I like thin laptops and all, but this is crazy!

UPDATE: Whoa.

But that’s fine. Good things come to those who wait.

Apparently, there are reports that the Dell Adamo may be delayed until the second half of 2009. Of course, in light of Dell’s emphatic statements at CES earlier this month that their new, luxury ultraportable would be ready the first half of 2009, this comes as no surprise.

Good thing I just bought a Gateway 200ARC on eBay to mine for parts and repair!

There’s no question about it: The Adamo looks really impressive, and I could spend all day marveling about its build, design, colors, everything. But, everyone’s doing that (see below) so I might as well try to be a little different and nit pick something. And in my case, that’s actually a pretty easy task, because unfortunately this version of the Adamo is guilty of one my biggest pet peeves when it comes to laptops: no optical drive.

Seriously, how can you release a laptop without an optical drive? Unlike floppy drives, which clearly went the way of the dodo a long time ago, people still very much use CDs and DVDs. I know I sure as hell do. There are plenty of thin and light laptops that come with internal optical drives; the Lenovo Thinkpad X300/301, the Samsung X460 (but that red on the lid is creepy) and even Dell’s own XPS M1330! And no, it is absolutely no substitute to get an external optical drive. That completely defeats the portability of a laptop. Plus, what a hassle to have to setup and plug in the darn thing every time you need to just copy something from a CD. I don’t get how manufacturers decide not to include an optical drive. I’ve found that in nearly every review for a thin and light with an optical drive, the optical drive is pitched as one of the big selling points. Obviously, people want them in their thin and lights. What really kills me is that the Adamo has a 13.3″ screen; plenty of real estate for watching a movie on a — you guessed it — DVD.

Still, there is a glimmer of hope. Per Neowin:

Expect more from Dell because, as previously mentioned, the Adamo is a line of notebooks and we should eventually see larger offerings while still being incredibly thin. Dell has adopted a more modern look with its latest set of laptops and the Adamo line continues the differentiation of products versus its competitors.

So, I guess there’s a good possibility that we’ll see an Adamo with an internal optical drive. That would really make my day. In other words, and Dell, I hope you’re listening: Adamo + internal optical drive = sale.

You can consume lots more Adamo coverage (and pictures) at these links:

• Dell unveils ultra thin laptop dubbed Adamo (Neowin)
• Dell Adamo revealed (Anandtech)
• Dell Adamo hands-on! (Engadget) and a second article here as well
• Exclusive hands on with the Dell Adamo (NotebookReview)
• Dell officially unveils Adamo (cnet)
  
• Dell Grants Exclusive Photo Shoot of New Adamo Line of Luxury Notebooks (bub.blicio.us)
  

Shortly before I left for the Dominican Republic, the other hinge on my laptop went south, which means both hinges are now broken, forcing me to literally hold in place my laptop’s LCD when I’m using it. Not fun.

It’s time for a new laptop.

As I was researching laptops yesterday, I learned that there are rumors swirling on the Internets that Dell is slated to release a new ultraportable laptop to compete with the MacBook Air. There are a lot of articles about this strewn about, like this one, or this one, to name just a couple. Very intriguing. Although I don’t think any specs have been confirmed yet, thanks to a mishap–or viral advertising campaign by Dell–some Google-cached pages from Dell’s website suggest that it will have a 13″ LCD. And it may even be lighter than the MacBook Air (which is pretty darn light). This site even seems to confirm the Adamo’s weight, but it’s probably just speculation at this point. In any event, if those predictions are true, I have to say that I’m very, very interested in this laptop.

I’ve been hooked on the thin-and-light/ultraportable category of laptops for some time now. In fact, I like to tell myself that my current laptop, a Gateway 200ARC, was sort of a pioneer in the thin-and-light category. It weighs only 4.5 lbs and is one-inch thick, which is pretty much the dictionary definition of a thin and light. What’s interesting is that this laptop was released back in 2004, long before thin and light really ever became a category. Nowadays, you can scarcely find a serious laptop manufacturer that doesn’t have its own thin and light or ultraportable line. If the Adamo turns out to be a stinker, I may just consider getting the hinges repaired and getting a few more years out of my Gateway.

So, to sum up, while I was determined to purchase a new laptop before I fly back to Seattle on Sunday, the rumors about the Adamo, plus some less-than-stellar reviews about the Latitude E4300, which I was seriously considering, have made me hold off on purchasing a new laptop… for now. Just have to keep the wallet closed until mid January, when Dell (hopefully) introduces Adamo to the world at CES 2009.