Dell has quietly upgraded the Adamo 13 to better compete against other ultra-thin notebooks like the MacBook Air. The high-end Desire model reviewed here has had its ultra-low voltage 1.4GHz Core 2 Duo replaced with a much faster 2.1GHz Core 2 Duo S like that found in Apple's faster notebook. It has also had its solid-state drive double in capacity to 256GB and Windows 7 replace Vista as the stock OS.

The system remains at the $2,299 price it reached during a mid-summer price cut and also sees the entry Admire version upgraded to an ultra-low voltage 1.4GHz Core 2 Duo (up from 1.2GHz), Windows 7 and the same 256GB SSD without changing its $1,499 price.

Both upgrades likely come in advance of the Adamo XPS and may hint at features of the new system, which is about a third thinner than the already-thin Adamo and will likely be considered a higher-end version.