Save energy: Beep when your battery is full
Environment, Laptops, Laptop Power submitted by pkchen
06/11/07
I know a lot of people who when charging their laptops, leave the laptop plugged in even after the battery is fully recharged. This definitely wastes a lot of power!
Maybe Dell could build in an alert system (a kind beep every 30 minutes maybe?) to remind the user that their battery is full and they can unplug their notebook from the wall socket.
I know that Nokia is going to be building in this same functionality into some of their cell phones ... check the press release: http://www.nokia.com/A4136001?newsid=1125979"Nokia has launched the first mobile phones to include alerts encouraging people to unplug the charger once the battery is full, a move that could save enough electricity to power 85,000 homes a year."
Think of all the power we could save with just a simple beep! :)
810
Universal power adapter (power supply) for all Dell products
Accessories (Keyboards, etc.), Laptop Power submitted by rguptaos-dyndns
02/19/07
How many of us have to buy multiple “AC / DC Adapter or power bricks” for each of electronic devices and laptops? I have power supply adapter for home, office and travel bag… about 2-3 of these for my laptop, cell phone and external hard disk or other devices I use.
I have background in electrical engineering and I know technically it is possible to use the same power supply / adapter unit with some intelligence built in to power up cell phones, hard-disk, laptops, speakers, mp3 players etc. I also understand that the accessories are one of the most profitable business aspects for electronic companies like Sony and Dell.
Dell wants to be the leader and differentiator? Well...
>> How about a smart universal power adaptor for all DELL products that intelligently recognizes the product and supplies the appropriate power.
One power supply and connector for all products!!!
I know technically it is possible – I did design this and did work on the patent application but, did not file because I got focused on some other activities. I am pretty sure there are enough smart engineers at Dell to design this. If you want a head start contact me for details.
3531
Provide Notebook Battery Runtimes (for each configuration!)
Laptop Power submitted by pchris
02/17/07
Please provide measured/benchmarked battery runtimes for your notebooks for all available configurations. Use a conservative realistic benchmark, PCMag.com for example, has used "MobileMark 2005 Battery Score" in it's notebook reviews. I know this is a lot of work to do, considering the multiple possible configurations, but Dell may be able to work with a reviewing company like PCMag.com, or an independent lab, or as a last resort, it may benchmark/measure a good number of common configurations.
The benchmarked battery runtime could be updated along with the price as the customer modifies his configuration.
I can not make a notebook purchase before I have this critical battery runtime, which is why I have to delay all notebook purchases until I've read a number of 3rd party reviews that provide this information, although for a very limited number of configurations, that may not be similar to what I'm looking for.
No computer vendor that I know of provides this information right now, and it is vital information for the customer to decide whether to purchase an extra large battery or not, and whether or not to purchase the notebook at all. Dell should not be afraid to provide the customer with vital information like this, but instead should engineer the products as well as possible so Dell is not ashamed of the battery performance, and is not concerned that the customer will go elsewhere (alternatively, Dell can provide a variety of battery options that will cover all possible customer needs).
2677
Product enhancement for Dell power adapter
Laptop Power submitted by gbrugman
02/21/07
For your information: daily winding and unwinding the notebook connecting cord, will eventually cause the cable shield and isolation to tear down, just outside the housing. It happened to many Dell notebook cords at work, causing the power flow to stop or, even worse, to short-circuit.
The cord at the other end of the AC wall mount doesn't have this problem because this cord already points at the right angle. So as to avoid said problem in the future, both cords should leave the housing in the proper winding-angle: problem solved.
I hope to have been of help, because I think it's a shame that a minor cord problem makes it this risky to work with an otherwise good product. It seems easy enough to remedy. :-)
5865
Show the Buyer What Different Laptop Battery Sizes *Look* Like On the Laptop
Dell Web Site, Laptops, Laptop Power submitted by jasondunn
11/22/07
It's a really great thing that Dell offers buyers multiple choices when it comes to laptop batteries: there's usually a 4-cell, 6-cell, and 9-cell battery option. Dell always lists the watt hours information as well - great!
But what's ridiculous is that there are no images, illustrations, or written information about the exact sizes of the batteries: specifically, which batteries will stick out of the laptop (the "hump"). This is a really important thing to know, because when I'm buying a laptop I usually want to get the biggest battery possible, but one that doesn't stick out. I just ordered a Vostro laptop and was given the choice of three different batteries - yet no indication of which one(s) was actually flush with the laptop.
In general I find that the "More Information" link does a poor job of providing the customer with the information they need about the given accessory or feature option.
1260
Latitude XT with Linux? Latitude XTn?
Latitude products, Linux submitted by aikiwolfie
Feb 16
Are Dell planning to release a version of the Latitude XT with Ubuntu or some other flavor of Linux?
This is both an idea and a question. I would really like to see a version of the Latitude XT with Ubuntu. Looking at the video that has been posted on D2D and is now currently doing the rounds on the Linux Community site, it would seem Dell are teasing us a bit.
So how about it Dell? Are you big enough to bring the Latitude XT to Ubuntu?
280
Dell should discuss the rumored ultraportable with us
Latitude products, Laptops submitted by jervis961
Jan 17
There has been much speculation about a leaked picture of a possible upcoming Dell ultraportable. Some say 13.3 inch others think it is 15" and some even speculate it is the 16" from the XPS they showed at CES. Upon magnification you can see it has the following visable: Slot load DVD, 2 USB, Ethernet and 2 other ports (display port and power?) on the left side. Also visable is built in web cam on the LED lit screen. It doesn't appear to have media buttons or a fingerprint reader.
The guys in marketing and developement must be getting sick of being scouped by Engadget and with all the flack they have gotten over the other recent releases (XT, M1330 and M1530). Why not create some good PR, scoup Engadget for once and find out some of the complaints while there is still time to tweak the system. Discuss this system Dell as it can only lead to a better product and greater buzz for it in the process.
1010
45 Nm Processors on notebooks
Laptops submitted by gwiz49
Jan 30 **PARTIALLY IMPLEMENTED**
Get the latest and faster processors into your notebooks Dell seems to be six month behind competition in bringing new designs to market on pretty much everything laptop. Allow us the new Intel Processors in notebooks competitors already have them HP
Dell is now offering Inspiron notebook PCs with the Intel Core 2 Duo "Penryn" chip as an optional configuration.
640
Pre-Installed OpenOffice | alternative to MS Works & MS Office
Software, Desktops and Laptops submitted by dhart
02/17/07
Provide OpenOffice.org for free pre-installation alongside Microsoft Works and Microsoft Office. OpenOffice.org is more capable than Microsoft Works, and a serious competitor to Microsoft Office, at a fraction of the cost (it's free!)
OpenOffice.org can open, create, edit and save Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint files.
Provide as OPTIONS for pre-installation many other high-quality free software programs such as:
- Firefox: web browser with popup and privacy controls; say goodbye to Internet Explorer infections!
- Thunderbird: email program with free anti-spam and privacy controls
- Pidgin: instant messaging all-in-one program for popup-free MSN, Yahoo, AOL and others
&nsbp;[ed: GAIM was renamed Pidgin in April 2007 to settle the issue with AOL's trademark on AIM]
- PDFCreator: creates Adobe PDF files from any program
- Scribus, Inkscape & GIMP: desktop publishing, freehand drawing & powerful image editing
- Audacity & VLC: multi-track audio editing & universal all-in-one media/video/movie/DVD player
- Stellarium & Celestia: planetarium viewer & outer-space mapping, like Google Earth, but for our Solar System
Pre-installed quality free and open source software drastically lowers the cost of new PCs, and helps prevent software piracy. Cast your vote for Linux and other free software. Cast your vote for the Universal Education PC [ed: article removed/merged by dell_admin] utilizing free software.
CHOICE is what consumers want on their new PCs, not annoying surprise circus-ware (the typical smattering of confusing 3rd party popup-infested software found on most new Dell PCs). Quality free and open source software is well behaved, and may be legally pre-installed on PCs, and legally shared with friends and family, sharing is encouraged! Cast your vote for consumer CHOICE and public transparency at Dell.
140529
switch to LED monitors
Monitors and Displays, Laptop Power submitted by yardsale
Jan 16
I dont know why dell hasnt done this yet. switch all monitors on desktops and notebooks to LED. did you know that you can run an LED screen at full brightniess and it uses less power than a LCD monitor at the lowest brighting level?!? its cheaper, its energy efficent, and it needs to be done! promote this, if you demote i wanna know why!
10520
Ubuntu Dell Repo
Linux, Service and Support submitted by tekhawk
07/20/07 **PARTIALLY IMPLEMENTED**
basicly a simple idea dell to support the ubuntu community a little bit by running a repo for its laptops and desktop if nothing more to support the software that they install on the system and to provide driver updates theses repos should be setup on the machines before shipping so that the users can get the driver updates quick and easy and offer driver on there for all the drivers that there are for dell machines that are support on linux not just the shipping lines
so that user might find that other machines then the ones you ship with ubuntu can easly be made into power ubuntu operating machines
As matt_d has said below, we have repositories for Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Fedora, Novell/SuSE Linux Enterprise Server, and a growing one for Ubuntu. Check it out here http://linux.dell.com.
7530
No Extra Software Option
Software submitted by ootleman
02/16/07 **PARTIALLY IMPLEMENTED**
Would love the ability to have a clean Vista install. No AOL software, no earthlink software, no google software - just a clean, original OS.
Check out jeremy_f's update on our current software options.
120764
Get GNU/Linux Machines in Retail Stores
Linux submitted by dpic
Feb 14
Imagine how successful Dell's Ubuntu offering could be if just one Dell Ubuntu machine was put in retail stores. If people knew of an alternative to Windows, they would go for it! So what do you say, Dell? Why don't you try to put at least one of your Ubuntu machines offered in retail stores?
6820
Clearly Understandable English & Don't Treat all callers as "idiots"
Service and Support submitted by hipowerone
05/07/07 **PARTIALLY IMPLEMENTED**
As a PC consultant, Dell Owner, and often user of Dell Support, I encourage Dell to require that "any" support personnel be able to demonstrate that they can speak and be clearly understood in English, or any other language, as a requirement for employment by either Dell or off site support facilities.
I am tired of having Dell customers give up on Dell when they try to call Dell Tech support. It is because they get techs who truly try to speak English, but their native tongue and dialect prevent what comes out from being recognized as English.
What took the cake for me in this matter was a customer who had paid for a business Latitude along with 4 year support. I was called in to handle a warranty issue (back light dead). I called Dell Support and got a "foreign" English student for support. Supposedly he was located somewhere in Canada(???). I spoke slowly and repeatedly enunciated what I wanted and repeatedly told him to slow down and repeat himself for each question he asked, just to understand what he said.
Secondly, get rid of the scripts. All callers are not idiots. I called clearly understanding the problem. No amount of talking could draw this tech away from the script or convince him that the screen was black, period. Anything he wanted me to do or try would not bring the back light back to life or make the screen bright enough so that I could answer questions about what the computer was doing or saying.
My customer sat nearby, listening on speaker phone, as I worked my way through to the final diagnosis that indeed the back light needed to be replaced under warranty. This customer stated that the call took twice as long as necessary and she clearly would not have had the patience to work with the Dell tech. She stated that she would think twice next time she needs to buy a new computer. She did not feel that she should need to have "paid tech support" to call and talk with Dell tech support.
Check out our latest Idea in Action!
530
Linux Register If You Were Not Able To Get an Ubuntu System
submitted by felimwhiteley
Jan 31
Unfortunately I was unable to avail of the Ubuntu offer when I bought my Inspiron 1520. I'd like to add my system as a purely running Ubuntu system. Vista has never been booted which came pre-installed. I'd like to support Dell's fantastic Linux offer but I have no way to say I'm not using Windows and although I bought it with Windows it's never going to run it.
Basically I'd like to see Dell get credit for a Linux system even though it wasn't initially bought with Linux... rather long winded there !
Many thanks,
Félim
210
Ubuntu Line [ Give us the choice of including hardware that is only OFFICIALLY supported on windows units ]
Desktops, Linux, Operating Systems submitted by tekhawk
Jan 31
Give us the choice of including hardware that only OFFICIALLY supported on windows units
the idea is basicly stuff that dell says isnt support right now finger print readers, blue-ray, ect that they dont know a good way to make work should still be a hardware option in a section titled Unsupported Hardware or something of the like so that for those of us that can make it work can still get it on our units without ordering the windows model and if its something that has planned future support such as the finger print reader we can get it with the units we want NOW and get the support when the next update is released
please post any hardware you would like to see added to this list
Finger Print Reader
Blue-Ray
HD-DVD "its dead but im listing it here for those that think its not"
Intel 4965 wireless card
390
 track my votes
|
|
