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Dell must cut ties to Scientology

Advertising and Marketing, Dell submitted by dakkona Feb 7

A video has recently been leaked from the 2006-2007 Church of Scientology New Year's gathering, where their leader, David Miscavige, lauds a campaign to spread Scientology and lead an operation to "OBLITERATE" psychiatry. And he PRAISES DELL for AIDING them in distributing a booklet of theirs called "The Way to Happiness" all over Africa!

See http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=hfu7Sr50N7U (Dell is mentioned about 8 minutes in)

Dell, if this association with the so-called Church of Scientology continues, IT MUST END. While the beliefs of individual scientologists are not a problem, the leadership is corrupt, members have to pay exorbitant amounts of money to progress, and their tactics in dealing with critics and those who try to leave the organization are despicable. But that isn't all. Visit http://www.xenu.net and http://www.whyaretheydead.net for information.

Regardless of what one thinks of Scientology though, it is NOT Dell's place to aid the spread of a particular belief system or campaign. 125 Comments »

Instant On sub 10 second start up time

Operating Systems submitted by usman Feb 28

An operating system installed on solid state memory that can be booted up and fully operational within 10 seconds - similar to how the BBC, Spectrum and other vintage computers did it. 3 Comments »

Poor customer Service in Kazakhstan

Service and Support submitted by abuyz Feb 26

I am writting You to say that IN KAZAKHSTAN we have a lot of foreign companies who have to work with DELL, but only 2 Companies in all Country venture to deliver DELL products, and these two companies are dictating terms to Companies who must order DELL products here (high prices, high exchane rate to local curr, poor resolving problems while invoicing, no flexibility at all, when trying to agree varios terms and so on) These 2 companies are "ALSI" and "COMEL". Also top issue - NO even one SERVICE CENTER IN KAZAKHSTAN in these 2 Companies also.
Please DELL this issue.
Thanks Comment »

Perforated track pad

Accessories (Keyboards, etc.), Laptops submitted by badblood Feb 18

One of the problems with track pads is that they are very smooth making what should be a tactile experience fairly difficult to judge or measure. HP have realized this and have come out with a great perforated track pad shown below. Try it as track pads go this one's really great. So if you must use track pads, make a similar one.

2 Comments »

Make "Plant a Tree for Me" available to all customers and for all systems

Advertising and Marketing, Environment, Desktops and Laptops submitted by alan.price Feb 22

When Dell started the Plant a Tree for Me campaign, I was exctied. I'm completely willing to spend a few bucks extra to plant a tree (or two or three) to offset my CO2 emissions. That's why when I bought 15 new desktops for my college I was glad there was an environmental option.

But wait! There wasn't. Plant a Tree for Me isn't available to all types of customers or on all types of systems. I'll be advocating for Dell systems in future purchses, but it would be fantastic if I could plant a tree (or a few) with any system.

So Dell, please make the Plant a Tree for Me compaign open to all customers. Maybe it already is, and if that's the case, increase its visibility. I'd really like to plant some tress with my next order. 2 Comments »

On/Off Button For Touchpad On All Laptops

Monitors and Displays, Laptops submitted by harisn9000 Feb 28

I'd really like to see Dell release a touch pad that has a simple on/off button. I know they have software that does this, but a button is physical and right in front of you with an indicator LED displaying if it is on or off.

PS. HP already offers this! Let's get busy Dell!
Also, I'll take the first one of the assembly line as a demo and a beta tester! 1 Comment »

Prevent laptop overcharge

Laptop Power submitted by sotopheavy Feb 20

It seems like leaving the power cord plugged in too long decreases the capacity of the battery over time. There should be a switch or software setting to disconnect the battery form the power source when the battery is fully charged and reconnect it at a specified amount.

If you have it set to 80% then the battery would disconnect from the power cord until the battery got down to 80% then it would reconnect and charge the battery again. If you turned it off, the battery would stay connected to the power source as long as it is plugged in. 13 Comments »

Make a calendar with all COMING SOON and IN PROGRESS ideas

Advertising and Marketing, IdeaStorm submitted by krasmussen 09/22/07 **REVIEWED**

One of the biggest annoyances with IdeaStorm is that the horizon for an idea being implemented is very blurry, if at all existing. If you're lucky, you get "third quarter 2009", but mostly, there is no timeframe at all. This leads to the feeling that not much is being done, and exactly that feeling is what IdeaStorm should be eliminating.

Therefore, I propose that you make a list or calender with all the COMING SOON and IN PROGRESS ideas with timeframes for all of them. Just a "december 2008" would be nice, or better yet, "deadline 31st november 2008".

I don't know if this is connected with some goal management inside Dell, if it is, maybe you should work on improving that, too?






Today, the best way to know the progress of an idea is through Ideas in Action, our Weekly Update or Dell comments in the thread.






19 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 »

Start Warranty periods when the system is received, not shipped!

Service and Support submitted by markj2k Jan 31

I have purchased several Dell systems over the last month or so for myself, and some consulting clients. I've noticed in each case that the warranty start date is the day the PC shipped, not the day the PC was received by the purchaser. This needs to be changed. The order status page changes to show when the system was delivered, so Dell knows when the delivery date is. That is the day the warranty should start.

It might even be required from a legal standpoint in some areas, not sure about that. 15 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 »

Avoid Glare On Screens and Notebook Frames

Accessories (Keyboards, etc.), Sales Strategies, Laptops submitted by bobetsue 02/20/07

Glare and reflection from high glare screens, screen frames, and notebook computers is annoying and distract from function and use.

In stores, this may be a marketing ploy. Consumers may not fully understand the problem of glare. Online sellers like Dell should inform buyers when shopping whether the screen and case are "glare" or "nonglare."

When "nonglare" was introduced to television, shoppers considered it an advantage worthy of extra expense. In the art world, nonglare glass is considered worthy of extra expense.

How did we ever get glossy screens?

Dell should offer customers a choice between "glare" and "nonglare." 244 Comments »

Have Firefox pre-installed as default browser

Software submitted by robinjfisher 02/19/07 **REVIEWED**

Does what it says on the tin! Most people only use IE because they aren't aware of other browsers - they think Internet Explorer is the Internet! What would really drive take up of alternative browsers is if Firefox was pre-installed as the default browser so that when people look for the "Internet" in Windows, they are using FF.
Firefox advocates at Dell have initiated discussions and driven action around exploring alternative internet browsers and experiences. As you can tell from our response to the Linux community, open source continues to be a part of our conversations about new products and services.





1196 Comments »

switch to LED monitors

Monitors and Displays, Laptop Power submitted by yardsale Jan 16

I dont know why dell hasnt done this yet. switch all monitors on desktops and notebooks to LED. did you know that you can run an LED screen at full brightniess and it uses less power than a LCD monitor at the lowest brighting level?!? its cheaper, its energy efficent, and it needs to be done! promote this, if you demote i wanna know why! 63 Comments »

Stop Overcharging on Notebook RAM

Sales Strategies, Laptops submitted by realskript 08/28/07 **UNDER REVIEW**

Dell really... REALLY need to stop overcharging... and when i say overcharing... i mean atleast double what you would pay to pick up the ram yourself.
On XPS Notebooks... you are charging $500 for 4GB of ram... when you could easily go pick them up at your local computer shop for $250... and pocket the other half of the $500...

It would be nice if dell could save the customers as well as the company itself this hassle.. and start charging NORMAL prices for an upgrade in RAM.

thanks =D

PS..... PROMOTE THIS!!!!











88 Comments »

Use magsafe power connectors

Laptops, Laptop Power submitted by badblood 05/20/07 **UNDER REVIEW**

MagSafe power connectors, by Apple, are magnetic power connectors that pull out harmlessly when the cord is tripped upon.



They are very cool and quite sensible.





103 Comments »

There should be an option of having no trialware on all computers

Software submitted by jervis961 08/23/07 **REVIEWED**

Here is a news article about trialware and how Dell feels that regular customers want it but small business ones do. Do they not look at the ideas here?

"Not interested in all of the trial software that clutters up new PCs? You're not alone: According to Dell's recent research in both focus groups and broader surveys, small-business users overwhelmingly view trialware as an irritant, not a benefit. That research has led Dell to axe the extras from its new Vostro line of small-business desktop PCs and laptops. Eliminating demo applications is a major step for Dell, which has caught flack for the quantity of trialware on its consumer PCs. (One frustrated customer went so far as to develop a "Decrapifier" utility. The company says that consumers who buy PCs for personal use do express interest in preloaded trial software, but that small-business users have different needs. By eliminating the trialware from Vostro machines, Dell says it has cut the system setup time in half. For now, Dell is the only major PC manufacturer to ship small-business systems without preinstalled trialware as a standard practice. (Some competitors, such as HP, allow customers to choose a no-trialware configuration.)"


Dell offers a broad amount of software choice and minimal software shipped. Read jeremy_f's post on the options we give our customers





149 Comments »

Standardize Power Cables for Laptops

Accessories (Keyboards, etc.), Laptops submitted by badblood 08/27/07 **UNDER REVIEW**

Nothing is more annoying than laptop power cables that are not interchangeable from one computer model to another or from one brand of computer to another. Power cables have been standardized on most electrical applicances, including desktop computers for decades.

Make an effort to promote and implement standard power cables for laptops.


Please see dawn_l's comments below.
105 Comments »

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 »