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120924

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.


591 Comments »

48160

Sell Linux PCs Worldwide - not only the United States

Linux, Sales Strategies, Desktops and Laptops submitted by ergo 05/02/07 **PARTIALLY IMPLEMENTED**

Dell has now decided to sell computers with Linux pre-installed. GREAT MOVE! But for the moment, it only concerns the US... Here outside the US, we can't wait to buy a pre-installed Linux Dell PC! Please sell Linux PCs worldwide!


Check out the details on Dell Linux systems worldwide!
525 Comments »

933

Sell ink cartridges at local retail

Printers and Ink, Sales Strategies submitted by guardianxps 02/21/07 **IMPLEMENTED**

So, for convenience and ease of access, can Dell sell ink cartridges through local retail stores? I realize Dell is an online store; and not suggesting you stop the online part, but also make it available through retail stores. Considering weather or other natural occurrences, and the latest discomfort from DHL leaving the ink cartridges on the door just to be stolen gets annoying.





We now sell ink cartridges at Staples. Click here for more details






28 Comments »

360

Multi touch, image sensing and power generating diodes in display

Desktops, Monitors and Displays submitted by j.bandringa 07/09/07




I would like to have an image sensing, power generating and multi touch display. Multifunctional organic diodes can do this.




Multifunctional organic diodes can:


• Show you something like a regular display (OLED);


• See you like a webcam (photodiode);


• Built multi touch sensing displays;


• Generate electricity like a solar cell.




I would like Dell to promote research in this field. Here you find a patent of a multifunctional organic diode. It's written in Japanese though. Take a look at the videos in the comments if you want. 4 Comments »

560

Offer a student discount

Dell, Education, Sales Strategies submitted by doomlord52 07/09/07 **ALREADY OFFERED**

A lot of companys offer this. A student discount. Apple sells their Macs for 20% less if your a student. Software companies often offer this on usefull products, such as Cinema 4d, Photoshop, and so on. If dell could offer this, it would help students get dell computers FROM dell. Although you can get a dell pc for $1000 or so, their not really that powerful. This kind of discont would be good on percision, Dimensions and notebooks. 15 Comments »

1300

Frequent Buyers Program

Sales Strategies, Laptops submitted by sgrabinar 02/26/07

I've nought two Dell notebooks in the last 7 years. Now, I'm wondering if I should be buying an XPS. Or a cute little iBook .

Maybe I should look at the Sony and Tosh too.

If that 4th or 5th Dell notebook were free...

If I could use my Amex or Qanats reward points at the Dell store _in conjunction_ with my previous Dell purchases....

Michael, all my bases would belong to you. 26 Comments »

-250

Buy Intel

Dell submitted by dellidea_dc 07/09/07 **NOT LIKELY**

Would it be possible for Dell to purchase Intel? Wouldn't that finish off HP? 14 Comments »

850

Improve your internal case designs (Improve airflow + Reduce wire clutter)

Environment submitted by bbr 07/10/07

I've had my Desktop for a couple of years now, and i still shudder having to open it.
It's a horrible maze of tangled wires, connectors and above all "dust" in there.
Sort of like : http://www.zdnet.de/graphics/reviews/pc/200207/dell4500-inside.jpg
or : http://images.digitalmedianet.com/2004/Week_39/z1yf5axb/story/dell_inside.jpg
Wires everywhere, making it very hard to reach any components you wish to replace or clean. It's crazy.

Now, compare that to this: http://www.macrumors.com/downloads/inside25g5.jpg
Yes it's an Apple, a G5 Dual processor model to be a bit more exact.
It looks so clean because Apple designs its own hardware.

Now, i'll leave out the obvious temptation of starting a Vista vs OSX comparison,
and stick to the hardware.

Here's a comparison shot mac-vs-pc : http://www.apple.bg/bul/Docs/apple/hardware/powermac/1102/clutter.jpg
As with others of apple's designs they've always been very clean cut :
http://www.zisman.ca/Articles/2004/g5imac_inside.jpg

Just look at it, perfect air flow : http://www.apple.bg/bul/Docs/apple/hardware/powermac/1102/cooling.jpg
Because of the airflow design it produces much less sound than a normal PC does..
With the fans placed inside the machine to reduce noise output even further.
(From personal experience, i'm able to say that i can barelly hear my mac at work)

Compare that to the front-bottom(dust intake) point intake design (whirlwind) with randomly placed fans inside the case (disrupt airflow) that most normal PCs use. PC Airflow is flawed.
Example : http://www.pcleek.be/Fotoshardware/pc%20case%20open.jpg
Standard PC airflow is inefficient, ignores most major components, and requires extra fans rotating at speeds which produce a "lot" of sound, require a lot of energy to operate, and suck in a lot of dust particles which will reduce the nominal efficiency of your hardware over time.
Because of this design you'll also notice that the edges around your CD/DVD drive will usually have clearly showing edges of dust, because the normal airflow is not aligned to the internal fans. (dust and CD drives does not mix, and can cause faillure of your CD drive)

Now, back to Mac:
Front metallic cover and sideplates : http://www.tweakers.net/ext/i.dsp/1056403028.jpg
Detailed side view G5 : http://www.wap.org/journal/powermacg5v2/powermacg5v2.jpg
Detailed side view Mac Pro : http://www.professional-pr.info/Apple/Bilder/06/macpro/macpro_inside.jpg
Notice the heatsinks on the right, and the 4 Hard disk panels in the center.
The CD/DVD drive(topleft) can be removed in 1 motion, just like the side panel for the CPUs

Easy to access all components,
Easy to switch hard disks, (single button eject)
Easy to plug in extra memory, (no wires blocking access)
Instant access to the processor (1 button panel remove)
And so much more.

In my opinion it'd be a great revolution if Dell stepped away from the "standard" PC design and improved their hardware in this manner. Easy access, Good air flow, Easy to clean. Less wires needed. (better for the environment as well)

The problem however, is that dell machines are limited to "standard" mainboards.
Because of this it's almost impossible to allow much creativity with the hardware placement inside each case.
Perhaps dell can sit around a table with Intel or another popular mainboard designer and come up with a more customized version for the improved desktop layouts.

Improving the case hardware layout to fix the airflow will make a cleaner look, yield better performance, reduce energy consumption, improve harware lifespan, and in the end you end up with a much more enviromentally friendly computer. 8 Comments »

300

DVDs / pre-loaded Video Tutorials that teaches you how to use your newly purchased Dell computers

Advertising and Marketing, Education, Service and Support submitted by davidtse916 07/10/07

I had this idea for sometime already...wouldn't it be good if Dell offers you the option to order some DVD / pre-loaded video tutorials that teaches you the basic stuff; like how to set up your computer to connect to the Internet, how to use the web browser to browse the Internet safely, how to uninstall a software that you no longer needs, how to do configure the settings in your system, how to make sure you computer is secure etc.

I know these things are very basic to most of you...but we all had trouble doing things like that when we first started using a computer...right? Some people choose to ask questions and learn quickly...while others just keep quiet. And when people have problems with their computer...the ones who keep quiet might not be able to know the real reason behind their problem...so they might start to say...my Dell is no good...it keeps on crashing...its so slow...then they start telling their friends not to get a Dell. My idea is to give them a chance to know a little bit more about their newly purchased computer so can use it well and at least have some idea what is going on inside the "box". Also...if you know more about your computer...I would say you have a less chance of "making it crash".

I have seen some video tutorials that Dell have made...they are excellent...but wouldn't it be better if they can be pre-loaded in the computer...or at least let people to choose whether they want to have them with their newly purchased Dell. DVD versions can also be purchased at a small cost so that people can watch the videos on their TV and follow the instructions on their computer.

Since I don't think other companies have done this before, if Dell does it, then people will have one more reason to get a Dell. As far as I know, some people think you have to learn a lot to be able to use a computer...while this maybe true...a lot of tasks that we do everyday is actually not that difficult, if Dell offers these tutorials...I think more people are welling to get a Dell because they know they can "master" the basics "out of the box". 6 Comments »

-300

Daily or Monthly rentals of OS's for Dell hardware customers.

Operating Systems, Servers and Storage submitted by jmxz 07/10/07

In the past 6 years, I can count exactly 3 days where I actually wanted to use Windows (TurboTax a few years back before my taxes got more complicated). For users who have very occasional use of an OS, it doesn't make sense to buy it; but would be better if I could rent the software in the same way I can rent playstation software from various video rental stores.

The Idea: Could Dell have a program where I could rent the OS on a daily basis rather than buy it outright?

The reason this is a request for Dell and not a request to Blockbuster is that I'm not enough of a Windows expert to track down all the drivers scattered around the internet and third party software needed to put together a working windows system myself; and presumably Dell has a functioning Windows restore disk for the models they sell that include the drivers.

Perhaps this rental installer could resize my existing partitions non-destructively to make just as much room as it needs; and restore the space to my old partitions when the trial period ended. 14 Comments »

1640

Continue to supply Windows XP drivers for all systems.

Operating Systems, XPS products submitted by audiofree 07/10/07

Let’s face it, Vista regardless of how Microsoft is trying to possession is not what all customers want. Some of us want to continue to use XP, it’s a lighter faster OS that does what we need. Please continue to support XP drivers at least. I want to buy one of the new 1420s or 1520s but can’t because not all the drivers are available. If you’re not going to sell the laptops with and XP option at least make the drivers available so those of us that want to install XP on our systems can. 20 Comments »

-230

Make it easier for your customers to resell unwanted software you bundle.

Dell, Service and Support, Software submitted by jmxz 07/10/07

On a lot of our work computers you bundled a bunch of software that we don't want (antivirus software; multimedia software; and even Windows itself on many models).

Can you make it easier for us to re-sell the bundled software packages we don't want? One way you could make it easier is to include separate disks for each software package that has any resale value.

Note that there is a healthy market in used software licenses and some government customers prefer buying used software licenses since it's more affordable than new software licenses.
http://www.ideastorm.com/article/show/66448/Munich_Buys_Used_Software_Licenses 9 Comments »

260

The Neo 1973 could be your answer to the iPhone

Broadband and Mobility, New Product Ideas submitted by jmxz 07/10/07

This phone has
a) a nice form factor
b) a nice touchscreen
c) a good GSM chipset
and
d) an active developer community (like your PC's

http://www.i4u.com/article10025.html

The OpenMoko based touchscreen mobile phones and developer kits go on sale.
....
266Mhz Samsung ARM based CPU, GSM and GPRS support, Bluetooth, microSD card slot, and USB port.


The media is already positioning it as an iPhone rival:
http://www.techworld.com/mobility/news/index.cfm?newsID=9417&pagtype=samechan
Linux phone poses as iPhone rival


I think embracing this platform as your answer to the iPhone would be interesting. The more technical community would love the ability to program a cell phone (in the same way you can your PC products) which is lacking in the Apple product.

PS: one of your other competitors (Toshiba) already announced a linux phone this month: http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS2806053950.html ; but this Neo device seems better (better industrial design) to me.


Dell - please stay focused on the highest-voted ideas, though. Don't distract yourselves with this one until you've addressed the ideas below which have been the top-ranked ideas for at least 6 months without adequate responses..
  1. 147,808 - dhart - Pre-Installed Linux [and not just on a couple obsolete models in limited geographies]
  2. 127,719 - dhart - Pre-Installed OpenOffice | alternative to MS Works & MS Office
  3. 107,313 - robinjfisher - Have Firefox pre-installed as default browser
  4. 89,183 - ootleman - No Extra Software Option [only a couple models are crapware-free today]
  5. 78,007 - gergnz - Provide Linux Drivers for all your Hardware
  6. 73,600 - agreer - No OS Preloaded [and not just on a couple obsolete models]

21 Comments »

230

Dell needs Gaming Commercials

Advertising and Marketing, Gaming submitted by topher397 07/10/07

Dell makes some of the industries best gaming products but not everyone knows of dell's commitment to gaming. I think they should have commericials showing that they can be cool and make gaming worthy PC's. 5 Comments »

1182

Overclocking options

Sales Strategies, Desktops and Laptops submitted by carlobaluta 02/20/07

Have overclocking options in BIOS, as other motherboard manufacturers have. This should apply to high end gaming machines, designed for people who know what they are doing.
Also, i believe this kind of computers are way too pricey as I can always buy the parts and build such a machine for way less and with far more options...

Carlo 54 Comments »

-300
-460

Shame on you!

Dell, IdeaStorm submitted by megabucks10457 07/11/07

When I first heard about Idea Storm it sounded like a wonderful opportunity for inventors to be able to communicate directly with a well known and reputable company. Alas it is nothing more then a new way for big business to steal ideas from the little guys without paying for them. I would recommend that any individual with an idea or innovation submit it to a patent office, where at least they stand a chance of financial gain. Dell has proven to be no better then Lawrence Peska, a well known idea theft company. Has Dell's deception become so organized that people are actually stupid enough to submit designs without any hope of future profit or recognition? If This is the case, then I think that Dell should send me a top of the line computer with the name and address of the person who designed it, so that my money can be properly channeled. 10 Comments »

250

Dual OS systems

New Product Ideas, Operating Systems, Operating Systems - Multiboot submitted by future_maker 07/11/07

Many of us want to use Linux, but there are many applications that run only on Windows. Do not make us choose, add a swapable OS into the system.

HW way: Harddrives are cheep, on can use swapable HDs with preinstalled OS isntead just repartitioning a single HD. Rememer swappable HD drowers from 10 years ago? Imagine you have several HD drawers with your different system, it is like virtual PC withoud slowdowns and hustle. I could have several Windows and Linux versions and I just need to slide in the right drawer and reboot the machine to switch the OS. The all can use the same NTSF data drive.

SW way: If that is too expensive, then just add a clean partitioning facilties to BIOS so that each partition can be reinstalled without changing the loader. If you can do it so an average Windows user can figure it without a manual or googling, that would increase the value of the system for many of us.

2 Comments »



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