Adamo: To Fall in Love With? I Think Not.

A very stylish announcement for Dell’s sleek new laptop arrived today featuring a very pouty model-type grasping the laptop with all the strength she has. Maybe she is pouting because someone forced her into an over-the-shoulder zipper sweater and head gear that looks like a renaissance maiden? Or maybe she is pouting because her laptop freezes every time she tries to wake it from sleep mode? Who can tell? The rest of the announcement doesn't shed any light on the pouty mystery but does tell us the inspiration for the new laptop’s name: Adamo, from the Latin meaning ‘to fall in love with.’ This ultrathin smudge-magnet (lots of shiny surfaces) starts at $2,000.

All I can say is that my Dell Inspiron (Latin for ‘to inspire with’??) laptop has never been able to go into sleep mode. It can only hibernate. And this has frustrated me to no end. If I put it in sleep mode, it freezes when I try to wake it up. This may seem like a small detail but for me it’s about time and usability. Sleep mode is like waking up someone from a nap, giving her a piece of chocolate and she is good to go. Hibernate mode is like waking up someone from a very deep sleep, throwing him in the shower, making him breakfast and then sending him on his way. And, he is still groggy.

I’ve tried everything to address the problem myself for hours at a time and failed. I’m convinced it is not software-related and it’s hardware-related and I feel like Dell should address it. But alas, my service contract has expired and a service representative with the “phone-name” Anita (who really doesn’t sound like an Anita) informs me that there is nothing she can do unless I pony up some cash. I haven’t gone this route because I paid dearly for the laptop originally with the assumption that it should work. So, I’m reduced to taking not-so elegant potshots at their latest offering. Dell, good luck! (from the Latin ‘bonus fortuna’).