sparkinium

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 »

Visible Link to IdeaStorm on main Dell site

Advertising and Marketing, Dell Web Site, IdeaStorm submitted by ipaw 07/01/07 **PARTIALLY IMPLEMENTED**

IdeaStorm should have a visible link and explanation on the main Dell site as well as a Desktop shortcut on all new installations.

I've been a Dell customer since my XPS-500 back in the mid 90's and I only just found out about IdeaStorm through a PodCast.

If people know they can have a voice and make a difference, they'll use it.

Thanks


This idea has been partially implemented, as our new home page now has a prominent link to "Dell Community" - within that page are links to IdeaStorm and our other community properties, including Dell Community Forums, Direct2Dell, StudioDell, etc. Thanks for the idea!!!
34 Comments »

Have publicly available torrents/ISOs of all driver and media discs

Accessories (Keyboards, etc.), Software submitted by remover 06/15/07 **NOT NOW**

As a former dell technician and now computer repair shop technician, I frequently encounter Dell machines where there driver disc is missing and or out of date. Having worked on the phones I know it's not cheap for Dell to keep these in stock and to keep shipping them out.

My suggestion: use a free peer to peer download system to distribute these discs. BitTorrent. It's free and simple to set up. Along side the torrents you could have ISOs ready for download if the person is unfamiliar with BitTorrent.

While the most common consumer may not be able to utilize it to full effectiveness, it gives local technicians and either knowledgeable users or friends of the less-than-knowledgeable users will have access to the most up to date disk images.

Just my two cents.
Scott Lyons 29 Comments »

Have option to opt out of Dell catalog to help save the environment

Advertising and Marketing submitted by improvedell 06/19/07

On the Dell catalog that is mailed every month by snail mail, have a phone number on the back cover, right next to the "Help Keep America Green" logo, so that customers can call to stop receiving the catalog. I'm sure that there are many customers like me that just throw the catalog away as soon as I get it. I know if I want something, I can find it easier on Dell.com. This would save Dell money on printing catalogs and postage and save many trees.

The phone number should be a dedicated automated line to take people off of the catalog mail list - enter customer number, press one to be removed from the mail list. 7 Comments »

REUSEABLE SHIPPING CONTAINERS

Environment submitted by scotty750 06/08/07

I'm an onsite tech. I've been griping for years about the large boxes for shipping parts for warranty calls that don't have handholds. And I just thought of a way to solve my gripe, make dell green and save money.

You can purchase hardened plastic laptop shipping cases that are lockable and pretty much infinitely reusable. Why not a similar solution for warranty parts.

Currently dell is using cardboard boxes. Lifespan of a box, 2 ships, out and back. if your lucky, maybe a second warranty call but not likely. cost of a box say 40 cents. number of boxes used a year??? well if we figure 30,000 systems built per day and a failure rate of say 10% (industry average is beleived to be about 15%) thats 3000 units a day that break.

Yes theres an upfront cost of purchasing the shipping cases, but they can get used an unlimited number of times. since they don't have to be constantly remade like cardboard, its a lower carbon footprint, and can lower to total cost over time from reuse. and it adds zero waste to landfill.

summary:
zero landfill
infinite reusability
lower carbon foottprint per unit over time
lower manufacturing costs over time
easy to implement
free advertising of dells commitment to green. make em a nice white with a nice big dell logo and a nice big recycle logo on it. every customer that gets a warranty repair would see the commitment to green 27 Comments »

Provide extra small rubber feet for your laptops.

Laptops submitted by jmxz 07/11/07

Yesterday a group of us were joking that all 3 of us had three-footed Dell laptops.
The guy with a mac had no such problem.

This is an annoyance to your customers and embarrassing to Dell.

It's been pointed out elsewhere that your small rubber feet on your notebooks fall off easily.
http://www.ideastorm.com/article/show/70965/Smaller_rubber_feet_that_dont_fal...
Until you can fix this, please supply a few extra small rubber feet when you ship your laptops so people can replace them.

Also - since this is such an annoying defect and makes Dell laptops look almost laughable when they wobble in a business meeting; please send extra rubber feet to any of your existing customers who send you a self-addressed stamped envelope asking for some. 3 Comments »

Battery life calculator when configuring notebooks

Laptops, Laptop Power submitted by arrgh406 06/27/07

i always wonder what the battery life of a notebook is, but i can never figure it out,
so i think it would be helpful to give an estimate of the expected battery life when configuring based on graphic card, processor and battery size. 10 Comments »

Dell list out the expected lifetime of CPU/GPU Thermal Grease to alert users of when they sould re-grease for optimum performance.

Servers and Storage submitted by jorge 07/08/07

Dell list out the expected lifetime of CPU/GPU Thermal Grease to alert users of when they sould re-grease for optimum performance.



3 Comments »

WUXGA screen and Linux for Inspiron 1520

Inspiron products, Linux, Monitors and Displays submitted by claudio_ch 07/08/07

OK, this is a very selfish idea, But this is just the notebook I would buy immediately to replace my current Inspiron. Oh and I live in Switzerland, so please don't make it an USA offer only.

Thank you.

PS: Why does your spell checker suggest me to replace Inspiron by conspiracy ? :-) 4 Comments »

Backlit Keyboards

Accessories (Keyboards, etc.), Sales Strategies, Desktops and Laptops submitted by rarmasu 02/21/07 **PARTIALLY IMPLEMENTED**

I find myself many, many times in dark or poorly lit environments having to guess the various keys - would be fantastic to have a backlit keyboard - with backlit individual keys as the best option.

I would actually pay extra for that convenience if the option was available.
This could be done for desktops or notebooks.


Check out Vida_K's comment below on the New Latitude.
300 Comments »

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 »

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 »

Make your legal team restrain themselves when they're trying to silence bloggers who are trying to help people buy from Dell.

Dell, Dell Community submitted by jmxz 06/15/07 **IMPLEMENTED**

Yesterday Dell sent the following letter to a blog that was giving advice on how to better order from the confusing Dell web site (like clarifying pros and cons of when you should go to the Small Business vs Home Office sections; and when you might do even better going to a Dell Kiosk- which Dell's own web site never makes clear). Rather than a take down notice from Legal, a polite email from Marketing with corrections to the inaccurate parts and specific requests to remove the confidential information would have been:

Better for the Blogger - because he wouldn't feel threatened.
Better for Dell - because the article never would have been so widely publicized (I learned of it only because of the takedown notice).
Better for Dell Customers - because the rest of the non-confidential information in the article could still help them.

- - - - - - - - - -
from Tracy Holland
to ben@consumerist.com
date Jun 14, 2007 4:39 PM
subject Posting by former Dell employee

Dear Ben,

Please remove the posting located at the following

http://consumerist.com/consumer/insiders/22-confessions-of-a-former-dell-sale...< contains information that is confidential and proprietary to Dell.

While not all aspects of the entry are accurate, ostensibly an ex-employee posted Dell's confidential information in violation of his or her employment agreement and confidentiality obligations (which prohibit the disclosure of such information both during and after the period of employment).

We would appreciate your prompt attention to this matter. Please confirm that the posting has been removed by the end of the day tomorrow.

Thank you, and please give me a call if you would like to discuss further.

Tracy Holland

Tracy J. Holland
Counsel
Dell Inc.
- - - - - - - - - -

While some of the information wasn't correct; the blogger has been continually updating the article fixing inaccuracies as they're pointed out to him. Your legal team also referred to "confidential information" but never specified what was the offending confidential information that should be removed. It's a bit hard to guess what parts of that posting might have been considered confidential; because it seems like just about all the info in the article can be found (just with difficulty) browsing the Dell web site and Kiosks.

Ideas for your legal team:
* For the case of this article - point out the "confidential" information (if there really is any) and I'm confident the blogger will remove that confidential information while keeping the rest of the helpful advice (which helps your customers buy Dells) up there.
* In general - try to restrain yourselves from legal threats on Bloggers. It would probably have been nicer if someone from Dell Marketing asked the person to correct things; and the whole thing would have probably gone away quietly -- instead of being very visible on many high profile places on the internet and on mailing lists now.
We hold ourselves at Dell and all our employees to high ethical standards and believe ex-employees have an obligation to uphold those standards. We live and learn in this new world of blogs and appreciate your suggestion.


32 Comments »

Option for gigabit ethernet for new Inspirons.

Inspiron products submitted by benjesuit 06/29/07

Currently, only 10/100 is offered.

Would be awfully nice to have the option to have gigabit ethernet on the Inspiron 1520/21, 1720/21.

That being 10/100/1000. 7 Comments »

Provide a realtime weight quote when customizing

Service and Support, Laptops submitted by drew08867 07/01/07

It would be nice if dell could provide an approximate weight that updated whenever you chose a different component. Important for laptops. 5 Comments »

Ubuntu/Vista Laptop w/embedded webcam

Accessories (Keyboards, etc.), Linux, Laptops submitted by eode 07/04/07

I don't know if Dell's doing the embedded webcam thing yet, but if they are, it's not available for the Ubuntu laptops (that I've seen). It's a great feature for *any* laptop, whatever the OS. ..but I definitely want both Ubuntu and webcam on my laptop, and system76 provides those -- but I also want to support Dell and their move to support Ubuntu just as much!

..for now, this just delays my laptop purchase, in hopes that Dell's going to put out a laptop with an embedded webcam + Ubuntu..

p.s..
..if this were a congressional bill, it would also include:
Ubuntu Stickers
Stickers Don't Leave Sticky Goo
Charitable Reuse of Old Computers

..however, since this is not a congressional bill and doesn't include subsections that are potentially completely unrelated to the main heading, the above three articles are instead merely referenced and advocated here. :-) 3 Comments »

Child-Friendly environment to protect parent's files.

Software submitted by lizblake 06/04/07 **REVIEWED**

After my child and his friend erased our family photos and somehow inverted the display of our family computer... I purchased a software program to give the kids the equivalent of a "gilded cage" to run only software and websites I approve. Similar software would make a great addition to the Dell home computer line-up and could be aimed at families with toddlers, daycare centers, churches, daycare centers, kindergartens, etc.

The software I purchased was called Peanut Butter PC [content removed by moderator] If you don't wish to develop your own, maybe you could license Peanut Butter PC... We absolutely love it.

Liz Blake


We constantly evaluate products that can improve data safety, Internet Safety and access controls. Read jeremy_f's post for more details, and stay tuned for additional enhancements.




97 Comments »

Switch to New Lithium-Sulfur batteries: Carries a longer charge, double the lifetime, Environmentally friendly, no toxic heavy metals, cheaper to produce, lighter weight

Environment, Laptop Power submitted by reg 06/10/07

Recharge Lithium-Sulfur over and over again. Sulfur is cheaper than heavy metals, and friendly to the environment. No toxic metals, and also better performing in colder temperatures. Lithium-Sulfur batteries also weigh less than Lithium Ion batteries.

More Power, Lower Costs, Safer for the environment, Easier to carry:

Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.



We Need A New Source of Power! MORE POWER! 13 Comments »

6 major issues to be fixed by Dell

Dell, Sales Strategies, Service and Support submitted by jervis961 02/17/07

Dell became a top company by providing choice and customer service to a customer that wasn't available at the time but has since fallen behind the pack in these areas. Needing a translator when calling customer support is unnacceptable and other companies are rapidly passing Dell in technology advancements. While this site is a good start, many things need to be changed for Dell to become the market leader again.

1. Customer support needs to be in well spoken English and with employees who are allowed to do more than just read from a script. If they are speaking with a computer savvy customer the rep should be allowed to deviate from the script as long as they don't go outside the relm of normal policy.

2. Better options: Other companies offer high end components in small computers but Dell only supplies intel video processors in its 14" laptop. Dell needs to allow customers to get the size computer they need but with options from low cost through the high end so they can get a computer that is "Purely you".

3. Less forced options: I hate that I am paying for and XPS with internet security when I don't need it because I already have a subsciption that will transfer over or AOL is installed when I know I don't need it. They need to add an option of none of the above to all the added software sections.

4. Better pricing: Why is it over $200 to upgrade from 1 GB of 533 MHZ ram to 2 GB of 677 MHZ RAM? I can go to Crucial.com and get the 2GB 677MHZ kit for under $200. Upgrading with Dell after you own is even worse at over $300 this is crazy.

5. Custom Dell website: Customers want to feel special why not make a MYDELL website that when you log in you get a site designed the way you want it. If you aren't interested in the small business site it gets removed, you don't like to go thru the accessories sections when customizing a system so you don't see that section. Click on customer support and a list of your computer pops up asking which one you need help with and only shows the options for that system.

6. Customer loyalty rewards: I have bought 6 Dell systems over the last few years, why can't I get better customer service or pricing due to my loyalty to the company? 78 Comments »

LED Back Lighting

Monitors and Displays submitted by drew08867 06/28/07

Dell should transition all monitors to LED back lighting. More cost effective (in terms of energy use), greener, longer life. 11 Comments »