Wireless Power
Broadband and Mobility submitted by drakewolf
02/28/07
"Wireless" power
Due to the overwhelming wave of customers moving to laptops, the wires that tie them to the wall is getting negative mindshare. Customers are promised 'wireless' but they see this wire and think 'yeah-right!' Now it's not a major pain point because there is no other option. However, If a competitor does this before Dell, expect to see an overwhelming market demand spring up very rapidly. Especially if Apple does it. Apple is likely to be first to bring this successfully to market, HP next with Dell falling after them due to successful peripherals outside the computer.
Wireless power is the idea of using alternative delivery methods of power to the laptop or other electronic device - removing or consolidating the power bricks and plugs that are now specific to each and every electronic device into a single base station that uses close proximity inductive or transmitted power & removes the need for direct plugs.
For a good if brief blurb about wireless power and it's possibilities check out this link from MIT.
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2006/wireless.html
Wikipedia also has a good article about wireless power, it's history, the different technologies and some uses. It gets into things like microwave use to power for air-planes & satellites. Ignore that as it has no relevance to this.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_power
A few companies are currently working on this - mainly focused on getting power to mobile devices like cell phones though several of the technologies state that they can support enough power to handle charging, or even running a laptop. By no means is this an endorsement of any of these companies. Most are new to market and have little history I can reference about the real capabilities of their technology.
http://www.powercastco.com/ * Best emerging tech of CES 2007
http://wildcharge.com/
http://ecoupled.com/index.html
http://www.splashpower.com/
Other new articles and blogs about wireless power and about these companies. Note that Acer began trying to make this work in 2003 using the now vanished start up MobileWise but no products came to market. Common themes mention cost of the tech and Chicken & Egg syndrome - no one is going to buy the power charger until there are things that use it - and no device manufacturer wants to make a device that uses a very expensive power delivery system without that cost being shared across devices.
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,743234,00.asp
http://pcworld.about.com/news/Oct302002id106482.htm
http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/01/08/1151226
Also note the discussions about integrating this kind of power device into furniture. While I think that's likely a non-starter due to the diversity of furniture available, the desire for furniture level of integration is appropriate. The customer of this tech doesn't want to think about it - they just want it to work - just like furniture isn't thought about, it's just used.
Other discussed uses: transmit power wirelessly to clocks, industrial sensors, fire & smoke detectors, etc. All the things you would normally insert a battery into.
Usage situations:
Think about a nice looking (veneer/leather) pad spread out on top of a board room or conference room table. The people who sit at that table don’t have to worry about plugging in their laptops, cell phones, PDA's or blackberries. Even if the meeting runs way over time. The pad charges the conference call phone, projector and projector remote that gets placed on it at the same time as powering/charging the laptops.
Now move that pad to the airport. There are tables set up that you can set your laptop, cell phone or other device down, have a cup of coffee and get recharged for the next 2 hour flight.
Now move a smaller version of that pad to the entry way of your home. You drop your cell phone, the Bluetooth earpiece, PDA, digital camera and MP3 device down, pick up your laptop and the media center remote and sit down at the couch. It's simple, no issues with charging stations, no wires. A much better and transparent experience for the customer. Right now, my entry way table has a cluster of power bricks and an unsightly mess of wires. I have to sort through the myriad plugs to find the right one for the device I want charged. This pad would replace all of them. I would actively look for devices that used my power-pad since I don't want that power brick mess or the worry about plugging something in with the wrong brick & plug & frying my electronics or starting a fire.
Now move that pad to your desktop. Currently on my home desktop is a cable modem, wireless base station, laptop, monitor, printer, digital camera dock, mouse and keyboard. All of these things require power - especially if they are wireless devices. We've got the data wireless via wi-fi, Bluetooth and soon UWB. Now the devices can be truly wireless without relying on heavy & expensive batteries. In some cases like your monitor there will likely be issues getting it powered though this kind of device. And the customer will be OK with that since that device isn't going to move around much. But the rest…
Now move that power pad into new shapes like the car cup-holder or the vehicle center console 'cooler' that usually just collects junk. Imagine that after a long day of use, you get in your car and head to the country club. By the time you get there all of your devices are charged and ready for extended use. No need to only plug in the lowest charged one because you only have one power jack. No need to have a swarm of wires leading from your dashboard when you have more than one.
If the work at MIT comes to fruition, expect to have a power base station(s) similar to your wi-fi base station instead of a table-top pad. Then you don’t even need to take the items out of your pockets and they'll get charged.
Next Steps:
Like Bluetooth, wi-fi and other new technologies a standard must be set for this to be successful. Dell can be a major player in those talks, helping to guide the discussion to include laptop capable power transmission. Good partnerships would be with Apple as an alternate computer and peripheral manufacturer that isn't a major direct competitor, cell phone manufacturers like Motorola and Samsung, along with many of our other peripheral vendors like Logitech and Microsoft.
Wired power is a fact of life right now - but to truly get to the end-state our futurists portray, we need to remove that final leash to the wall.
140
BUY Emagin Corporation
Dell submitted by dellvin
03/15/07
Dear DELL,
There is a company called EMAGIN which makes a sterevision OLED visor which meets military specifications. They make a consumer stereovision visor called the 3DVisor. It incorporates advanced virtual reality technology at consumer level pricing. The technology is proven to work
With some design and technical improvements it could easily become a smash consumer hit when coupled with Dells notebook, PDA and desktop product lines.
The company is going very cheap and I suggest DELL buy it, before APPLE or MICROSOFT get their hands on it.
DELL could make desktop virtual reality widespread, practical and low cost for entertainment, gaming, industrial design and graphic illustration.
It would be spare change for DELL to buy this company.
60
Alternative Form Factors
Laptops submitted by jmcintyre
02/23/07
Used to be that I considered Dell on the forefront of technologies in the desktop / notebook industry. Many others are now innovating beyond and it feels like Dell has been left behind. Design and emphasis seems caught in a time warp about 2-4 years ago.
Rethink the computing experience. Computing no longer occurs behind a desk ... it is occuring everywhere. Perhaps it is time to open up a new line with alternative form factors with the same Dell principles. Let me order a new UMPC with the specs I want, or a smart phone with more memory or a PDA with add ons. The new computing experience is a great opportunity for Dell.
Do some benchmarking against your competition in the area of design, tactile feel, etc. Dell laptops seem 'fragile' and the design seems dated when compared against the latest versions from Toshiba, Lenovo and even HP.
50
Dell Mobile
Accessories (Keyboards, etc.), Broadband and Mobility submitted by gayboy-ds
02/18/07
Can Dell expand it's own Axis range of PDA's and actually but 3G, HSDPA for voice and data? GPS too would be great :-D
Dell could partner with networks so that the device could be subsidised by the networks. Instead of companies giving away a free Xbox 360 or Nintendo Wii as an incentive, perhaps a Dell laptop should be given away.
An idea that I have is that your Windows Mobile handset can dock into your PC or laptop as a sideshow display or via wireless. Both options would be great.
Handsets can also be used as a remote control for Dell HTPC's. Dell need to release more home theatre products with HDMI. A sleek Dell TV with a Dell HTPC which can be controlled by your Dell mobile phone.
Oh and make sure that Euroland gets it too :-)
16
My Dream Portable
New Product Ideas submitted by cabal
02/26/07
Computers seem to have always been pushed by the bigger/faster/better concept... but computer systems really are starting to expand beyond the needs of most users. Why not create an portable option which uses new solid state storage,low voltage cores, and focuses on energy and heat efficiency. Those things are more important to me than being able to use my portable like a desktop computer.
I'd like to see a portable designed for the way I use it: A wireless terminal to connect me to news, email, and music. It should also let me do light document reading/writing, and watch the occassional movie. Oh, yeah, and I want do it all while it sits in my lap.
I need a system I'll take with me because it makes my life easier... not another electronic leash which ties me to the next power outlet or wi-fi portal.
What I'd like:
Not tied to an electrical outlet. (6-8 hours in real life conditions, not just in a lab setting)
Connect to a cellular data network, if I can't get a wi-fi connection. (without an external card to do it)
I don't want to worry about heat if I don't have a table handy.
Under 5 lbs with battery
About the same size as a pad of paper (although I'm ok if it's the thickness of a 3 or 5 subject notebook)
Shock and drop resistant. I plan on using this every day, and carrying it around most of the day.
Interface with the most common types of data storage (network/usb/firewire/bluetooth/13in1 card reader)
Easy access to my data, even if something happens to the system. (can you put a USB/FW cable on a solid state HDD?)
Oh, and it shouldn't cost much more than an entry level notebook now.
What I'm willing to sacrifice:
Processing speed (I don't need to run Quake 3)
High performance video processing (see above)
Expandability (I don't need to add latest video/memory/widgets)
Storage (10-20 gigs of personal storage is more than enough)
Integrated optical drives
Multi-media Sound
60
Make Laptops more Durable & Water Resistant
Laptops submitted by jrhoesly
04/23/07
Dell need to make all of their laptops more resistant to fluids and accidental spills. (keyboard, ports, etc.) Dell should really come out with a line of extremely ruggedized and high performance laptops and tablet pc's to complete with the Panasonic Toughbook.
610
Dell should venture/partner strongly into Mobile/PDAs spectrum
Dell submitted by ranjith
02/13/07
Dell should venture or partner with strong allies in the Mobile phone and PDA market space. We are seeing a lot of personal computing and day-to-day activities getting converged into this segment. Modiles/PDAs have become the second self for people including the emerging markets.
106
Touch Screens
Monitors and Displays, Sales Strategies submitted by smh
03/04/07
Make an affordable laptop with the ability to use a touch screen similar to a PDA. I don't know if it is available on the business notebooks but I would like to see it available on the Inspiron and XPS line as an option at a reasonable price.
130
Make a PDA (Windows Mobile) With a Hard Drive
Accessories (Keyboards, etc.), Servers and Storage submitted by techsage
02/24/07
It makes no sense to me why this has not already happened. The typical MP3 player has had a hard drive for over a decade and yet PDAs have never had one successfully (except the LifeDrive, but no one wants that). This is what would beat the iPod. Add phone capabilities and it will even keep the iPhone from getting anywhere.
Imagine not only having your documents and files with you as in a portable (pocket) hard drive, but having a powerful system with which to access them while you are moving from point A to point B.
30
Dell Tablet PC
Laptops submitted by gautam
02/16/07 **IMPLEMENTED**
The XPS and E series notebooks are great, but a move into making 12.1 and 14.1 inch tablet PC convertible notebooks would be fantastic. I can easily see the m1210 and the e1405 being ported to the tablet medium.
Check out what Glenn from the tablet team has to say about the Latitude XT.
13193
Get Microsoft to pay you A LOT to stay away from Linux - after all they paid Sun billions
Dell, Linux submitted by jmxz
03/14/07
Before doing all the Linux ideas here, perhaps check with Microsoft to see how much they will pay you not to.
And yes, Microsoft almost certainly will pay.
Dell is probably the biggest Vista reseller in the world - and the only significant one still totally loyal to Microsoft (HP's pretty excited about Linux right now) - so if Microsoft wants Vista to succeed, they need Dell far more than Dell needs Vista (especially since even your Windows users seem to prefer XP).
With that negotiating power I figure you could get way more from Microsoft than the $2 billion dollars they gave Sun in their 2004 PR war against Linux
http://news.com.com/Sun+and+Microsoft+Friend+and+foe/2009-1014_3-5184266.html
and they gave Novell a third of a billion dollars to help spread FUD
http://news.com.com/2100-1014_3-6133361.html< Dell's more important to Microsoft than Sun and Novell put together - so surely they should give you guys at least the $2.3 billion they gave your competitors.
As a Dell customer, of course I want you to provide Linux -- but as a Dell shareholder, please see if you can get billions of dollars from Microsoft first.
100
New Product: SmarPhone Dell
New Product Ideas submitted by icficf
02/26/07
Translate :
New Product:
That Dell markets SmarPhone of the type of those of HP, such as the wh6915 with HSPDA. One awaits it since more than one year!... Moreover as consultant I do not place any more AXIM in Company, which do not correspond any more at the requests of the market.
Thank you
70
Make an Axim with a bigger screen
Broadband and Mobility, Monitors and Displays submitted by tmcqueen
02/23/07
Wouldn't it be great to have a real tablet that you could use to take notes on? The reason that tablet PCs didn't take off was the price. I would love to see a handleld PC/Mobile device that had a screen that was big enough to use! Why do all Windows Mobile (or PalmOS, etc.) devices have to be 3x5? You can't do anything comfortably on that. I would like to see a Windows Mobile device that has a 5x8 or even an 8.5x11 display.
150
 track my votes
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