small LCD panels at a reasonable cost

Accessories (Keyboards, etc.), Desktops, Monitors and Displays, New Product Ideas, Servers and Storage, Small Business, XPS products, Vostro products, Precision Workstations, OptiPlex products submitted by undead999 Yesterday

I dont really need 2 monitors attached to my system full time, nor do i have desk space. A small LCD that is 10 or 12 inches could be usefull as a secondary monitor for keeping status of my server(s), game server while i'm gaming, monitoring email up, system perfromance and so on. While not being used as a secondary display it could act as a stand alone photo frame, maybe even have a wall mount.

I work in I.T. so i can see a lot of other uses beyobd the desktop. It would also be usefull as a prtable screen that can easily be taken into the server room if remote access is failing. taking to a deskside or to a customers site to troubleshoot video probelms without having to buy a replacement monitor before troubleshooting.

I know there are a few product s on the market that fille this need, but they are pricey compared to a basic 17" or 19" LCD, one is made my coby, which retails fro more than a basic 19" dell widescreen, I dont associate quality to coby products.

This would be sold as an option and/or accessory , not as standard equipment. Comment »

bluetooth wirelessand keyless keboard and mouse

Accessories (Keyboards, etc.) submitted by lockhartsam 2 days ago

Well my idea is a bluetooth wireless and keyless keyboard and mouse. simular to the mouse pad that are on laptops. the keybard itself is a flex pad that is touch sensitive and is attached on bothsides to some sort of unit that is compact and the pad rolls up into. the mouse pad is also on the same pad and u control it by moving your finger around in the area.
Instead of keys on the pad is the standard keyboard layout lit up in a blue neon light and when the letter or symbol is pressed the light would dim and the selected symbol or letter would be inputed on to the screen. because of the compact size and the fact it rolls up in to the unit it could be used by individuals on the move with laptops or in the home with desktops. it would charge and get power like most standard bluetooth devices and would have a usb bluetooth adapter for those computers without buletooth built in. 4 Comments »

Vertical Laptop Cradle/Docking Station

Accessories (Keyboards, etc.), Laptops submitted by thebittersea 3 days ago

When I want to use my external monitor, keyboard and mouse my docked laptop gets into the way.

Often time, I need to push it out of the way. It would be really cool if we can vertically dock our laptop like a book on a bookshelf to save some table space.

something like this, but for laptops.
6 Comments »

optional poweruser keyboard

Accessories (Keyboards, etc.), New Product Ideas submitted by ninjagecko 3 days ago

This is by no means a fixed blueprint and suggestions are welcome in the comments; I'm just throwing out ideas which could go into an optional keyboard for powerusers. For example, users who:
- want quicker and less awkward access to the arrow keys
- want quicker and less awkward access to the pgup/pgdn/home/end keys
- want an extra modifier if they're crazy
- want easier access to the mouseclick buttons on laptops
- and overall want less movement of the hands.

1)
One has space for an extra row of buttons below the keyboard.

At least 3 of these buttons should be the mouse buttons for easy access (as opposed to having them below the trackpad where they're hard to reach when typing... have people tried the rubbery mouse-stub? some people couldn't live without it while others dislike it).

2)
The Fn button should have the following bindings:
j - left
k - down
l - right
i - up
u - home
o - end
p - pgup
; - pgdn
something - delete

This prevents one from needing to move one's hand back and forth between the keyboard and arrow/home/pgup keys all the time.

To appease gamers and such who often use a trackpad, the trackpad could be emulated with Fn2 button which the left thumb can hit. (Alternatively, make the Fn key multimodal like the Toshiba m200... it's a bit hard for users to grasp though so I wouldn't recommend it.)

The Fn keys should be reachable easily with either of one's thumbs (see below). Areas which are unreachable (for some but by no means all typists) include:
- bad: the key to the right of the key on the bottom-left corder (a good place for the Win key which, while used often, is often not used in combination with other modifier keys and hence a good candidate to keep there)
- bad: anything right of the spacebar and also more than half a keywidth right of comma/lessThan key.

3)
I'm not so sure about this one, so a poll should be done to see how many people find the idea interesting.

Poll: "Do you think the spacebar on keyboards is too big? Do you often hit the spacebar with more than one thumb? Would you rather sacrifice some of the room on your spacebar for useful keys?"

If people answer "yes, no, and yes" and similar, then consider this:

Some typists never use their left thumb. This means that there could be up to 5 extra keys in the spacebar area! (ctrl, fn, win, alt, super, [whatever Dell wants], and two mini- spacebars (right below v-b and m-n) to appease both left- and right-handed people.

It is unlikely that this idea is for more than a few people... but perhaps worth investigation. If Dell does implement it, it should offer various optional keyboard layouts for their laptops, but never force the user to have it.

caveat: One may need to do lots of usability testing.
caveat2: Please under no conditions make the functions hardware-only; please make them generate keysyms. Comment »

Remote Control For Your House

Accessories (Keyboards, etc.) submitted by drareg06 Jul 1

A computer programmed remote control that locks/unlocks the doors of your home, turns on/off lights, and can adjust the thermostat of your heat/air conditioning as you approach, or leave your home, or, while you are out. For instance, if one of your family members locks themselves out of the house, you can unlock the doors and let them in without the inconvenience of leaving your location. This technology can be used for convenience and safety purposes. 4 Comments »

Live Entertainment

Accessories (Keyboards, etc.) submitted by drareg06 Jul 1

Computer operated dolls and stuffed animals programmed for children's entertainment at parties or general play. Specialized toys are animated and able to talk with pre-programmed actions/dialogue entered into the computer. The information would be downloaded into toys and activated when prompted. Magnificient shows could be presented with such a technology. 1 Comment »

Watching and Waiting

Accessories (Keyboards, etc.) submitted by drareg06 Jul 1

A home camera system that allows an individual to view monitored areas from a distant location on their computer, laptop, cell phone, or TV. For example, a parent at work could monitor his or her children's activities as they occur. An intruder could be spotted during their initial entry and law enforcement notified. A person could also confirm the activities of their partner or spouse (that could be very juicy)! Computer would allow snapshots to be taken, saved, and printed. Imagine being able to look at your cell phone screen and see what is going on in your home miles away. 3 Comments »

Handheld book organizer

Accessories (Keyboards, etc.) submitted by msmuuth Jul 1

Dell should invent a handheld book organizer. I am a teacher and I have a lot of books for myself as well as my students. The problem is, I don't always remember the title of the books I own. If I had a palm sized organizer to input the title and author of the books I own, I would be able to manage my books and prevent duplicate purchases. This organizer would also assist me with books taken out of my classroom library. I will be able to have my own personal librarian in addition to my classroom librarian. 2 Comments »

Laptop/TV

Accessories (Keyboards, etc.), Laptops submitted by ninobrownpbs Jun 30

Why not have a TV you can use as a laptop as well. The device would look like a laptop but have a screen on the top of the device and one on the inside of the device opposite from the top screen.With the device closed you have a LCD TV but when you open it up its another laptop. This way this device is portable. Must have a protecting cover for the top screen. This device should still be able to play DVDs and CDs also IPOD and MP3 hookups. The TV portion should come in LCD or plasma, 720p or 1080p or if not have a TV on the top then maybe a digital picture frame. This could also be used in cars, strapped to the back of car seats. 2 Comments »

Mounted Portable Keyboard

Accessories (Keyboards, etc.), Laptops submitted by ketaquan Jun 30

I have a Dell Latitude laptop. For whatever reason, the majority of my keys have become non-functional. I have visited several forums on the internet seeking a quick fix. To no avail, I have not been very successful. This seems to be a common problem among Dell laptops. As a matter of fact, there are numerous people that have encountered the same problem. This is evident from the online forums that I have participated in.

Rather than spending money on having the laptop repaired, with the possibility of the same occurrence, I would like to see an extended portable keyboard that can be mounted and firmly attached on top of the laptop, with all of the functionalities of a standard keyboard.

Ideally, the portable keyboard could serve more than one purpose. It would replace the non-functioning keys on the laptop, as well as having standard sized keys for a more comfortable typing experience.

The portable mounted keyboard would include an adjustable / expandable feature that will allow the user to mount the keyboard on a 14", 15", or 15.4", wide laptop.

The portable keyboard could be specifically for Dell laptops, but could later expand to other manufacturers as the needs arise.

A wireless version would probably be more suitable, but should include a mounting device that could be snapped firmly onto the laptop... 3 Comments »

USB connector at keyboard for extension...

Accessories (Keyboards, etc.), Broadband and Mobility submitted by mauricio_martins Jun 30

It might look as I'm trying to promote my previous post: http://www.ideastorm.com/article/show/66299/Simplify_USB_wiring_redesigning_s...

Well in these days I bought a bunch of things to attach to USB like USB externam memory, video capture cards and a bluetooth... It comes in my mind the ancient idea S*n and A**ple had: Why don't Dell add a USB mini hub in its keyboards just to improve connectivity?

I know the "word of order" today is wireless... but some devices will perform better wired... Well, to simplify my wires at my desk, I hacked my keyboard to add a 2 port hub inside of it... I hade my mouse cable shortened by a half and now, KB and mouse works attached to the computer via 1 wire... The hardest part of this task was to find a space to accomodate that hub. :) Think that! :) 2 Comments »

New Linksys

Accessories (Keyboards, etc.), New Product Ideas submitted by ladrev1257 Jun 30

Make a new Linksys system for Vonage to use so that Verizon and other phone companies can't block our voice "pockets" and bandwidth when we subscribe to and attempt to use our Vonage account. Phone companies are jealous because Vonage is only $24.99 a month. My phone calls have been dropped constantly since I've subscribed to Vonage. I think Verizon is mad. 1 Comment »

command head sets

Accessories (Keyboards, etc.), New Product Ideas submitted by prettyt Jun 30

dell should come out with a head set that when you speak into it your lab top or computer follow that command. for example if i on my computer at home and won't to be hand free. i will have on the dell command (head set) and i will say upload internet and bam there u go internet uploads or even be able to write a paper that instead of using the keys every word,number and symbol u say will be tranfered to the computer screen with out a push of a button. how awsome would that be. 4 Comments »

Electronic Note Card with Universal Remote Capabilities

Accessories (Keyboards, etc.) submitted by dtammara Jun 30

Electronic note card device used in conjuction with projectors (that can be programmed to work with multiple brands of projectors) will free speakers, presenters, teachers, etc. from behind podiums with the confidence of delivering a flawless presentation. The LCD reference screen will act as an at a glance reference guide enabling one to stay on track when dealing with the numerous questions and unforseen events that can be a distraction during a lesson or presentations.

This device will enable the presenter to interact more with the audience while remotely controlling slides on the projector. Memory card storage will allow for easy storage, editing and transmission.
DTPage 3 Comments »

Portable CD fixer

Accessories (Keyboards, etc.), Service and Support, Software submitted by tammylhoward Jun 30

This would fix and clean your movies and music CDS. When you are tried of putting tooth paste on your CDs to fill in the cracks, just put them in the CD fixer. 11 Comments »

Water proof cell phone, laptop, and IPod

Accessories (Keyboards, etc.), Laptops submitted by witness1216 Jun 30

2 Comments »

Best Palms for sales Reps out there

Accessories (Keyboards, etc.) submitted by damanleo Jun 30

Being a sales rep that works out of a car I would like to see a Palm with WI-Fi capability for faster service and also built in a phone internet similar to cell phones so that email can be check anywhere anytime. I want all the standard features of a palm like word and excell. Most important would be Outlook. I don't want phone calling because when your in the middle of an important email I don't like when calls come in. I just want something to use everyday in the car when I'm parked to view important emails and save my contacts. If it can come with memory that is large enough to hold a USB size stuff that would be great. That way when I'm done meeting with a customer I could email them things from my USB like pre-made letters about our company etc. It would be like using a labtop I know but smaller so that I don't have to worry about it getting seen in my car and stolen. Cells phone don't have this capability nor offer the programs that many people need. 1 Comment »

ID Cards that link with SSN and Brith Cert..Ect.

Accessories (Keyboards, etc.) submitted by tammylhoward Jun 30

Having a ID card from the time you are born that has your SSN and other infomation the would identify you as a person. This would limit Identity theft. You could put your high school record and College record. This would help if you get married or change your name. Any record that need to be recorded. Insurance for anything. One card that will hold all information and would be link to you finger print. Bank accounts would be good Idea for this card. If you lost it they would have to be you because they would need your finger print to get another. 9 Comments »

Washing Machine and dryers

Accessories (Keyboards, etc.) submitted by tammylhoward Jun 30

Put Credit card slot on washing machine and dryers for the dry cleaning services. This would limit people getting coins for washing. 10 Comments »

Store Owners Fight Back

Accessories (Keyboards, etc.) submitted by sholmes052 Jun 30

Business Owners are tired of having there businesses torn apart on the account of thieves targeting ATM Machines. My Idea is to place a GPS device inside of the ATM so that they can be monitored. There is no more chasing criminals placing the public at risk and it gives store owners the assurance that these people will be caught by Law Enforcement. 5 Comments »