Dell unveiled its 'Adamo' laptop on Tuesday, calling it the world's thinnest notebook as it seeks to compete in the high-end ultraportable market defined by Apple's MacBook Air.

The sleek, aluminum-encased notebook is 0.65-inches thick and comes with a 13.4-inch screen and a 128-gigabyte solid-state drive. Shipping begins on Tuesday.

Starting at $1,999, the Adamo is positioned as Dell's new high-end brand. Another configuration will sell for $2,699.

Adamo, derived from the Latin word meaning "to fall in love," Dell said.



The Adamo series is fully connected with WiFi, Bluetooth and optional integrated mobile broadband, a full complement of connectivity ports including 2 USB ports, 1 USB/eSATA combo port, Display Port, RJ-45 port. The device is powered by Intel Core 2 Duo processors with Intel Centrino technology (ULV), uses DDR3 memory, an 128GB solid state drive and has a 13.4-inch 16:9 LED-backlit display (1366x768). Adamo will run Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium Edition SP1, 64-bit and its battery life will offer up to 5 hours of operation, Dell said.

A base model with a 1.2GHz CPU, 2GB of DDR3 memory, and 1.3-megapixel webcam will cost $1,999. A $2,999 version will have an 1.4GHz CPU, 4GB of DDR3 memory and a 3G modem.

Dell has started taking orders for the notebook today and expects systems to arrive by the end of the month.

Apple helped launch the so-called ultraportable category last year with MacBook Air which, at 0.76 inches, previously laid claim to the title of world's thinnest. The Adamo at 4 pounds is heavier than the Air, which weighs 3 pounds and is priced from $1,799.