bgfeldm

Take user to the next level of computing...

Education, Service and Support submitted by yesmathew 03/05/07

Why Dell do not help user to aware of better freely available solutions? Even if they know following are the better free alternates.

- Firefox web browser (www.getfirefox.com)
- openoffice office suite (www.openoffice.org)
- Ubuntu operating system (www.ubuntu.com)

This is the right time for you to regain respect and trust. Return back to user. Take user to the next level of computing.

Dell should become a good guide for us, who should help us to find the best and safe alternate solutions at less price. They can, as they ship new computers their research team can search for the best free alternate solutions and include them. So that user can give try. Dell should be a leader in this area.

Another way: Educate user.
Dell should include a 4 - 8 pager magazine with every machine they ship. Which should include free and opensource alternate solutions plus ads. 6 Comments »

gigabit ethernet

Broadband and Mobility submitted by r1chard 03/05/07

why does gigabit ethernet cost extra? this has been a standard feature on all apple computers for years. it is annoying to be nickel and dimed for a basic and necessary business feature. Comment »

"Toughbook" Laptops

Accessories (Keyboards, etc.), Laptops submitted by carlosponti 03/06/07

I noticed that Panasonic is the only maker of "Toughbook" Laptops. In a recent article one actually took a bullet and saved the soldiers life. If it is possible to design you should design one too. I see no reason why Panasonic should be the only one out there to make a commercially available laptop that can stop a bullet like that. Granted I know the laptop was destroyed in doing that but at least its a testament to how they survive rough usage. 3 Comments »

STANDARD BATTERIES ETC

Laptop Power submitted by aim 03/07/07

More than 20 years after laptops are quite common devices we are still waiting for standard classes of power supply devices and batteries.

Standard batteries would be less expensive and easily available, logistics and inventories would be a lot easier and we could find fresh made batteries even when our laptop has grown old.

The same can be said for standard power supplyes; in my opinion to make standard such devices would be also technically easy.

Cordially

aim 4 Comments »

Driver Updates

Software submitted by maieie 03/10/07

A small app like Windows Update to roll over bios, and driver updates would be really hand 1 Comment »

No more Microsoft Tax!

Latitude products, Linux submitted by michael.schramm 03/13/07

I installed Suse 10.1 on my Latitude D410. It was not quite easy, specially installing the wlan card, but I'm very glad I did.
Not one single system crash or "bluescreen of death" in two years in a row. Not even a virus.

Unfortunately there was no way to avoid the Microsoft Tax. Windows was preinstalled and I had no chance, by no means, to get my money back fby declining the Microsoft License Agreement. I was forced to pay for Windows, regardless if I wanted to use it or not.

That is why I would love to have OpenSuse preinstalled on Dell's Latitude Notebooks.

The benefits are very clear:
+ Freedom of choice
+ Lower costs
+ Higher stability
+ Higher security
+ Happy customers Comment »

Pre-install Java runtime

Software submitted by blacklion 03/14/07

Pre-install the latest Java runtime from Sun. Be it a Windows or Linux box. 6 Comments »

Expand Services efforts - into Linux migrations

Linux, Service and Support submitted by phubert 03/14/07

Dell could also expand its SERVICES business by providing phased Linux migration offerings.

Sell migration 'packages' of various flavors or 'stages' such as:

* Evaluate desktop needs
* migrate to Linux clients/thin clients integrated with Active Directory
* offer Crossover Office to run required Windows applications
* recommend Windows application alternatives

or
* Evaluate use of Exchange/Outlook features
* replace Exchange with appropriate alternative software compatible with Windows desktops & Outlook 7 Comments »

Touchpad disabled when USB mouse plugged in.

Accessories (Keyboards, etc.) submitted by benjesuit 03/14/07

Option in BIOS for touchpad to be disabled with USB mouse is present.

DELL's older laptop models have that option is BIOS. I hope it continues. 1 Comment »

Nano Size PC for home and office

New Product Ideas submitted by akadan 03/14/07

Take an existing form factor Dell latitude notebook.
Remove the lcd panel.
Remove the key board and touch mouse.
Remove the battery and in its place provide a single low profile pci slot.
All other form factors connectors and power block remain the same.
This is now a light weight pc for home or office, media center pc.
Create a multi port replicator to allow the use of 2,3, or 4 of these units connected to a single large panel LCD and KVM for keyboard and mouse. Comment »

Customer's Just Pay for hardware and get drivers (LInux and windows)

Sales Strategies, Service and Support submitted by chandoo 03/15/07

It will be a Great idea if dell comes with the option Like
Customer's "Pay for the Hardware" and DELL should also provide the Drivers for LINUX and Windows, let customer choose the OS. if DELL is opting for this idea, it will take market by storm.

This will allow DELL to reduce prices.
and customer doesn't need to pay their bucks for the crappy proprietary bundled software, instead they can spend their valuable $$$$ on getting good hardware.

This is my dream with all the vendors 1 Comment »

standardize laptop batteries

Laptop Power submitted by haxtor 03/15/07

have only a few (ideally just one, but possibly 2-3?) types of laptop batteries that fit *all* laptops. what I would really like to see is total interchangeability, i.e. *any* Dell battery fits *any* Dell laptop (why stop there, I want them to be standard across manufacturers). but if that is not practical, then just limit it to a couple of different standard sizes/form factors that fit the entire product line. you may do this by having all batteries have the same connectors, same voltage, same width and height, but different depths and different amps and amp-hours ratings.

rationale: batteries don't last long (a year or so); it is *such* a pain looking for a battery for an old laptop that is not being made any more. 1 Comment »

Don't make me boot Windows just to play a DVD.

Operating Systems submitted by jmxz 03/14/07

Lenovo and Sony and Toshiba computers don't make me slowly boot up windows just to play a DVD or listen to music:

http://www.investor.intervideo.com/ReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=207065
http://www.emedialive.com/Articles/ReadArticle.aspx?ArticleID=9538
http://www.primidi.com/2004/01/15.html
...
Please provide similar on Dells. 3 Comments »

Light Desktops for Home

Desktops, New Product Ideas submitted by gupta75 03/14/07

Time now has come that the TV in my kitchen gets replaced by a very light weight Desktop. What I mean by light weight is:

1. Minimal wires
2. Very small (yet capable)

This kind of computer is increasingly going to find a place where TV exists.

Hope this flies well. Comment »

Stop designing "For Microsoft" (as most of your products are labled) and start designing for your customers.

Dell submitted by jmxz 03/15/07

I think it's telling of where Dell's priorities lay when most of your boxes has a sticker that says "Designed for Microsoft [XP or Windows or Vista]" on it. Wouldn't it be better if you designed your products for your customers first; and particular software vendors's agendas second?

At my previous company the most important software we ran on Dells came from Oracle - a competitor of Microsoft. I'd feel much better if I could have gotten a computer from you that was "designed for Oracle clusters" rather than the systems I got from you which were clearly labeled that they were designed for a company with a vested interest in seeing Oracle fail. And even more uneasy since that particular vendor (Microsoft, if you hadn't guessed yet) had in the past had projects deliberately making competitors software fail and/or give error messages in unexpected ways:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/1999/11/05/how_ms_played_the_incompatibility/
http://news.com.com/Microsoft+emails+focus+on+DR-DOS+threat/2100-1001_3-22512...
Considering that history - I'd be pretty wary of running Oracle on machines "Designed for Microsoft". 9 Comments »

Give us linux

Linux, Operating Systems submitted by darkk-desires 03/02/07

I have an older Dell, as well as a custom build pc of my own. I would have went with Dell again rather than building my own but you don't offer the linux option. We are not all drones that follow the mindless army to use the main OS that so many have. We love our linux and the many advantages it gives us.You need to cater to the educated user of linux also, we live!! Comment »

Create a device division and use Lnux to drive it

Linux submitted by masinick 03/02/07

Try creating a device division. Apple has had great success with their iPod and iPod Nano. Creating anything there would probably be a loss since they have the market cornered, but at least to be in it, you could create a very inexpensive and very good looking music device, phone, pager, or maybe all of the above and come up with your own color scheme, logos, and marketing blitz. Use Linux underneath, running embedded Linux on the small stuff.

Use Linux as a common layer so you can have communication protocols throughout your family of devices, and at the high end, tie them all in to some Dell service and servers, which generate revenue. Make those Dell servers run Linux with Open Source databases, middleware, and other components. Invest engineering into it and give it back to the community and immerse yourself in the middle of an emerging industry.

Put Linux on the desktop in the middle, and have it seamlessly fit into the rest of this. Put it all together as a cohesive product line and you might be able to come up with something that noone else has. Red Hat has the enterprise services area pretty well tied up, and that is where traditional revenue sources have come from. But I think if you get smart and get comprehensive about this, and hook it all into the notion of the Web and a common OS layer and common communication, common look and feel, common appearance, etc. you may be able to get mileage out of it that nobody else has been able to build or leverage to date. IF you don't at least try, you will definitely not make it and you will miss several emerging markets. They may not turn out exactly as I have described, but I think that kind of thinking is on the right path. Pursue it agressively, this is the time to do it. 1 Comment »

Pushing other constructor to make driver for linux

Accessories (Keyboards, etc.), Linux submitted by sybesis 03/02/07

I don't know if dell would have a great impact on hardware constructor, But it would be fun to see dell in cooperation with open source project. By using his name and to make sure every hardware spec is linux compatible too.

I actually have a inspiron 9400 using fedora core 6 but i cannot find any driver for multi flash drive sd Xd.....

So it would be fun to see dell pushing constructor to develop drivers for their computers or just to encourage to distribute specification of the hardware so open source developper will be able to start a project and then create working drivers without too much time. Dell could actually create projects on these drivers to make things move.

I believe it is possible as windows seemed to have forced everyone to use it as primary os. Making linux drivers is a piece of cake compared to this.
(having working driver with all spec would let everyone being able to buy any computer from dell ) Comment »

Save Power. Be innovative. Make 80plus compliant systems.

Accessories (Keyboards, etc.) submitted by williamlaw 02/19/07

Make all DELL systems 80plus (http://www.80plus.org/index.htm) compliant. PC power supplies are notoriously inefficient. This allows large users to substantially save money and get rebates from their power supply. Consumers will benefit across the board, and DELL will get some green cred. With power a huge consideration for data centers, 80plus is a no brainer. 8 Comments »

Medical History USB Drive (or whatever)

Healthcare submitted by chrisrose.chrisrose 03/03/07

Boy, whatever happened to the idea of having a smartcard or flashcard (something akin to an SD) or a USB drive on which your entire history of medical records and charts are kept?

I've lived in 12 addresses in 16 years, and every time I move, I say goodbye to a doctor and all the specialists who've consulted. Getting those guys to share records with my new doctor is like pulling teeth. I just want something that a patient could ask doctors to copy their own medical records onto, and reasonably portable, and that is widespread and widely recognized -maybe it could have a big red cross on it, or one of those stick-with-a-snake dealios (that is, Rod of Asclepius) on it.

This is not like a photon torpedo or a teleporter, this is technology that is available now. What's needed is some big market player on the technology side with some leverage to promote and popularize it - because the medical community is too disjoint to quickly come to consensus about issues related to technology. Make it something that is associated with Dell and has an altruistic spin - "Look what Dell is doing for the health of your family. Dell cares (tm)". But make it something that will still be readable over the course of a human lifetime (not, say, like an 8" floppy) and give it reasonable encryption. Why should I have to rely on some dime-store jewelry to tell ER workers that I am allergic to penicillin? 6 Comments »