October 2007 - Posts

• Energy Star 4.0 Consumer Desktop

  Wed. Oct. 31, 2007
  by Michael Murphy, Sr. Mgr.—Environmental Affairs
  Today we took another step in our commitment to becoming the greenest technology company on Earth by introducing our first consumer Energy Star 4.0 desktop PC.

  Powered by an 80 percent efficient power supply, the Inspiron 531 comes pre-configured to switch to a low-power sleep state after 15 minutes of inactivity. Entry-level configurations include an AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core processor, 1GB DDR2 memory, 250GB hard drive, CDRW / DVD combination drive, NVIDIA integrated graphics, Windows Vista Home Basic, and one year limited warranty with In-Home service and support.

  Dell has played an active role in the Energy Star program since 1993. We offer multiple desktops, workstations and notebooks that meet the new Energy Star 4.0 requirements. Every Dell flat panel display we've released this year is also Energy Star 4.0-compliant. According to our calculations, using an energy-efficient desktop with a flat panel monitor for four years can result in significant savings due to reduced electricity bills.

  Format: flv Duration: 1:56

  Downloads WMV  MP4  OGG

  If you haven't already, I encourage you to check out www.dell.com/energy for additional details on our commitment to delivering the most energy-efficient products in the industry. As always, we'd like to hear your environmentally-focused ideas and feedback on ways we can continue to build on our "desktop to datacenter" energy-effiency strategy.
  1 comment(s) del.icio.us email this digg

• New Categories: IdeaStorm & Ideas in Action

  Tue. Oct. 30, 2007
  by Lionel Menchaca, Chief Blogger

  Today, we're launching two new categories on Direct2Dell: IdeaStorm and Ideas in Action. Over the past several months we've heard from customers and from several folks like Mack Collier that we should strengthen the ties between Direct2Dell and IdeaStorm. In the IdeaStorm category, you'll hear from folks like the IdeaStorm Manager Caroline Dietz and the IdeaStorm Moderator Kara Krautter. They'll use the overall IdeaStorm category to blog about feature improvements, policy updates and to provide perspective on issues that the community raises, and insight into Dell's lessons in crowd-sourcing. Similar to how Kevin Rose and team use the digg.com blog.

  Pages like the Moderator Update page and the Ideas in Action page were static before. The team hopes that moving this content to Direct2Dell will allow the IdeaStorm community to comment on and share their thoughts on how IdeaStorm continues to evolve.

  To give you an idea of the kinds of things to expect, Kara's first two posts provide more context about this move, and explain the IdeaStorm category list in more detail. If you are really interested in getting automatic updates on either category, you can subscribe to an RSS feed for the IdeaStorm category here and the Ideas in Action category here.

  Subscribing will pull new content into your favorite RSS reader like Google Reader, Google Homepage, My Yahoo, Bloglines, or NewsGator. That way, you will automatically receive any updates that are added to either category.

  We look forward to hearing more from the IdeaStorm community and continuing the discussion.
  7 comment(s) del.icio.us email this digg

• My Thoughts on the Global High Tech Summit

  Mon. Oct. 29, 2007
  by Lionel Menchaca, Chief Blogger

  Last week, I attended Microsoft's Global High Tech Summit in San Jose to give folks an overview of Dell's experience since we tried to enter the conversation. I tried to talk about some of the progress we've made in the digital media space, the challenges we continue to face and what I think it means to companies in the future. 

  Participants were  made up of business leaders and executives. Lots of smart folks like Geoffrey Moore who spend a lot of their time talking to other companies about innovation.Then there was me. I might have surprised a few folks, because I was pretty straightforward about some successes we've had and some of the improvements that I know we still need to make. Frankly, I could have done a better job with the presentation, but here's some points I tried to make: 

  Any company can say they listen to customers. Many of those same companies are thinking about launching a blog, or forum, or the next IdeaStorm.  I think that in itself is a good thing. However, companies should be careful to ensure that these things don't just become checklist items. Launching these things is the easy part. Maintaining it and supporting the community is where the real work starts Integrating the customer feedback that results from these to make real business changes on behalf of customers is what will make you successful. Companies that don't figure out how to do that will probably fail, and they will fail publicly.

  Integrating that feedback is challenging, and that's an area where I know Dell needs to do better as a company. We need to get better at what I call connecting the dots. The reason why companies should be thinking about digital media is because these tools connect you to your customers. That's why the Dell Community Forum, Direct2Dell, IdeaStorm and our blog outreach initiatives beyond Dell have become early warning posts. In my mind, we should be taking the customer feedback that comes from digital media tools and comparing it to things we've been analyzing like the top call drivers and top issues in online tech support chat sessions. We have lots of work to do on this front and it will only become more challenging as we add more languages to the mix. Many folks here at Dell are thinking about how we take that next step.

  One of the highlights for me was listening to Pete Thompson, who is the GM of Microsoft's Surface Computing division.  If you haven't heard about it yet, it's like a coffee table with a clear display. Kinda like an iPhone plus the ability to interact with real objects like a cell phone, an MP3 player or digital camera. Amazingly cool technology, and one that I think will open up lots of possibilities in the future. If you want to see more, take a look at this article and video from Popular Mechanics to see what it's about.This video is similar to some of the functionality that Pete showed off.

  Man, was I bummed I didn't have my camera in that session. Cool stuff.
  6 comment(s) del.icio.us email this digg

• New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson Visits Dell

  Fri. Oct. 26, 2007
  by Brian Jones, Sr. Mgr.—U.S. Federal Govt. Relations

  New Mexico Governor and Democratic Presidential candidate Bill Richardson visited Dell today to speak with employees and executives at the Round Rock campus. The event was Dell's first presidential "town hall" forum and also marked the second time a presidential candidate has visited Dell. Last month, former U.S. Senator and Republican Presidential candidate Fred Thompson toured the Topfer Manufacturing Center. Both visits are part of a unique series of events Dell will host throughout the coming year for team members to hear from the major candidates for President and share what's on their minds.
  
  Governor Richardson arrived this afternoon and was greeted by Eddie Dixon, vice president of Dell Legal who introduced the Governor and also served as moderator of the town hall discussion. Nearly 400 employees attended the candid and open dialogue about a wide variety of issues including global innovation, the war in Iraq, social security, health care, immigration and yes, even the alleged alien landing at Roswell.
  
  Following the discussion, the Governor attended a briefing led by Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer Steve Schuckenbrock. Dell board member Tom Luce, Vice President for Strategy Tim Mattox, Vice President for Facilities Kip Thompson, Dell Financial Services Head Don Berman and Legal Vice President Eddie Dixon participated in the policy discussion which covered Dell's leadership in areas such as energy efficiency, the environment, education and the importance of global competitiveness.
  
  Governor Richardson listened to the many thoughts and ideas of Dell's leaders and remarked that because of innovative companies like Dell, America can be proud. Once the briefing was completed, Governor Richardson moved outside and fielded a number of questions from local and national media before departing. All in all, the day was a great opportunity for the Dell community to take an active part in the political process.
  
  StudioDell was on hand to help capture the Governor's Town Hall remarks on video. We're including Governor Richardson's introductory remarks in the vlog below today and will add in the Q&A Monday.

  Format: flv Duration: 4:00

  Downloads WMV  MP4  OGG
  3 comment(s) del.icio.us email this digg

• Social Media Club Bringing Shel Israel and Others to Dell

  Thu. Oct. 25, 2007
  by Lionel Menchaca, Chief Blogger

  

  Since I'm on the road and haven't had time to pull this together, thought I'd leverage the work done my my good friend and colleague RichardatDell to tell you about the Social Media Club event we're hosting here in Round Rock on Tuesday, November 6. Now on to what Richard had to say:

  You thought all things social media were west-coast-oriented?  Not so. The Social Media Club shares best practices, establishes ethics and standards, and promotes literacy around the emerging area of Social Media.

  And, one of the places to start that conversation is right here. Starting the Conversation takes place on the Dell Campus on November 6^th with some of the "best and the brightest" coming for a one day workshop for anyone who wants to attend—from Dell and other companies.

  Co-founder of the Social Media Club Chris Heuer, Shel Israel, author of Naked Conversations, and local area notables Connie Reece and Kami Huyse will join members of the Dell team to discuss how social media can propel business to the next level.  We will discuss social media and how it can improve marketing, communications, recruiting, support and customer relationships.

  If you want to explore how business becomes personal again and learn about new and innovative ways to build stronger relationships, trust and loyalty, then plan on attending this workshop.

  There is special pricing for the Austin event: the regular price of $299 will be discounted to $199 if you register by Monday, October 29.  Use the discount code CONNIE for an additional $50 off when you register online.  If you're a member of Social Media Club at the professional, business or corporate level, the price is just $149.

  
  3 comment(s) del.icio.us email this digg

• Electronics Recycling Update

  Wed. Oct. 24, 2007
  by Joe Strathmann, Sr. Mgr.—Asset Recovery Services

  The Dell Asset Recovery Services team is in Atlanta today and tomorrow for E-Scrap 2007, an international conference highlighting the latest e-recycling trends and policies.

  Earlier today, I had the opportunity to moderate a panel that explored market conditions and factors across the globe, with a specific focus on how emerging trends will impact end-of-life management of electronics in the United States and elsewhere. Among the key themes discussed was the need for manufacturers to offer convenient recycling programs, something Dell has embraced for several years.

  Today, we are the only manufacturer to offer free recycling services for our own branded computer equipment worldwide without requiring new product purchases. You may remember that Michael has been publicly challenging others in the industry to join us in this effort.

  Environmental benchmarks and goals are a longstanding cornerstone of our business. We reported the recovery of more than 78 million pounds (nearly 40,000 tons) of unwanted information-technology equipment from customers in 2006, a 93 percent increase over 2005 and 12.4 percent of the equipment we sold seven years earlier (more than any other manufacturer that reports recovery progress by past sales weight). This puts us ahead of schedule to achieve our goal of recovering 275 million pounds of equipment by 2009.

  Last month, we simplified recycling for small businesses with an online service that enables customers with fewer than 10 pieces of computer equipment to easily manage, return and track unwanted assets. If you haven't done so already, I encourage you to check out the video overview at StudioDell.

  Our customers are our most important partner in our efforts to protect the environment. From energy efficiency, to climate stewardship to reuse and recycling, we'll be sure to keep you posted on our commitment to become the "greenest" technology company on Earth.

  In the meantime, feel free to share your thoughts and environmentally-focused ideas on ways we can continue to enhance our partnership for a cleaner environment.

  
  1 comment(s) del.icio.us email this digg

• The XPS 420: Multimedia & Video Enthusiasts Unite

  Tue. Oct. 23, 2007
  by Lionel Menchaca, Chief Blogger

  In case you haven't seen it on Engadget (or even if you have), today's the day you can order an XPS 420.
  
  It's built for performance and expandability. If you spend your time creating video, this thing can make short work of any kind of video content—whether you make short clips that you upload to YouTube or you produce video in high definition.  

  Besides video creation, this thing makes a great multimedia server that can store and serve all you digital music, photos, videos and recorded TV content in one place.

  Hardwire-wise, this thing rocks: X38 chipset, processor support up to Intel's QX6850, video card options like ATI's 2400 PRO and NVIDIA's 8800GTX, and up to 3TB of storage. If you want to record or watch over-the-air high definition (or standard definition) TV, we offer the ATI 650 PRO combo TV tuner card as an option.

  Note: 10/25—Direct2Dell reader Weeva correctly made the point that our current high-def TV tuner card only supports over-the-air HD, not Digital Cable or satellite high definition. LM

  Update: 12/9—I just published a follow-on blog post that explains that we started offering the digital cable TV tuner on Friday last week. LM

  Beyond that, it's our first product to feature the XPS MiniView screen, which is a small LCD screen (about 2 x 3in) integrated on the top of the chassis.  The display supports a 320 x 240 resolution, and can be used to display calendar information, system details, and navigate through photos and digital music. MiniView is compatible with Microsoft's SideShow and supported third-party Gadgets, so users can customize the display for other information like RSS feeds, news, stock tickers and more.

  If you are a person who likes to capture video and take it with you, the Dell Xcelerator is a cool option. It can be used to transcode recorded video from the original format to another so it can be played on a portable device. Beyond that, since it does the processing work on its own, the Xcelerator takes much of the burden off the processor, and makes the process faster than with just the CPU alone.
  

  We're also introducing the SP2008WFP 20" widescreen display. It features a maximum resolution of 1680x1050, a 2ms response time, and HDCP through its DVI input. It's also our first flat panel to feature an integrated 2-megapixel webcam that can capture resolution up to 1600 x 1200.
  
  In terms of software, the XPS 420 comes with Adobe Elements Studio, which is full versions of these three Adobe applications:

  • Premiere Elements 4—For video editing
  • Photoshop Elements 6—For digital photo organization and editing
  • SoundBooth CS3—For audio editing and sound design

  In this video, Michael Fahy from the XPS Product team covers a lot of ground. He touches on our design approach, SideShow, the Bluetooth media card reader, the Dell Xcelerator option, the Adobe software suite, the new display with the integrated webcam, and more.

  Format: flv Duration: 10;08

  Downloads WMV  MP4  OGG
  118 comment(s) del.icio.us email this digg

• Staples to Offer Dell Systems, Ink & Toner

  Mon. Oct. 22, 2007
  by Lionel Menchaca, Chief Blogger

  Today we announced a retail agreement with Staples, the world's largest office supply retail chain. Beginning on November 11, we will begin selling some Dell systems, displays, printers and ink and toner throughout 1,400 Staples stores across the United States.  

  Since we entered the printer market with Dell-branded printers in 2003, customers purchased replacement ink and toner via Dell.com. While that process has worked well for many of our customers, some like guardianxps shared an idea called "Sell ink cartridges at local retail" in the early days of IdeaStorm. We will still offer continue to offer ink and toner online—the only thing that this changes is that customers will have more options to get replacements when they need them.

  As far as systems and other hardware, we will offer unique configurations of our Inspiron 1521 and 1721 notebooks, our Inspiron 530 desktop, the 19-inch SE198WFP or the 22-inch E228WFP widescreen LCD displays. As far as printers, we will offer Dell's 926 and 948 all-in-one inkjets and the 1320c color laser printer. Staples will offer ink and toner for most models of our printers. Customers can recycle by returning used Dell cartridges to the store for a $3.00 coupon that is good toward a future ink purchase. 

  With this agreement, Dell products are now available in over 10,000 stores worldwide. It's all part of our evolving retail strategy. If you're interested in seeing all retail-related blog content, please take a look at the Retail category. Otherwise, you can also get an RSS feed to the retail-specific blog content here. 
  5 comment(s) del.icio.us email this digg

• Making Quieter PCs

  Fri. Oct. 19, 2007
  by Lionel Menchaca, Chief Blogger

  PC noise levels is a topic that I hear about on Direct2Dell from time to time. Silent/Quiet Computers: Sound levels in decibels from user pchris has been a popular idea  on IdeaStorm since the day after it launched in February. Recently it's gotten some traffic in the media as well. IBM and HP have an ongoing squabble on the server side. The New York Times  recently approached it from a consumer angle.

  Seemed like a good time to provide some Dell perspective. To do that, I chatted with Jeff Demoss, one of our acoustical engineers on our business client products team for some insight. Couple of things he made clear:

  • Making a PC quieter is a balancing act. Anyone can make a product quieter by removing fans at the expense of reliability. There are lots of key factors that come into play: performance, mechanical design, thermal issues and reliability are a few of them. Of course, overall system design is key as well. Design materials matter-even the rubber feet on a system can impact the amount of noise a system emits.
  • Overall noise levels are important, but so is sound quality. What does sound quality mean? A sound doesn't have to be loud to be annoying. Cutting down on the annoyance factor can be more important than reducing noise level in a lot of cases.

  I'll save discussions around thermals, reliability and performance for future posts and just focus on acoustics today. Lots of customers tend to think of overall noise level.  While that's definitely important, and we design our products to adhere to global acoustic standards, there are certain types of noises-rattles, modulations or tones-that aren't acceptable at any level.  Overall, Dell tries to focus on both noise levels and sound quality.

  PCs need to be quiet because they aren't just PCs anymore. Today, they  are increasingly becoming multimedia hubs that fulfill any number of roles in a household. Using a noisy system in a dorm room, apartment, or even a dedicated room in a house diminishes the experience.

  Jeff told me he's part of the team that looks at acoustics from a business client system perspective. We also have teams that work on larger products like our servers. On the consumer side, we're already implementing many of these improvements on some of our XPS notebooks and desktops and we'll look to do more of that in the future. We have engineers in many of our global design centers who contribute to these efforts. 

  So what have we done up to this point? In the design phase, we try to think about how a customer will use a product (will the desktop system be used under a desk or on top of one for example). We also think about materials and components we can use to dampen noise levels, such as solid state drives. From a technology perspective, many of our products utilize ambient temperature sensors  along with algorithms that precisely control fan speeds to optimize thermal and acoustic performance. When possible, we try to use larger fans since they can cool more efficiently at lower noise levels. We test our systems and many components in our acoustics lab that's located here in our Austin campus to help us meet and exceed worldwide regulatory requirements. 

  PC acoustics are a broad topic that affects any number of products we sell. Moving forward, I'll work to get members of our acoustics engineering teams to weigh in on Direct2Dell, and will set up a vlog or two to introduce you to some of the folks doing the work and give  you a look into their labs.
  12 comment(s) del.icio.us email this digg

• Jeff Jarvis—Dell Hell: The End?

  Thu. Oct. 18, 2007
  by Lionel Menchaca, Chief Blogger

  As some of you may already know, Jeff Jarvis spent a day at Dell a couple of weeks ago to write a BusinessWeek story. He spent some time with Michael Dell, and captured a vlog that's part of the that story and also part of his post on Buzzmachine.

  

  Beyond that, he spent time with other execs Dick Hunter, Mark Jarvis, Manish Mehta and members of our digital media team as well. Of course, we'd be crazy not to be happy with the end result.

  I got a chance to interview Jeff near the end of the day, and here is the vlog that resulted.

  Format: flv Duration: 7:23

  Downloads WMV  MP4  OGG

  There's a lot of folks here at Dell doing the work that Jeff praises us for. I'm personally humbled to be part of it. But I'm also aware that Jeff himself rightfully questions whether or not this is the end of Dell Hell. I'll be the first to admit that we're at the beginning of a long-term turnaround in regards to improving Customer Service in the Uniited States and beyond.

  Without a doubt, we're working hard to write the next chapter.
  30 comment(s) del.icio.us email this digg