steveru621

please inform customers about screen resolution

Monitors and Displays submitted by ninjagecko Jul 2

Unfortunately many customers still think "larger screen" = "I can see more".

This is not true, and is a fault of the computer industry not taking the time to better-inform the customer. Dell can be a leader in this area.

Customers do not realize that large screens of 1024x768 resolution are as bad as small screens with the same resolution (exception: people who are nearsighted).

Please allow 1) searching for laptops/computers by screen resolution, 2) links in many places educating customers about screen resolution.

Please also allow people to specify the resolution of their monitors, to at least as high as UXGA. Laptops can come default with a low/high resolution and if the customer decides they want a different resolution, they can see the price change associated with it, and decide if it's worth it. 1 Comment »

"don't forget your tablet pen!" feature

Latitude products submitted by ninjagecko Jul 2

Problem: some people accidentally misplace their tablet PC stylus pen.

Solution: Make the tablet pen a semi-necessary component to closing the a tablet, so that it is impossible to forget the stylus. (Semi-necessary because it would stink if one actually lost the pen and was unable to close one's computer because of it.) 2 Comments »

Paint that doesn't rub off and is certified non-toxic/allergenic

Laptops submitted by ninjagecko Jul 2

== Non-rub-off paint ==

People who use their computers often will find the paint very quickly rubs off on where their hands rest, where they touch the trackpad (in models without the mouse-stick), where they touch the mouse buttons, and where they touch the keys.

Please do not use shiny metallic paint or other things that easily rub off (or if users like metallic paint, make sure to coat it in something that will never rub off).

== Non-toxic paint ==

Also, a user's hands are constant contact with a computer, and the plastic (and chemicals inside the plastic) slowly rub off onto one's hands. Thus it is very important that the materials are not toxic.

Of course Dell did their due diligence on non-toxic components, most likely trusting the material specifications... but who did the testing for the material specifications? Did independent labs do carcinogenicity / mutagenicity assays?

Dell can make an industry-leading move by marketing certified non-toxic maybe non-allergenic components.

Any laptop keyboard will literally disintegrating right into a user's possibly-sweaty hands over the course of years, and as such, assumptions that "plasticizers will stay in the plastic and not leech out" cannot be made. It would be good if 1) not only if the components did not rub/flake off, but also 2) that extensive tests were done on every single chemical used in the plastics and paint.

An easy way around this is to find a non-toxic, non-rub-off, and transparent coating and coat UI components in that. 3 Comments »

use your eyes to quickly move the mouse

Laptops submitted by ninjagecko Jul 2

Summary:
Add eye-tracking hardware to laptops which lets users move their mouse with their eyes.
This is an extra feature, you can still use the mouse/trackpad/mousestick.

--- Cool features: ---

- "Did your computer just do something because you winked at it?!"
- have the cursor "locks" upon things like buttons or Firefox tabs or text fields or links or menus and such
- winking could simulate a click (but I personally would prefer to use the mouse buttons, since I'd be afraid of straining my eye -- even though I usually look at what I click on like most people, one's eyes do not always fixate on that point in the center of one's visual field)
- very important: cross-platform (for Linux and Mac too)

Eye-mice would also be a plus for disabled users.

One could use this eye-track as a means to move the mouse a long distance and then use a mousestick to home in on a button or something.

--- Implementation: ---

One way to do this is to use a very high-resolution camera with high zoom, and machine learning techniques (open-source software already exists to do this, but very poorly... e.g. does not track head movement or different distances or biological saccades).

Often, imperceptible infrared light is shone upon the user's face to enhance the image.

--- Open development / license: ---

The software should be LGPL or similar license to foster other vendors to adopt similar technology; while this may seem counter-intuitive from a business perspective, if users demand more and more a feature and Dell is one of the only 2-3 manufacturers, that's a good thing. The proper license will also force other vendors to push back the improvements they make to Dell. An appropriately open platform will allow many computer scientists to contribute knowing that it can be used in their Linux laptops and other manufacturer laptops, improving the whole experience. This seems like something which would require a coalition / alliance / open initiative (like the Google phone did) in order to ensure that the right architecture was developed. 15 Comments »

clearer warranty regarding LCD, and other things

Laptops submitted by ninjagecko Jul 2

I've seen the screens of many competitors's laptops break down, and sometimes it isn't included in the warranty. For example:

[ begin conversation : ]

student: "Half my LCD screen suddenly died. I did absolutely nothing whatsoever since I cleanly shut my computer down last night."

customer support: "Sorry, that's not covered under warranty. It's accidental damage. You'll have to pay $500."

[ : end conversation ]

I'm afraid of buying laptops now without a very statement in the warranty about what is included in the warranty and what is not. For example is the battery included? (usually not) Is the power strip included? (probably not but it should be)

Personally I firmly believe an LCD screen should be included in the warranty.

I've also heard of cold damage sometimes being a problem; that could in part be addressed with a removable warning label. 5 Comments »

When voted for an idea, the idea will then move off the recent items/popluar items list on to "recent voted list"

IdeaStorm submitted by mathew_rankin Jul 2

If you voted for an idea on recent ideas or popluar items, the next time you go to that page the idea will be moved to a recent voted page.

this is helpfull when going through ideas and your not looking aty ideas you already voted on... 8 Comments »

Modular laptop screens: keep your good high-res screen!

Laptops submitted by ninjagecko Jul 2

A problem with laptops:
When you buy a new laptop, you have to buy a new screen. If you want higher resolution (e.g. you're a programmer or an artist), you might have to pay $400-500 for a screen

BUT

When you buy a new laptop you'll throw that screen away! That's a big waste.

Solution:
Make changing screens as easy as changing hard drives in laptops. Don't force that person to throw it away when buying a new computer! Let the person transfer it to their new laptop.

Nice things that go along with this:
- Want higher than average resolution on a Latitude XT tablet? Then pop in a UXGA/QXGA screen from a third-party manufacturer or from your old Dell computer! (there are some forums dedicated to modding laptops, but this may invalidate one's warranty)
- Did your display die? Tech-savvy users can feel more at ease by just ordering a replacement screen from Dell. This lessens the strain on Dell customer service and repair. Comment »

For Teachers

Simplify IT submitted by sabrina Jul 2

How about making the Promethean Board more useful by putting it on a slide (like a sliding door), so that teachers can continue to use their whiteboards to write on. While the smartboards are great, we still need to write on the white boards for instruction. It's like the old fashioned sliding blackboards. 2 Comments »

Vertical Laptop Cradle/Docking Station

Accessories (Keyboards, etc.), Laptops submitted by thebittersea Jul 2

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.
7 Comments »

Downloads/Drivers - Option to Sort by Date

Dell Web Site, Service and Support submitted by alfredska Jul 2

When using the support website to download updated drivers and applications for our Dell computers, we are only offered alphabetical sorting by category, then product description. It is time consuming to browse all of the categories. Implement a "Sort by date" option, so we can quickly see if one of our devices has received attention recently. Comment »

movie night

New Product Ideas submitted by bledyard Jul 2

picture this... the long lines at the movie theatre, the crying baby that the mother cant do anything with, the pre-teens and teens running wild. If you are as tired of this as I am, I propose we do something about it. I propose that we develop a partnership with either cable companies or satalite providers and have the movies that are in the theatre in our household. I know that I would pay $50 per movie to have this feature available to me so I wont have to deal with the above situations. 10 Comments »

Ubuntu on Studio Notebooks

Linux, Laptops submitted by joshhendo 3 days ago

The new Dell Studio laptops look great! Taking the best design features from many other Dell products, and put them all into one.

This laptop actually looks like it should run Linux (that is the first thing I thought when I saw it). I don't know why I say that, but it just does. So, why not give it ago? I don't have a Studio, though I suspect it shouldn't take too much to get Ubuntu working (may need one or two drivers written, but from my experience with Dell laptops and Ubuntu, most things work well).

This is one of the products I would particularly like to see Ubuntu as an option to be pre-inatlled on if Ubuntu can't be an option on all models. 2 Comments »

Fire wall Your Home

Software, Laptops submitted by nicole112707 3 days ago

I can't tell you how many times I have left the house and left the iron, oven, curling iron, or even my parent’s faulty clothing dryer on. You have to turn all the way around and go home or find someone who will break into your house to do it for you. I think that some kind of software developed that links from your home to your computer (at work or where ever) and your cell phone that would enable you to shut off certain outlets in your home would be a life saver. Imagine you are driving to the airport, and you realize that you THINK you left the iron on. Just open your cell phone, call your house, and punch in the appropriate code and the outlets power is cut. Or you open up your laptop log onto the dell site...it pulls up the outline of your home, you click the outlet that the unit is plugged into, and it shuts off. This would not only be ground breaking technology but would also save lives. You could even go as far as to add a garage door shutter as an upgrade, or shut off lights.... turn down/up the air... the possibilities are endless. Just a thought! 8 Comments »

Provide a way to update service tag info to show that PC has been reimaged with Linux

Service and Support submitted by ubondell Jun 11

I bought a Latitude D830 with WinXP because that was the only way I could get Bluetooth (the D830N does not include BT, and a special request to add BT was more than the standard Win model [duh!]). I would like to update the system information for my service tag so that it shows that I am now running Linux on that laptop if for no other reason that I might get more support from Dell for HW drivers, issues, etc. I doubt that Dell (or its HW suppliers) would figure some issue out before the Linux community does, but at least it is another source of solutions for problems. If you log into the Dell support site using the "Enter your service tag" method there is a listing of the original system configuration of your PC, as shipped, but when I switch to the "Current systems configuration page there is a exclamation mark that says: "The current configuration tool is currently not available for your operating system/browser combination." I am running Ubuntu Hardy Heron (8.04LTS) and Firefox, so I should be equivalent to what Dell ships with the 'N' machines. Please update your tool for all the operating systems you ship, or allow some way to manually update that page, if there is no intention to move that tool from ActiveX, or whatever is Windows/IE-only. 1 Comment »

Need better ways to get ideas reviewed and not get lost in the noise

IdeaStorm submitted by gerrygiese Jun 11

What I wonder is based on the volume of "ideas" coming in (many of which seem duplicative, inane, or noise-level non-ideas), how can a more valid topic get more traffic to see if it really withstands community review? I think some of the stuff comes in so fast that many ideas never really get reviewed unless somebody is willing to scroll through pages and pages of recent "ideas" to find them.

I'd like to see a new tab or tabs dedicated to items that got more positive votes than negative, maybe at least a 3:1 ratio?. But these ideas are still under a certain threshold, either something like less than 200, or that have not received X number of votes in the past week.

The "ideas in action" weekly recaps are one way for dell employees to promote certain ideas. Can dell employees vote for ideas? If they can, and I think they should, since it's their company, and their votes should be worth more (20? 50?). If we create an idea and a dell employee likes it, why shouldn't they be able to promote it? Dell employees can obviously help sort the wheat from the chaff, so I say let 'em do it.

I might draw the line at letting dell employees creating ideas -- they have their own process for that. But on the other hand, I've heard of plenty of times where an employee had an idea but their manager thought it was stupid, so the employee left, started a new company, and went gangbusters, making the manager look like the stupid one. If a dell employee has an idea and they want the community to review it, I suppose why not? 11 Comments »

Faster booting

Operating Systems submitted by ramaseshanr Jun 11

Booting process gets longer day by day, as the OSes are getting fatter, The power of the processors are neutralized by these fatter OSes and we have not seen any improvement in the boot time. I would love to use my computer as soon as I switch on the system. Can any one build susch machines? 22 Comments »

17" widescreen lcd's - dvi-d output

Monitors and Displays submitted by eph Jun 12

My suggestion is simple:
The 17" widescreen monitors (E178WFP) are in need of a slight update, I would like to suggest to equip them with a dvi-d port.

Digital signal quality is far superior to VGA, and most new video cards nowadays have only a dvi-d output, which means you won't have to fiddle around with converters if the monitors were equipped with a dvi-d port.

Other than that, any improvement of quality or performance is great, there are not that many 17" widescreen monitors around, and most of them are pretty outdated.

I hope my idea is useful to you. 2 Comments »

Off switch for touchpad on notebooks

Monitors and Displays, Laptops submitted by jscottd 02/23/07

All of my users would love the ability to turn off the touch pad. A simple recessed button near the touch pad or even along the side of the machine. How about by the power switch? I know other manufacturers already have this. Let's get up to speed. 8 Comments »

Personal computer for cats

New Product Ideas submitted by badblood Jun 9

Ever had to open the door for your cat, tired of putting food int he bowl or water.

Well how about creating a personal computer for cats with a touch screen ready made for paws.

Kitty can touch the screen to put more water in her bowl. She can enter her personal code to be let in the house without disturbing you from your television viewing. With an RFID tag you can track her too.

31 Comments »

Advertise your Linux boxes as "Green"

Advertising and Marketing, Environment, Linux submitted by jmxz Jun 9

Network World has an interesting article here

" tests show that Red Hat Linux pulls as much as 12% less power than Windows 2008 on identical hardware"

With all the media excitement surrounding Green and Environmental issues, you could advertise how Green Dell is even in it's software selections.

If Dell ships 50_000_000 computers per year, and these computers live an average of 4 years each , and each computer uses 100W, it seems Dell could save the world

50_000_000 computers *
4 years each * 365 days/year * 24 hours/day *
100 Watts / computer *
0.12 (percent savings using Red Hat)
== 21024000000000 Watts

which is a number too big for me to count. Is that 21 Tera-watt-hours? Even if my math's off by 10000 Dell could save many giga-watt-hours. And that's only one year's production. 3 Comments »