Upgradeable Laptop Video Card - Here's the Answer!
Monitors and Displays submitted by captainsensible
05/08/07
A company called Magma though is now selling an easy to use device that will allow most ‘desktop-only’ PCI Express cards to be used with a laptop.
The ExpressBox1 is like an external drive enclosure except that it’s designed to hold a PCI-E graphics card. There’s a smaller version that supports cards up to 6.6 inches in length and a pro version for cards up to 12.28 inches in length. They connect to a laptop via the ExpressCard/34 module and a PCI-E cable and Magma claims there is no latency in the connection since there’s a theoretical maximum throughput of 2000Mbps (or 250 MegaBytes per second) in each direction. At the moment the ExpressBox1 is only designed for single-width video cards needing a maximum of 55 watts of power. However double-width cards that require auxillary power will be supported later this year.
Of course performance has never come cheap in the PC world. The standard version ExpressBox1 is available on the Magma website for $729 (that’s without a graphics card) while the Pro version is available for $749.
from OhGizmo.com
400
Pre-Install Bonzi Buddy on all new systems!
Software, Desktops and Laptops submitted by captainsensible
04/25/07
It's not about what the user wants, it's about profit! If you don't upgrade Bonzi within 30 days he gets really sad and begs you hourly for money. And each feature costs an additional fee, and if you don't get it, Bonzi starts to get angry and delete your emails and randomly disconnects you from the internet! But the profits would be amazing.
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Sponsor a Dell Employee Today
Service and Support submitted by captainsensible
04/19/07
(like Jervis's Dell Members Club..but with a twist)
Thousands of technicians in desperate need of help are waiting for someone like you.
Which is why your support is so vital. As a Dell Technicians's Fund sponsor you'll
provide a first-level employee with nutritious meals, healthcare, education, and more.
And the important knowledge that somebody still cares.
What does a Dell Technicians's Fund sponsorship cost? Just $24 per month sponsors a
single first-level employee for as long as you wish. You may sponsor as many technicians
as your resources permit.
There are technicians in twenty-four countries waiting for a sponsor like you right now.
Someone whose support gives them hope, confidence, and friendship, and maybe an iPod.
Please don't put it off. Right now is the perfect time to change a first-level employee's
life forever.
Sponsorship changes two lives.
Your sponsored first-level employee's and your own.
Take a look at just some of what you'll receive when you become a Dell technicians's Fund sponsor.
Letters and pictures you'll treasure:
You will receive a photo of your first-level employee and information about his or her life,
as well as personal letters from your sponsored first-level employee. We encourage you to write
back to your first-level employee and build a close relationship that can mean so much to you
both. Many of our sponsors and technicians report that this unique correspondence is
tremendously rewarding!
Our first-level employee Progress Report keeps you in the picture:
You'll receive a yearly progress report on your sponsored first-level employee's progress in his
or her studies as well as an update on their physical, emotional, and intellectual development.
If you're interested, you may request other information about the first-level employee, and his
or her family and community. We'd be delighted to do all we can to create a meaningful bond
between you and your sponsored first-level employee.
Contributions to Dell Technicians's Fund are tax-deductible and we will provide you with a
giving statement for tax purposes.
20
Dell 3G Smartphone
Accessories (Keyboards, etc.) submitted by captainsensible
04/18/07
Dell's recent axing of their Axim product line left a tear or two in the eyes of many. The well-loved PDA was a favorite, revered for its simple design, powerful processor, and thoughtful feature set. It looks like Dell may have a trick up its sleeve, however, as Taiwan manufacturer Quanta has revealed that it has been contracted to work on an upcoming Dell smartphone device. Codenamed "Fly," this handset will reportedly feature a full QWERTY keyboard, HSDPA, and more, all running atop Windows Mobile 6 Professional. You sneaky devils.
From BoyGeniusReport
60
IdeaStorm should filter usernames like Dell_admin1
IdeaStorm submitted by captainsensible
04/14/07
I would hope an actual Dell Ideastorm moderator would at least use "Admin" or "Moderator" instead of some ripoff dell_admin1 username. I think they'd at least have the decency to use their real name.
And the idea, articles should be queued and marked when someone at Dell has read it and maybe even give it a Thumbs up or Down. There doesn't even need to be a comment, just a way to let us know we've been heard.
Without getting your slashdot party or actually getting to the front page of Digg or even Fark, there's just no way we normal citizens can get a story to the front page of IdeaStorm, so we just don't feel like we're being seen, hiding in the dark corners of the recent ideas, sometimes posting absolutely silly stuff just to see if anyone's paying attention.
Sincerely,
Captain Sensible
captainsensible666@gmail.com
130
Dell should drop Second Life
Dell Community submitted by captainsensible
04/12/07 **REVIEWED**
A while back Dell joined up with Second Life to produce a couple of badly textured islands to sell computers on and try to get people to socialize. I think it has failed. Nobody visits Dell In Second Life.
#1. BAD graphics
#2. too much rated-R/X material
#3. too many people flying around naked
#4. did I mention BAD graphics?
#5. Nobody manning the Dell news stall or trinket stores.
You can buy a Dell from Second Life, sort of. After clicking around and eventually making it into a drafting table area, you click the table and get the DELL web site. That's about 4000 extra steps to purchase a new Dell system.
More at http://www.dell.com/sl
We feel there is a lot of opportunity with Second Life and continue to learn a lot from being a part of the community.
80
Height-Adjustable Notebook Screen
Monitors and Displays, Laptops submitted by captainsensible
04/11/07
I think a lot of people will agree with me that spending a lot of time in front of a laptop can be a real pain in the neck. Literally!
They have the swivel screen, but why don't they have the adjustable height screen? Being able to adjust the screen height, each person can adjust it to their comfort level. This will make everyone pain free and, more importantly, more productive.
Better technology is shifting us from bulky PC's to mobile laptops, but why do we have to keep lugging along huge monitors too? I love my new extra wide laptop screen, but why can't I adjust it? The simplest solution: make the laptop screens height-adjustable and forget the swivel.
As far as I know, this one hasn't been brought up yet.
150
Dell + Linux + Control
Linux, Desktops and Laptops submitted by captainsensible
03/31/07
If Dell offers a consumer desktop/portable with Linux, it should be Linspire (previously Lindows) with absolutely no root access. Users could change some minor settings, and only install software from a list of Dell tested and approved sources to prevent users from "messing it up" like they do so well with Windows. This would be on the most basic machine, for your less technical user who still wants to get away from Micro$oft.
For the next level consumer, they could offer the same, but with development software, and some superuser privileges to allow more customization, and more software choices such as Apache/SSH/VNC/Samba, etc. And it would include a few service and support options from a third party Linux support company.
Finally, the third level. Still using Dell's preferred distribution, a complete open system for the Linux user who knows how not to "mess it up."
With Windows it's simple, they usually know what all the blue screens, what drivers work, what hardware is compatible, and how to tell you how to back up your data and reinstall when it all goes bad. But for Linux, just getting a DVD to play or copying some photos to CD for your average windows user using Linux for the first time could require some serious training.
But maybe, with the power of streaming video and broadband, there could be a community of users making videos of all the HOWTOs and guides out there to teach the world, and it would have to be free!
In Soviet Russia, your computer updates YOU!
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Bagtop: The Laptop-in-a-Bag!
Accessories (Keyboards, etc.), Laptops submitted by captainsensible
03/29/07
I move around with my laptop, so I'm forever repeating the
following cycle :
power off
unplug power
unplug mouse
unzip bag
stow laptop in bag
wind up power cable
stow power cable in bag
stow mouse in bag
zip up bag
...and the reverse to set up the laptop again.
How about the BagTop: your laptop *is* the bag. A cunningly designed bag that holds your laptop, presents all connected cables eg power/VGA (wound around self-tightening wheels) in a zip-up pocket, and directs the hot-air vents to a handy and safe exit point. With padding, slightly-beat-up-finish, handle and retractable shoulder straps like a rucksack.
You put your bag on the desk, open the lid (side-mounted zip)
and there's your computer. Unzip the port pouch, pull the plug
out and plug into the wall socket. Done.
-50
Top Ten/Demoting Stories/Clear the Clutter
IdeaStorm submitted by captainsensible
03/26/07
After about 8 hours of demoting linux repeats, suggesting changes to Windows (where's Microsoft's IdeaStorm), all kinds of 3rd party hardware Dell should sell, people posting their personal information, and blank posts galore, there should really be a Top Ten for the day/week/month/year.
Heey, throw in Top Demoted Posters too, for fun!
-160
Dell Spirit!
Sales Strategies submitted by captainsensible
02/28/07
In the old days Dell used to give out a birth certificate with every Dell system, like having a geek cabbage patch doll or something. Dell should include something like this, along with a tshirt, coffee cup, bumper sticker, keychain, and anything else that users could show off their new system with! We need spirit!
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