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Be prepared to fulfill demand when new products launch!

Advertising and Marketing, Inspiron products, Sales Strategies submitted by udonkey 07/01/07

Dell released a full new lineup of inspirons on 6/26/07 with much anticipation and regard from review sites such at PC Magazine.

Unfortunately, Dell clearly was not prepared to fulfill orders on these new systems...

At launch, estimated ship dates on new inspiron products was on or before 7/10/07. Today, five days after launch, these same notebooks are showing an estimated ship date of 7/23-7/30.

While your customers are excited about your new products (myself included, I ordered a 1420), realistically, I can't say that I'm excited enough to wait a month or more for something that I can get similar specs TODAY if I walked into Best Buy. Fortunately, I've got time to think about it, but I might seriously consider another brand in the meantime, because being brand loyal isn't going to get me a notebook any sooner, and currently, I have no computer at all. 5 Comments »

M1330 Resolution & Graphic Card Options

Laptops submitted by mstauff 07/07/07

Everynotebook monitor should have an optional resolution of at least 1440x900 and a an option for a graphics card with at least 256 MB ram to take advantage of all Vista graphics options. The screen resolution on the new M1330 does not keep up with the resolution on Sony's small notebook and 128 MB graphics card will not do a very good job of supporting Vista wiht all graphics options turned on and all the way up. 2 Comments »

DVI or HDMI out on all laptops models?

Accessories (Keyboards, etc.), Laptops submitted by tommarnk 07/06/07 **PARTIALLY IMPLEMENTED**

this would be a big jump, if dell add "DVI out" on all dell laptops, so people can connect to there LCD Displays or LCD HDTVs natively

the picture quality will be grealy improved

this should be easy to do as most of new chipsets has dvi out

not many laptop manufacturers add "dvi out" to there lower end products, so it might be a wise move to do so

all LCD monitors and lcd hdtvs has dvi or hdmi in so it might work well

and meybe remove the old VGA out and put a singel DVI-I, it can be used as analog (VGA) to, by using VGA-to-DVI-I adapter like tose used on

standard computer graphic cards for years now

many people like me connect monitor via dvi or hdmi to get the best picture and color quality



The offerings for the XPS M1730: Dual-link DVI-I (support for 30-inch displays) and HDMI via DVI adapter. Check out all the specs for the new systems.

69 Comments »

Silent / Quiet Computers: Sound levels in decibels

Desktops and Laptops submitted by pchris 02/17/07 **REVIEWED**

I'd like Dell to provide the sound level in decibels for each of their desktops, under max load as well as at idle.

How a manufacturer can produce an expensive computer, and then have the user acoustic experience of that computer dominated by the noise generated by a cheap fan worth just pennies, for the entire lifetime of that computer, is incomprehensible. Computers are noisy when brand new, but those cheap fans begin to rub and oscillate and make additional annoying noises, frequently within a short period of time of purchase.

Personally, the peace and quiet of my personal workspace is very important to me, it's my sanctuary from the world where I can focus and be creative. To have that experience disrupted by cheap fans is sad, especially when slightly more expensive fans and some reasonable design would solve the issue. Another reason why I consider buying an Apple.

If the cost of a better sound design and fans is significant, it could be an extra cost option.
In general, Dell provides noise data of its products in the Environmental Datasheets. Tests are conducted according to ISO standards in a NVLAP accredited acoustics facility. Click here for more details




152 Comments »

Offer Ubuntu on the XPS M1330 laptop

Linux, XPS products, Laptops submitted by technikal 06/26/07 **PARTIALLY IMPLEMENTED**

Offer the coolest OS on your coolest laptop. I'd be great to buy such a cool laptop knowing ubuntu would work flawlessly on it. Maybe even add Beryl into the default install so that the graphics on the screen were as nice to look at as the laptop itself. I'd even take a dual-boot with Vista - just something to assure me that on the system is Linux ready.


Check out the Idea in Action update.
29 Comments »

CLEARLY identify hardware

Dell Web Site, Service and Support, Software submitted by streaks 07/06/07

Ok so, my wife gets her an XPS1710 and I make an account and start snooping around Vista. When I notice that the LCD is listed as a generic plug-and-play monitor. I go out to the support site to try and find a driver but I need to know the exact model. I do not currently have her driver CD's handy, so it would be GREAT if I could just punch in my service code and have it list hardware by the same MODEL number that the driver selection page offers! How difficult can this be?

I was in a job that had me supporting over 200 people, all using Dell. And this issue caused me a lot of frustration. Please, Dell, it's not a big thing to change!

Thanks 4 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 »

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 »

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 the white LED backlights on the <ahref>XPS M1730.
296 Comments »

More Dell <-> Community Communication

IdeaStorm submitted by mistern 05/15/07

Certainly, Dell's move to start IdeaStorm was a good one, and I think it will improve the situation quite a bit.

What I'd like to see is more direct and spontaneous (but somewhat official) communication between Dell employees and the users of this site. dell_admin1 does communicate with us, but mainly about administrative issues.

You get our feedback. We want your feedback. Agree?

---

jmxz's part of the idea (his article was merged here):

IdeasStorm needs more participation from Dell Management and Employees

Dell has meetings with the management to discuss Ideas that are posted to the site. Why can’t some of those managers stop by and ask questions or maybe enlighten users when they suggest an idea that isn’t feasible. I’m not saying they need to spend the whole day doing this but maybe just pop in once in a while. I believe that such conversations lead to better ideas not only from us but from Dell employees as well. This kind of interaction would also make users know that they are being listened to. Further information in the comments of this Idea. 210 Comments »

Make complete hardware docs freely available

Simplify IT submitted by amesbury 07/04/07

One of the historical problems with Dell hardware is that hardware documentation isn't freely available. While the Linux crowd has made significant inroads into addressing this problem by incorporating binary, vendor-supplied drivers into their OS, this approach doesn't work universally for all distributions or, more importantly, for operating systems not recognized by vendors. In particular, I have a strong business need for systems which can run smoothly under FreeBSD, as it fits its role better than Linux (for our purposes; not interested in a "my OS is better than yours" war). The Dell PowerEdge 750 and PE1850 were the last PowerEdge systems I know of which worked flawlessly. In particular, they had Intel NICs and Adaptec RAID hardware, both of which were heavily documented and supported in the Open Source community. The PE860 and PE2950, unfortunately, have Broadcom NICs (in my experience not nearly as well supported and openly documented) and LSI RAID (a.k.a., the PERC 5/i, also not as well supported and openly documented).

Dell: *PLEASE* use your weight to encourage your suppliers to release documentation on their hardware products into the community! This would benefit *ALL* open source operating systems, and make your hardware products that much more attractive to those of us who frequently buy bare-metal systems from you. 1 Comment »

Give a battery life.

Service and Support, Laptops submitted by wolfvilleian 07/04/07

When customizing a laptop and the battery, show in the side how much battery life we will get with the current configuration. 1 Comment »

Smaller Power Bricks

Laptops submitted by drew08867 06/28/07

I know they've gotten smaller with the new line of inspirons, but lenovo's are still something to be rivaled. What is the point of having a thin/light laptop and a heavy power brick you have to carry around with it? 4 Comments »

OpenOffice.org as an Option on Vista Systems

Operating Systems, Software submitted by badblood 06/14/07

openoffice.org is already offered on the Ubuntu systems, but not on Vista systems.

So please add it as an option to Vista computers. 29 Comments »

Give costumers a reason why Dell recommends what it does

Dell Web Site, Sales Strategies submitted by sakuramboo 07/08/07

I would like to see exactly WHY Dell tells me that it recommends one option over another. Why does Dell recommend 1 Gig of ram over 2 Gigs or 512 Megs of RAM, for example? Show us comparisons with in depth analysis as to why I should go with one set of options over another. 4 Comments »

NICE New Dell montor! Keep making great designs like this.

Monitors and Displays submitted by jmxz 05/18/07

http://www.engadget.com/2007/05/18/dells-ultra-thin-concept-lcd-with-displayp...

Dell's ultra-thin LCD concept with DisplayPort going retail?
...
Remember that super swanky Dell monitor concept we went ga ga over back at January's CES? Yeah, we still find it hard to believe it's a Dell design. Well, it'll apparently be up for sale later in the year.

Beautiful - we want more great designs like this. 41 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 »

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.


31 Comments »

Smaller rubber feet that don't fall off

Inspiron products submitted by jtrpop 07/02/07

The rubber feet on my Inspiron are big and get snagged when slipping into my computer bag. One has already fallen off. Make them slimmer and less prone to falling off. 24 Comments »