Sell a computer like the Space Cube.

Environment, New Product Ideas submitted by jmxz 4:43pm

The "Space Cube" is a fully-featured computer measuring 2 inches square. It has a 300MHz CPU, 64MB RAM; USB; Ethernet; VGA and Audio ports.



It's an extremely low power fanless device; so would be great for a computer used primarily for email/internet use. With an external USB drive it'd make a great always-on home server. At $300 it's nicely affordable as a hobby machine. As someone who works far away from a company's main office, I think this would be convenient for me to use when traveling there instead of my laptop - since I could just borrow a monitor there.

As a silent (fanless; no moving hard drive or other parts) device, I think this would make a great living-room computer too.

More info from the company that sells them in Japan, and a review from the UK. I don't think they're sold in the US or Europe; so Dell selling one would be a welcome addition. Comment »

No more plastic wrap, please

Environment submitted by falbert May 22

In the last shipment of computers I received I was shocked by the amount of plastic wrap used for items like power cords, USB cables, VGA/DVI cables. Do these items really need to be individually wrapped in a plastic bag. I can just imagine the tons of plastic used by Dell annually...

Something to think about 106 Comments »

Carbon Neutral

Environment, Sales Strategies submitted by smotchberry 02/17/07 **IMPLEMENTED**

Dell should adopt a Carbon Neutral program for its products or at least make it an option for consumers in their ordering process. People seem to have the impression that Apple is doing a lot for the environment, when the reality is - Dell's doing more and can do even more!
Check out the Idea in Action on Dell's goal for carbon neutrality.




11 Comments »

An ENVIRONMENT-friendly, tiny Linux SERVER - Can't Dell do this???

Environment, Linux, Servers and Storage submitted by phubert Apr 1

Leveraging Linux for SMB's ... AND the home???

Is Dell then BEHIND the curve???

Japan's Plat'Home launching palm-sized Linux server in U.S.

Part of the first ecology-friendly line of Linux servers ever shipped in the United States, Plat'Home's OpenBlockS server has been built and tested to provide enterprise-grade reliability in its RISC-based hardware, and has eliminated moving parts including a hard disk drive and cooling fan. It is also RoHS-certified, a European Union directive meaning that it's free of lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, and other damaging materials.

http://www.cnet.com/8301-13846_1-9906136-62.html 3 Comments »

Apply an Energy Star Rating System to your Products

Environment submitted by badblood 05/18/07

Everyone has a role to play in protecting the environment. Choosing an energy efficient appliance is one way to do this while saving money. Apply a star rating for all your products, which rates their energy consumption and ability to be recycled.



9 Comments »

Solar charged battery

Environment submitted by sean.cody 06/07/07

Allow PC batteries to be charged via solar panel chargers. Charging should work in the same way and alongside conventional mains charging. In the case of solar charging, wires should connect to a portable solar panel which can be located next to a suitable office or home window. 16 Comments »

Sell more desktops without monitors, keyboards, etc

Desktops, Environment, Sales Strategies submitted by gordonbrown77 02/16/07 **COMING SOON**

Make it an option to not get things people may already have when upgrading a PC such as monitors, mouse, keyboard. This would be good environmentally and save people some money if they already have theae things and will not be keeping the old PC. 34 Comments »

Software readable power-meter in Dell computers.

Environment, New Product Ideas, Simplify IT submitted by jmxz 12/21/07

I'd really like a software readable power sensor inside Dell computers that could tell me things like "now drawing 350 Watts".

This would be useful for a number of things.

• Environmental benefits - It can let me see how much benefit there is by telling my disks to spin down when idle; or by disabling 3D effects in my GUI. Based on those results I can decide whether or not they're worth using. Heck - even just seeing how much power it draws might make me want to power it down more.
• More reliable upgrades - It can show me if I have the power capacity to upgrade to some of the new graphics cards that consume very high power; or to add another hard drive to the 5 i already have.
• Reduced customer support costs - If someone does try to suck a bit more power from their power supply than it supports, it results in hard to diagnose intermittent failures.

It seems laptops have such sensors (in their batteries?). But so far I can't find similar for desktops.

Extra points if the power sensors can isolate where the power's used (i.e. 100W for CPU, 300W for hard drives, 100W for graphics card, etc). 11 Comments »

Allow customers to come to Dell.com and Order just "Plant a Tree"

Dell Web Site, Environment, New Product Ideas submitted by clocks 06/27/07 **ALREADY OFFERED**

Allow users to work with dell to imrpove Dell's "green" image. Make an "Accessories" product to allow people to just order "plant a tree" or to order as many "Plant a tree"s as they want. This option was not presented when I bought a desktop just a few days ago and I personally would go back right now and order "Plant a tree" because I would like to.

I think that if nothing else, the few minutes it would take Dell to setup this option would give you guys something to point to, even if it wasnt an option that a lot of people had taken advantage of.

if you wanted to take the concept a step forward, build a few add banners/buttons etc to make freely availible with the code to insert one on your web page. The button would be something along the lines of "Join Dell in planting trees". Your logo is associated with an environmental practice, blue logo on green with various tree abstracts in the image, etc. Reputation boost, plus you have genuinely provided a capability to your user base and various concerns on the internet to actively take part in helping Dell be green.

Sure, maybe you are using a few hours of the time of your salaried workers who you already pay for to add the item to the site and create some logos but if you really care about improving your reputation in this area, it might be an investment well worth it. 14 Comments »

Publish eco-efficiency data for all PCs and servers

Environment submitted by bankma Aug 22

Publish eco-efficiency information on all PCs and servers in support of Dell's 2007 stated "Goal Of Becoming Greenest Technology Company".
By doing this Dell would set a new standard in the IT industry for openness and commitment.
While there are public standards for efficiency (e.g. Energy Star), recycling (WEEE) and hazardous substance use (RoHS), these do not give a complete picture on where Dell may be better than its competitors, or where one computer may be better than another.
Ideally a full disclosure would enable customers to make more informed choices, and help drive the IT industry forward in the reduction of ecological impact for the entire cradle to grave (or cradle) of manufacture-use-recycling/reuse of product.
So you could imagine a graphic showing various energy and waste in product manufacture, energy efficiency and use during product use, and recycling/reuse of product at end of life. Comment »

Produce Good Value "Green" Desktops & Laptops

Environment, Desktops and Laptops submitted by dartiss Jan 22 **PARTIALLY IMPLEMENTED**

There are many suggestions here for various changes that could make a PC "greener".

As part of the companies green credentials, I believe that not only should as many of these as possible be a "default" option, but there should be specific "greener" models of desktops and laptops.

These would have lower power usage and should be created and shipped in a more environmentally friendly way. Components, too, could be kept to a minimum - onboard graphics and sound and a removal in "legacy" ports. The desktop version of this could use laptop components to better embrace this idea.

The vast majority of PC users require one for emails, internet browsing and office applications - a low powered (but not under-powered) PC and laptop that are more than sufficient for this should be easy to produce.



Please see Vida_K's comment below
4 Comments »

Recycle & refurbish old Dell PCs back to Dell for 10% discount

Environment submitted by reg 05/18/07

Recycle your old Dell back to Dell for a 10% discount on new equipment. Dell can then secure overwrite erase the hard drive, install Ubuntu + hardware drivers, then donate the hardware to unemployment, food stamp, and welfare offices Nationwide. The social services offices then can pass out the refurbished used equipment to its clients, and Dell can be given BIG tax breaks by the State and Federal Systems.



1. Recycle - Turn it in, don't landfill it.
2. Reuse - There is still life left in that old hardware
3. Reduce - Buy new electronics less often, get 5 years use out of every PC.
4. Refuse - wasteful spending, wasteful practices & wasteful companies.
5. Refute - Once wasteful practices or procedures are identified, correct the problem with Action! 58 Comments »

Display similar refurbished computers after a customer configures a new Dell

Advertising and Marketing, Dell Web Site, Environment submitted by getgreg Aug 10

To me one of the biggest frustrations of buying a Dell, is after you configure and buy your dream machine, you sometimes have to wait weeks for it to be built and shipped. Refurbished Dells, on the other hand, are already built and ready-to-ship.

It would be great if after you finish configuring a Dell, the site would search the refurbished inventory for computers matching your specs and give you the option to buy a refurb instead.

I bet a lot of customers who won't ever find their way to dell.com/outlet would take a cheaper, quick-shipping refurb if it's presented to them this way. Doing this would probably help move refurbished computers faster which will further ensure that Dell sees top dollar for them.

Also, moving refurbished computers before new computers will also help Dell's commitment to go carbon-neutral. By selling already built refurbs first, Dell ensure that they don't consume energy and materials building new computers when a refurb will suffice.

Seems like everyone wins on this one. 17 Comments »

Make Physical Manuals An Option

Environment, Service and Support submitted by joyscant1980 Jun 25

This is not my idea, it was mentioned by roguent in "No more plastic wrap, please" on June 12. Where I disagree with the idea of no manuals, I do agree that if you do not want to receive the physical manual, you should not have to.

I honestly would love to have a manual that I can hold in my hand because if I can't get onto the internet to use the website, I will still be able to access the manual. But I know I am not like everyone so make it an option to forego the manuals or even choose the type of manual you want, if you want the physical manual or do you want it as a .pdf document on your desktop.

If you are going to have the option to forego the manuals, have receiving the manuals as the default and have the customer deselect it so to avoid persons not getting the manual when they wanted it. 1 Comment »

Use Lithium Titanate Batterys

Accessories (Keyboards, etc.), Environment, Laptop Power submitted by headless 05/05/07

Litium Ion batterys are a liability to the whole computer industry. Using them has cost Dell, HP, Sony, Apple billions of dollars. There is new battery technology available. It is called Lithium Titanate and utilizes nanotech to make anodes with an enormous surface area which is also free of the carbon which promotes thermal runaway and the subsequent distortion, smoke, flame and explosions. These new batteries have a calendar life of 12 years, can be recharged 18,000 times and can be recharged in as little as 10 minutes to 80% or more. I found this on the altairnano.com website. The company is building electric car battery packs for Phoenix Motors and have an exclusive contract with them but I believe that arrangement is limited to large battery packs and doesn't include other contracts for small batterys. Their product is called "Nanosafe". Should the computer industry wise up to this new technology and use it, it would have the side benefit of helping Altair Nano ramp up production volume and bring us all closer to having all-electric cars with 250 mi. range and 0-60 mph acceleration in the 4.0 second range. What's not to like about this. Everybody wins. Given this new technology, I find the computer industry's love affair with the Lithium Ion battery completely insane. 1 Comment »

Switch to New Lithium-Sulfur batteries: Carries a longer charge, double the lifetime, Environmentally friendly, no toxic heavy metals, cheaper to produce, lighter weight

Environment, Laptop Power submitted by reg 06/10/07

Recharge Lithium-Sulfur over and over again. Sulfur is cheaper than heavy metals, and friendly to the environment. No toxic metals, and also better performing in colder temperatures. Lithium-Sulfur batteries also weigh less than Lithium Ion batteries.

More Power, Lower Costs, Safer for the environment, Easier to carry:

Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.



We Need A New Source of Power! MORE POWER! 13 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. 136 Comments »

Wake on LAN support on E520

Desktops, Environment submitted by mbailey 05/09/07

Enable Wake on LAN support (WOL) on E520 desktop machines. Currently this feature is not working and Dell does not seem to be interested to fix it.

If WOL was enabled it would enable me to power off my PC rather than keep it running all the time. This would be much better for the environment and better for my electricity bill! 4 Comments »

Dell needs to help its customers go green - with Linux

Environment submitted by phubert Apr 29

IBM is doing it internally and with its customers...

Interview With IBM's Inna Kuznetsova on Big Green Linux

Recently Products Editor, James Gray, caught up with IBM's Inna Kuznetsova, Worldwide Director for IBM's Linux strategy. They discuss IBM's Big Green Linux intiative and IBM's own power-saving move to Linux on its own data center. ****

http://www.linuxjournal.com/content/interview-ibms-inna-kuznetsova-big-green-... 4 Comments »

Sell a solar powered PC like this one == the perfect Home Server.

Environment, New Product Ideas, Servers and Storage submitted by jmxz 11/30/07

It's real. Runs on just 8 watts of power (optional low powered display adds 10 more watts). And only costs about $400. It gets away with being low power by having no moving parts (flash drive)

For more info, you can buy one here

Now *that*'s what a 24x7 always-on home-server *should* be like. Low enough power that it's OK to leave always on (of course with external hard drives that spin down when not in use). 7 Comments »