnest PC ever. It weighs just over 3 pounds and houses a 1.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 4GB of DDR3 (double-data rate) 800 memory and a 128GB solid-state drive.
The XPS measures 13.4 by 10.7 inches and features a 13.4-inch high-definition display and a full-size keyboard with aluminum keycaps and a touchpad that’s sensitive to gestures.
The XPS runs Microsoft’s Windows 7 and offers built-in 802.11n wireless, built-in location awareness, a replaceable battery, two USB ports, an in-out display port, and slots for audio and Ethernet.
In addition to the consumer space, Dell has recently focused on specific vertical markets. On Oct. 27 it introduced the Latitude XT2 XFR, the industry’s thinnest 12.1-inch rugged convertible tablet, intended for the military, field service workers, first responders and other enterprises requiring a device that can survive extreme temperatures and rough handling.
In May, with an eye on the education vertical, the company introduced the Latitude 2100 netbook, which comes with an antimicrobial keyboard, is covered in a grippable, kickball-like material and can be plugged into rolling a cart that enables a classroom’s worth of devices to be charged and updated at once.
The well-rounded Dell has also been dabbling in the mobile phone market, though it has been reluctant to discuss these efforts in depth.
Its Adamo line, surely, will be a different story. Adamo derives from the Latin “to fall in love,” and certainly Dell hopes consumers will. It expects to begin shipping the Adamo XPS in time for the holidays, at a starting price of $1,799.