CORP TALK: DigiTimes.com has released a report stating that Dell will be fined NT$1 million (US$30,400) or more for not being able to satisfy compensatory demands from the Law and Regulation Commission of the Taipei City Government for recent pricing mistakes on its online store in Taiwan.

According to an eTaiwanNews report, the compensations offered by Dell included discount coupons in the values of NT$1,000 (monitor orders) and NT$3,000 (notebook orders). Buyers refused to accept the coupons.

The first pricing glitch happened from 11pm to 7am on June 25/26, where LCD monitors and notebooks were offered at low prices online due to the glitch. The mistake prompted many to put orders for it, before it was detected the next day and the online store suspended.

The second pricing glitch took place at midnight on July 4 to the next morning, when the Dell E3400 notebook was offered at NT$18,558 (when the original price was NT$60,900). The company suspended its online store and offered a NT$20,000 discount coupon, but buyers also refused.

SHOWCASE: Ultra cool and super-thin notebooks seem to be the rave among the media in Malaysia and Indonesia over the past week as both Dell and Taiwan-based component/consumer electronics manufacturer MSI launch their versions of slim notebooks to the media. Dell introduced the Adamo notebook of course, while MSI launched their X-Slim notebook.

You can check out our review of the Dell Adamo here (and our last post on the Adamo here) and a preview of the MSI X-Slim X340 notebook here including specifications. The other MSI X-Slim notebooks being launched (for Malaysia at least) also include the X320, X400 and X600.

The HWM Malaysia and HWM Indonesia teams were able to send us photos of the two separate event launches in Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta respectively. Check it out:

PC makers like HP, ASUS and Dell might consider running Android on future mini-notebooks but will this move disrupt the mojos of dominant players like Microsoft and Intel?

T&A: Wall Street Journal online published a report today (could be an April Fool’s joke but you never know…so check the link for updates), where PC makers like Hewlett-Packard (HP) and others have considered using free software developed by Google to run smaller computers.

For instance, they have been testing Google’s Android operating system (OS), now accessible on mobile phones, in new versions of their mini-notebooks. The problem however is that the OS isn’t exactly compatible with most popular PC applications, which is one of the reasons why Microsoft’s Windows continues to dominate in this space, which according to research firm NPD Group, sits in more than 90% of new mini-notebooks.

Besides HP, Taiwan-based Asustek might be considering using Android in its mini-notebooks while Dell has been customizing Android software in a range of its devices which it plans to launch next year, including mobile phone, mobile Internet devices and so on. (Editor opinions: 1) (more…)

Dell has claimed that the Adamo is the world's thinnest laptop at 0.65 inches thick at its thickest point.

SHOWCASE: Style-minded people take note. Dell unveiled the world’s thinnest laptop as part of its new Adamo line today. According to Dell, even at its thickest point, the notebook is thinner than any other laptop. Adamo, which means “to fall in love” in Latin, will serve as a flagship line of products that combines new design aesthetics, personalization choices and must-have tech.

The marketing campaign for Dell's Adamo includes imagery shot by acclaimed British-based photographer Nadav Kander, which features high-fashion models that reinforce the “fall in love” positioning.

What makes the Adamo impressive is the craftsmanship and feature sets, including a chassis milled from a single piece of aluminum (with scalloped backlit keyboard), a prominent high definition edge-to-edge display, full connectivity for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and optional integrated mobile broadband, solid state drives and a color choice of either Onyx or Pearl.

With pre-orders now available online, the Adamo notebook will ship from 24 countries from 26 March 2009 onwards, including Singapore (starting from S$3,249/US$2126), Malaysia (RM7399/US$2009) and Indonesia (price to be confirmed) for South-east Asia.

Specs and images after the jump. (Editor opinions: 1)

(more…)