Intel and AMD have both been developing Ultra Low Voltage CPUs, computer chips that run on 1/5 of the power of traditional computer chips. The CPU is a good start, now Dell can work with Intel and / or AMD to develop a FULLY ULV Notebook - ALL the subcomponents using significantly less power than standard notebook systems.
Another big component to change is the display, static 'ePaper' notebook screens that can maintain the image even when powered off. Electricity is only used when changing the display, and even then - power only used down to the pixel level, while non-changing pixels consume little or no power at all. Back-Lit by new ULV LEDs, that adjust their intensity based off of a ambient light sensor - using even less power when in a darker room, vs. a sunny patio. The screen size can be 12" widescreen, and still be able to provide a good movie viewing experience. No Hard Drive, No CD Drive - those power hungry components can be put into the ULV notebook docking station. Use Flash drives and USB memory sticks only.
I would imagine a SSD Flash drive equipped notebook that could run for hours off of a single 9 volt battery (rechargeable of course!)
The New ULV Dell Notebook With an ULV notebook, you can replace the battery with a water powered fuel cell, and cover the notebook screen lid with the new 40%+ efficient solar cells, and have the FIRST 'free power' ULV notebook on the market.
Make a cooling system with less decibels than any other Laptop on the market. Use cooling materials, as an option, so customers can choose to pay more for a non noisy laptop.
A cooling system for every part of the laptop, even sharing the weight of the components on the screen side,. imagine a flat battery on the whole LCD screen back, now with that free space on the chassis you can split the harware components so they can breath better, also include a flat gel cooling system, to improve performance, battery life, and reduce the noise as much as possible. 20 Comments »
Recently when trying to configure a 530s through the "Home Channel" for use as a PVR I discovered that I had no option to configure the system without any Microsoft productivity software. The minimum option was Microsoft Works 8.0.
As I was configuring this 530s to be the basis of a PVR I had absolutely no need of Microsoft's productivity software. As I am an OpenOffice user I would in fact not require Microsoft Works or Office on a normal desktop PC anyway.
It has however come to my attention that Dell offers a "Microsoft opt-out option" through it's business channels. As a consumer who has spent thousands of pounds on Dell hardware over the last few years this makes me very angry indeed.
This sort of two faced poossy footing around has made me feel as though I am some sort of "second class" customer. Perhaps I should stop buying premium hardware like XPS desktops and the 27" UltraSharp LCD or the 26" W2600 LCD TV. Which over the past 4 or 5 years amounts to roughly £3200 or $US6350 not counting the less expensive items I have bought from Dell.
As a Dell consumer who spends thousands of pounds on premium Dell hardware I expect Dell to treat every consumer shopping through either the home or business channels equally. Bear in mind Dell. Some of your "Home" shoppers literally spend the IT budget of a small company in one shopping spree with Dell. 6 Comments »
The BTX form factor was supposed to solve all our problems when it came to internal PC design and layout. But it hasn't. Looking at the inside of one of Dells PCs it is clear to see huge amounts of space have been wasted. The wastage is even more apparent when we compare an XPS 720 with a Blackbird 002.
The Blackbird 002 makes excellent use of the more flexible ATX system board standard to facilitate a system layout where very little space is wasted anywhere.
Dell please bust a move and go back to using the ATX standard for system boards. 15 Comments »
I've been using Ubuntu with my XPS 700 for sometime now. Almost a year. I can testify that it works absolutely fine without any major problems. The system is fast and responsive and makes and excellent all round Ubuntu PC.
As the XPS 700 is quite a powerful system it is also ideal for dual-boot options. It will easily handle Windows XP, Windows Vista and Linux of any flavor.
It is no secrete that many Linux fans were disappointed by Dells initial Desktop offering to Linux users. I can guarantee Linux fans would be extremely happy with this offering from Dell.
Points to note:
Creative so far as I know still haven't released a Linux driver or the data sheets for the Sound Blaster X-fi. So Sound Blaster X-fi remains incompatible. However the XPS 700s integrated Sigmatel sound chip works perfectly fine without a glitch.
NVIDIA don't have a driver for their fake RAID set up. If consumers wish to use the on-board RAID they need to use dmraid. Which isn't actually as difficult to use as people make out. I would however recommend the boot drive is set up as a single drive and not as a RAID device.
It's clear now that implementation of Ubuntu across Dells range of desktop and notebook systems is going to be a slow and arduous process. Undoubtedly there's a tone of compatibility testing and bug fixing to be done before Dell can sell most systems to customers that just work. Dell however are holding things back by not utilizing the Linux communities greatest assets. Linux users!
The idea is quite simple. Distribute an automated test pattern to Dell customers who are already running Linux/Ubuntu on their PCs. The automated tool will probe the systems configuration and ask the user about any technical difficulties they face and report the results back to Dell.
With an army of users out there Dell could quickly amass a wealth of valuable test data with respect as to what works and what doesn't work. This would allow Dell to concentrate their Ubuntu efforts on the systems that are most compatible. Which would in turn allow Dell to quickly provide a good range of choice for it's Ubuntu and Linux customer base.
Think of it as a way of Simplifying IT! 8 Comments »
This is the information page for the Ubuntu version of the M1330. The M1330n. Except it's not. Dell simply reused the M1330's information page.
This might not seem like a huge problem. But take a look at the promotional video. Near the end all you hear about is how how you can access media and Microsoft office "without powering up the PC". And also notice the lovely photos of an XPS M1330 with a Vista desktop at the bottom right of the page.
Is Dell selling embedded Microsoft products on a Linux platform?
Just as a side note. If you're using any application at all on a PC, direct media or not, then th PC is "powered up". So the video even lies to Microsoft users. 2 Comments »
Given that Dell are clearly behind and struggling to cope with the overwhelming and monumental task of running compatibility testing for bare systems, I thought it was time for Dells customer base to give something back to Dell and not just give Dell their hard earned cash. Which of course could be better spent on more important things like buying the girl friends those shoes and that dress we never hear the end of.
So I propose a simple idea. Dell should produce and distribute to it's customer base a simple to use automated bare systems compatibility testing pattern. The tool will then report directly back to Dell with the results. Immediately giving Dell a wealth of correlative data that will help them choose the best course of action. Which will free Dell from the need to follow the leader. Always of course in second place.
Think of it as a way to "Simplify IT" or as a laxative to the blockage that stops Dell from adding "NO OS" to the OS selection box for "every" PC in the Dell product line. 13 Comments »
It saddens me to see Dell closing a customer service center in Canada. Dell are going through a time where they really need to be getting consumers on their side. Closing customer service centers isn't going to do that.
As a company Dell seem to be developing a really unhealthy obsession with profitability. An obsession that preventing Dell from striking out, doing something different, being truly innovative with their products and services.
When was the last time Dell did something purely as a technical exercise to see if it was possible? I'm sure we've all heard of the Bugatii Varon. VW who own Bugatii lost a tone of money building that car. But the wealth of technical knowledge and expertise they gained from the project was priceless and they couldn't have gotten it any other way. Not to mention the prestige of actually having pulled it off. You just can't buy that sort of advertising or budget it on a spreadsheet and mark it up in a balance book.
Forget about profits for a minute and dare to be different! 3 Comments »
I can't believe Dell missed the opportunity to have the worlds first wall mounted all in one home media entertainment PC. That's what the XPS One could have been. But it's not. It's not wall mountable and it's not 40".
Dell you really need to think about producing a 40" to 50" version of the XPS One and make it wall mountable. Scrap the ATI graphics and use Nvidia instead. A 3 way SLI setup should handle things just fine.
You also need to include more connectivity. Basically everything you have in your living room. Cable, satellite, Hi-Fi, DVD, Games consoles etc. Yes the XPS One could be all these things but there will always be someone who prefers separates or wants to connect old kit for some reason. 6 Comments »
On Friday I ordered an XPS M1330n. The order still hasn't been processed. I know this because I can't check the progress on line and I haven't received the e-mail yet. I know it can take four working days (not sure why) to process the payment. However with all past orders processing hasn't taken more than a day. Even with orders placed at the weekend.
As I've order a Ubuntu system I'm clearly not a top priority for Dell. 4 Comments »
The "Sales Support" area would be specifically for people who are experiencing problems with the sales process.
For example advice on what to do if your order doesn't arrive, if you're not happy with the time it took for your order to arrive or if you're simply having trouble understanding Dells gobbledy gook. 9 Comments »
When I signed up to IdeaStorm I thought the whole point was for people to get together and come up with awesome ideas for Dell to implement. We could all vote up or down the idea and Dell would take on the most popular ideas.
It would seem however that I was wrong as the current moderators continually discourage conversation amongst IdeaStorm members. It seems like a very strange thing to do. To restrict creativity in an environment designed and intended to encourage creativity.
Granted some of the conversation does go off on a tangent. But that is part and parcel of creative discussion. Sooner or later someone, a member of the group and not a mod, will bring us back on track. That is how life works on an open forum on the internet. A lesson Dell clearly has not learned yet.
While some conversations don't seem to have anything to do with IdeaStorm at first glance they do serve to inspire IdeaStorm members. Personally I have found the suggestion to use Dell Forums for such conversation wanting for some stimulation. I prefer to discuss ideas in the ideas own thread. Not only is this a more familiar environment but it is also more appropriate as the idea it's self will attract participants who are interested in "participating".
So here is my suggestion. As Dell are clearly only interested in headline ideas created by individuals, rename IdeaStorm to SuggestionBox. Because that's all you'll ever have when ideas are created purely by individuals alone. 11 Comments »
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? 6 Comments »
I think this idea is really obvious and something Dell should have thought of before. All in one form factor systems aren't really intended to be upgradeable. This isn't a problem for newer versions of Linux as they will run very well on lower end hardware. This means the XPS One will age more gracefully and stay relevant to the home consumer market longer.
Yes there are issues with the ATI graphics drivers for Linux. But we could always just stick an Nvidia graphics option in there for Linux models, The XPS One-n. 39 Comments »
This isn't a huge deal but annoying enough to give some lesser experienced users some trouble getting their new Ubuntu M1330n set up on the first boot.
Basically the "System > Preferences > Universal Access > Keyboard Accessibility > Repeat Keys Delay" setting is way too sensitive. On my system it was way down at something stupid like 100 or so milliseconds. Every time I touch the keyboard I got a big line of "gggggggggg".
Once I managed to get logged in I set it to 300 milliseconds which has solved the problem. 15 Comments »
Okay I've had it with Dell! Time and again they manage to some how make what should be the simplest of things irritatingly difficult!
I thought the remote control that comes with the XPS M1330 was also standard on the M1330n. It is after all mentioned in the information page Dell has posted on their own web site for the XPS M1330n. Which is just a modified version of the M1330 page and still has M1330 as the title.
I would like Dell to start being honest with it's Linux customer base and tell us exactly what we're getting and what we're not getting when we order an N-series variant of a Dell product. Even the user manual for the M1330n is an M1330 user manual which constantly refers to Windows Vista and makes no mention of Ubuntu at all!
I now have the unenviable and laborious task of fighting with Dell Customer Support for a component of my M1330n notebook that so far as I can see Dell has always tarted as being STANDARD in the M1330n. I also have to check my invoice which just arrived today and the order details i saved at the time I orded the notebook. There is also no option on the Dell.com UK Open Source PC configuration site to either include or exclude the remote control.
I know a missing remote control might seem trivial. But Dell seems to pull this sort of stunt too often.
Just for the record this is how Dell deals with a complaint. They pass the buck to the next guy. Will the next guy also pass the buck? Good customer support doesn't involve customers running round the houses!
"Dear *name removed*,
Thank you for contacting Dell online customer service
As per the records the remote control is not a part of this order and you've not been charged for the same.
Please contact our part sales team on 0870 907 5083 and they will do the needful.
Regards
*name removed*
Dell Customer Service
Customer Service Frequently Asked Questions please log on to the below
This is a lot of hassle I shouldn't need to be going through! I will obviously not be ordering from Dell again! And what exactly is the needful? Charge me more money for something I should have had in the first place? Talk about being totally unhelpful! 7 Comments »
For whatever reason Dell has taken it upon it's self to include unoffensive every day words in it's naughty words list. As I don't find these words offensive I'm often left bewildered and bemused as to which word it is that Dell are taking offense to.
To minimize frustration please highlight the "offensive" word or phrase when a post is rejected. 19 Comments »
Now that HD-DVD is thoroughly dead and buried it's time for Dell to take the plunge and start adding Blue-Ray drives to all of it's desktop and laptop products. 25 Comments »
track my votes
