Plugs that stick out of laptops

Laptop Power submitted by rogerlloyd 12:53pm

Plugs that stick out of laptops are an irritation and a danger to laptops.

I wish to grumble about the Kensington adapter (so nothing to do will Dell!). The plug that plugs into the laptop sticks out 3 inches (8 centimetres). I find this incredible. The laptop is supposed to be a portable device. Here is something that sticks out and catches on things and prevents the top edge of the laptop being pushed closer than 3 inches towards a vertical surface, even on a temporary basis. Laptops are often used in confined spaces, and even on laps (!?). However, there is an even greater consequence for something plugged into a laptop that sticks out 3 inches. The Kensington designers had obviously been sleeping at school when the principle of levers was discussed. The laptop repair people tell me that this is a common way of damaging the laptop.

Obviously Dell did not design this Kensington adapter, but I presume that they did design the mains AC adapter input plug for my Dell laptop. That also sticks out too much. In my opinion, had they selected a right-angle "bent" plug, the input socket on the laptop would be less vulnerable to damage. My ancient IBM ThinkPad had thought of that many years ago. Comment »

Centrino 2 for the studio line of laptops

Laptop Power submitted by chardeen Aug 15

With the decision made to phase out the XPS range; it would advantageous to introduce the Centrino 2 platform and better graphics into the studio range without delay for your digital nomads. 12 Comments »

screen's button for notebooks

Laptops, Laptop Power submitted by siger Aug 13

On laptops it is possible to turn off the screen when the computer is working , to avoid a too important energy consumption. It is very useful.

Unfortunately it does not exists yet on notebooks. It could be a good innovation. 4 Comments »

Seperate BlueTooth Switch from Wi-Fi Switch

Broadband and Mobility, Laptop Power submitted by kknd1015 Aug 13

it can save more power if i can control bluetooth and wi-fi saperately, so that the bettary can last more time.
and as far as i know, wi-fi and bluetooth are both use 2.4GHz frequency, so it is better if we can turn off one of them when uer another, or we can avoid the interference. 6 Comments »

The Next Big Thing: Gas-Powered Computers!

Environment, Desktops and Laptops, Laptop Power submitted by noxo Aug 9

Picture this: The Ultimate Portable. Free from the constraints of electric wires, you can go anywhere! This computer will run off the same gasoline that you can find at any gas pump. Put the gas tank under the bottom of the system, and mold it to create a comfortable, user-friendly bottom that can sit on their legs, thus bringing the laptop back to the LAP again! The small engine can sit out of sight and out of mind on the back of the system. The cooling fans can pull up cool air from the gas tank underneath it, also creating a quieter and cooler computer. On the side of the system, it will have a filler neck that is identical to a car's so that you can fill up at the pump. No more need for charging batteries anymore. Experts say that gas prices will soon be dropping dramatically, so this will save you a ton of money too!

Of course, Dell engineering will need to create a design for this idea, but below is a picture to get a general idea.



This idea could also be expanded by attacking a larger gas tank and engine, the possibilities are endless! Just imagine an engine that powers your car and your laptop at the same time. You could do this with any vehicle. Laptop-motorcycles, Laptop-planes, Laptop-trains, Laptop-boats, or anything that needs an engine. 123 Comments »

Ease of use ideas for XPS

Accessories (Keyboards, etc.), XPS products, Laptop Power submitted by karimsisi Aug 9

Aspects of XPS 1530 that make it uncomfortable to use
1. Weak blue indicator lights (hard disk, WiFi, On/Off status, Battery recharging, Caps lock, Num lock, Scroll lock). I need to concentrate on the light to figure out which one is it. Better to use a brighter color and/or bigger indicator lights.
2. Placement of some of the above indicators is inconvenient, namely the Power, Hard disk, and Recharging. All indicators should be conveniently placed below the screen.
3. Instability when the battery is removed due to the lack of a fourth leg. The fourth leg is mounted on the battery and hence laptop loses stability when it is removed.
4. Lack of shortcut keys on the function buttons. There are only 3 present namely F1 (Hibernate), F3 (Battery indicator), and F8 (CRT/LCD). Useful buttons would include WiFi on/off, Bluetooth on/off (notice that both should be controlled separately), mouse pad on/off, screen on/off.
5. The depressed video/audeo control buttons require more force to make them work than do keyboard buttons, hence inconvenient.
6. I can not use my video camera's DVDs (which are smaller in size) in the DVD slot, as well as not knowing when the DVD is reading/writing due to the lack of an indicator light. Comment »

Reduce the size/weight of the power adapter

Laptops, Laptop Power submitted by yagogak Aug 6

Why the Dell power adapter are so big and heavy ? Specially for the M90 and dell XPS 17. Laptop are designed for mobility, the power adapter should be small and light. Apple do small adapter, i think Dell can do that.

And why the pictures of a laptop on the website never show the power adapter ? 7 Comments »

Move accessory ports to the back of laptops

Accessories (Keyboards, etc.), Laptops, Laptop Power submitted by tnitchov Jul 29

Move ALL accessory ports to the back of the laptop. Sound cables on my XPS 1210 stick out the front. How can I rest my hands on the keyboard without touching the cables?

My external monitor cable should not have to stick out the side of my laptop - the VGA cable is already too big and bulky.

I want as little clutter on my desk when I use my laptop with an external keyboard, mouse, speakers and monitor.

I do not mind having to slide the battery out the front or side as in previous Dell laptops. 4 Comments »

Laptop Power Cords

Laptop Power submitted by ssweiss1 Jul 27

Laptop Power Cord connection is so loose, the slightest movement will disconnect it from the back of the computer. Why is this made like this? The connection seems like it should snap in place. Can this problem be looked at & corrected? 2 Comments »

NVIDIA Overheating problem: downclock the GPU when in Power Saving Mode

Service and Support, Laptops, Laptop Power submitted by rrobe Jul 20

The solution to this issue (http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/02/nvidia-says-significant-quantities-of-lapt...) has been, until now, a new BIOS upgrade that forces the laptop fan to stay almost ALWAYS ON (see A12 BIOS release notes for XPS M1330)

I'd really like DELL to find an alternative solution to that aside from "well, just make the fan run all the time".
A greater power drain on batteries is just what we need.

I'd be OK with a stronger downclock of the GPU when running on power saving mode. Let the user choose from a slow but quiet computer or a fast and noisy one. 1 Comment »

Low Battery Message

Laptop Power submitted by dwaral Jul 20

Hi,

Though there is a low battery LED that blinks periodically and a task-bar pop-up that indicates low battery, it would be great to see a dialog box show up at regular intervals during the last one or two minutes, instead of abruptly hibernating.

Abrupt hibernating can be annoying sometimes. A dialog box popping up right in the middle of the screen indicating the remaining time before hibernating would be a nice touch and i'm sure it will be welcomed by many users as the existing LED or task-bar pop-up can go unnoticed.

PS: I own a Vostro

Thanks 4 Comments »

Laptops power

Laptops, Laptop Power submitted by y_eilom Jul 18

As D630 user, I find my self use the laptop as desktop for days (when I'm not on the roads).
I think it'll be nice Dell will give us the option to connect/disconnect battery from power without taking the battery out.
By that, we can extend battery life. 1 Comment »

Battery Bay Cover for laptops

Laptop Power submitted by kyles Jul 18

Keeping a li-ion battery charged, or charging all the time isn't good!
http://www.batteryuniversity.com/parttwo-34.htm
Unfortunately, when my D830 is plugged into a wall socket (80% of the time), I can't just take the battery out because not only dose it expose the battery pins to the elements, but the battery also holds a corner rubber foot that if removed makes the laptop wobble on a flat surface. If Dell supplied a battery bay cover, or even a gutted battery shell, customers could then remove there batteries while plugged into a wall outlet so that they don't compromise the life of the battery. 3 Comments »

XPS M1330: give techs the possibility to upgrade/enhance cooling (by exchanging the thermal pads for officially tailored copper sheets)

XPS products, Laptops, Laptop Power submitted by professa Jul 8

Dear Dell team,

I'm a (largely positive) owner of an XPS M1330 but I have to put it straight:

the cooling concept of the chipset and the GPU (geforce 8400M GS, in my case) is junk. Under load the GPU easily reaches 85 to 90 degrees celsius. I had a tech here lately to replace the motherboard of my M1330 (due to a fried / defective GPU!) who could have easily replaced the ineffective thermal pads with two copper sheets (which, in such a case, would have been provided by Dell and be specifically tailored to fit that notebook). The effectiveness of copper has already been proved by some people out there who have modded their M1330s with copper sheets by themselves (unfortunately loosing their warranty, so that's no option for me).

Is that possible, Dell providing such copper sheets to techs, for *OFFICIAL* replacement for the thermal pads, under warranty? These copper sheets can't be THAT expensive, compared to the significant number of fried GPUs out there.

Thanks for reading and considering my thoughts! :-)

Cheers, Michael 9 Comments »

Offer AC/DC Auto/Air adapter

Accessories (Keyboards, etc.), Laptops, Laptop Power submitted by techincc Jul 7

Many laptop manufacturers offer the option (a few include it as default) of a power adapter that runs off AC or DC and is compatible with the socket in a car or plane. Now one device can power your laptop in a building, car, or plane. This is definately handy.

Offering this as a option, would also solve the request to allow people to purchase a 2nd adapter while configuring the laptop. I frequently purchase an extra adapter to always have one in the office and one in the laptop carrying case. That way you aren't crawling under the desk, but just disconnect power, pop out ethernet and you are on your way. 4 Comments »

Conventional Batteries in Laptops

Laptop Power submitted by penguinsa Jul 4

My trusty Nikon d70 has an "emergency" spare battery holder. If the rechargeable batteruy goes flat, you fill it with "standard" batteries. Could we have something similar for laptops?

This couples with the idea of LED backlit LCDs. Reduce the maximum voltage, and you reduce the number of cells required. 4 cells at 1.5v each gets you 6 volts.

Disposable C cells have plenty of juice (4500mAh typical). For the uber thin crowd, you might need multiple AA's (2500mAh each) in prallel. Long life isn't the issue- use IN AN EMERGENCY is the issue here.

I like the idea of a compartment at the hinge of a laptop, with a bayonet quick release and the ability to drop in fresh batteries. 6 Comments »

Laptops power

Laptop Power submitted by y_eilom Jun 21

As D639 user, I find my self use the laptop as desktop for days (when I'm not on the roads).
I think it'll be nice Dell will give us the option to connect/disconnect battery from power without taking the battery out.
By that, we can extend battery life. 2 Comments »

Warn Buyers Dell Laptops Must Use Dell Charger

Service and Support, Laptop Power submitted by gear Jun 9

Dell laptops use a charger that has a built in "chip".

If you try to use a non-Dell Charger, it will only power the machine, but will not charge the battery.

So if you are traveling and lose your adapter or it failed, you have to get one from DELL.

The only problem is, DELL typically take days to weeks to ship a new adapter to you if you are in the USA, and if you are outside, much longer if it is available at all.

So a bad / lost Adapter means your DELL Laptop just became a paperweight. One too expensive to be thrown out.

The only non-Dell adapter that works is the Kensington brand adapter, but that is only distributed at Circuit City in the US, and even these ones may not come with the "tip" needed to work with a DELL.

DELL is the only major manufacturer to actively prevent people from using non-Dell adapters in their notebooks.

Apparently DELL hasn't figured out that people travel and may not be able to wait in one place for a while for a spare adapter to be sent to them from DELL.

Want some real fun? Try to get a spare Dell adapter in a mid sized city in China.... 2 Comments »

Portable battery charger

Laptop Power submitted by cazyray Jun 9

Can we get a portable battery charger. I have two batteries I switch back and forth and I always have to charge in the laptop. I know Gateway used to have one about 5-6 years ago but some how the idea died there?? 5 Comments »

Subnotebook with Nvidia Tegra

Accessories (Keyboards, etc.), Laptop Power submitted by mandarinka Jun 3

Some time ago, I suggested using ARM processor for small, long battery life subnotebook.

http://www.ideastorm.com/article/show/10079896/Dell_EEEalike__using_VIA_CN_or...

NVidia has revealed its Tegra system on the chip for mobile devices, boasting its power efficiency and HD video decoding capabilities over Intel's Atom. I would like to see a subnotebook similar to Asus EEE or MSI Wind employing this cpu/gpu. It needs only a tiny PCB, power draw is about 1W for the whole thing, some models support IDE (or conventional harddisk drives), it's gpu is opengl 2.0 ES, allowing Quake3 at 35fps. It can also drive external display over HDMI. Needles to say, the whole thing could be able to run with passive, fanless cooling. Paired with a similar capacity battery as in MSI Wind and LED balckight display (10" or at least 9") the thing would have exceptional battery life - 10 hours at least. You caould probably stuff it into the same case as your coming mini Inspiron PC.

Capabilities:
http://www.nvidia.com/page/handheld.html 2 Comments »