Jan 4, 2009

Dell Adamo and Sony Vaio Pocket look to spice up the laptop market

Sat, Jan 03, 2009
Victor Godinez   

The Adamo and the Vaio Pocket aren't really aiming at the same market -- the ultra-thin Adamo seems to be Dell's answer to Apple's slender MacBook Air and the Vaio Pocket is a netbook a la Eee PC -- but together they mark the latest proof that laptops are where the action is in the computer biz these days.

The base version of the Adamo looks to cost about $1500, with additional options such as a Blu-ray (you know, Steve Jobs' famous "bag of hurt"). So far there are no pics of the device, but an official unveil is expected at CES.

The Vaio Pocket is much less mysterious, thanks a variety of leaks from Sony. The extra-wide device will sport an 8-inch screen with 1600x768 resolution and come with the ever-popular Intel Atom processor. Price looks to be about $1000, which is pricey for a netbook. So Sony appears to be cornering/creating the "premium" netbook niche.

vaiopocket.jpg

It's no surprise that computer markets are focusing their attention on laptops these days, as sales of laptops worldwide are now bigger than global sales of traditional desktops.

So expect CES to be very laptop-centric when the show kicks off on Thursday.