Dell's laptop customisation options not very customisable
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Memory, all alone in the moonlight Forward-thinking Dell customers who want to make cash savings on pre-loaded memory cards in the firm's latest range of laptops could be in for a hard time.â¦
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AUSTIN (Texas) - It is not your typical, humdrum, slate-coloured computer. Not only is the PC known as the &#39;hip-e&#39; almost all white, but its screen and keyboard are framed in fuzzy pink fur. Or a leopard skin design. Or a graffiti-themed pattern.
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Now with 13.3in screen, now no longer just for gamers Dell's anticipated 13.3in laptop did make an appearance yesterday - it was launched alongside the PC maker's new, coloured Inspiron notebooks under Dell's XPS gamer-oriented brand.â¦
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Dell Inc. began polling customers about their software preferences on Tuesday as part of an effort by the struggling PC vendor to meet a popular request for desktops and notebooks that run on Linux instead of Windows.
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Configuring a PC around the minimum hardware requirements of an application or operating system may not be the best idea for users who hope to get the most out of Windows Vista.
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Responding to customer requests for less preinstalled software on its machines, Dell will now offer its customers an option to select "no software preinstalled" when purchasing Inspiron notebooks or Dimension desktops.
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'Not an open system' Dell is considering an authorised resellers program for Europe, after taking the plunge into the channel in the US.â¦
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Video digitiser hardware on board Dell's XPS line of desktop PCs isn't just for gaming, oh no. The computer giant last night launched a model aimed at video editors.â¦
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Blog: The new company specializes in notebooks with personalized designs. But is there room for another enthusiast PC company?
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Listens to the masses Dell users may soon have the choice of having Linux pre-installed on their machines, according to a statement on the technology company's website.â¦
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(InfoWorld) - If you're looking for a new Linux-equipped Dell laptop or desktop from the PC vendor, you may be waiting a while. Despite obvious support for the idea last week from thousands of visitors on its new customer suggestion Web site, IdeaStorm, the company said it's not yet building machines with Linux pre-loaded for the consumer and business markets. Last Friday night, Dell posted a note on the IdeaStorm Web site saying it was listening to thousands of users who had posted messages asking for Linux on its machines by moving forward to certify three of its corporate hardware lines -- OptiPlex desktops, Latitude notebooks, and Dell Precision workstations -- for use with Novell SUSE Linux. The company said Tuesday that the note was just about certifying the hardware for being ready to work with Novell SUSE Linux, not an announcement that the computers would be loaded and sold with the operating system in the near future. "Our point of view is that we are listening to our Linux customers," said Jeremy Bolen, a Dell spokesman. He noted that the company already offers factory-installed Linux on some specific Dell Precision workstations for high-end corporate users but is not currently installing the OS on its other laptop or desktop machines. "However, I won't rule out the option of expanding the pre-installation program at a future date," Bolen said. Dell is continuing to talk with the makers of other Linux distributions about certifying the hardware for those Linux distributions, he said. "When you talk about an operating system, if Dell is going to install it and test it, it takes a lot of work" before getting it ready for the marketplace, including having training and support in place. Dell spokeswoman Caroline Dietz said that the company's first post last Friday about certifying machines for Novell SUSE Linux on the IdeaStorm site is only the beginning of such posts by the vendor. "This is an ongoing process," Dietz said. "We're constantly monitoring this and constantly updating this. This first post doesn't mean that this is all we're doing." The IdeaStorm Web site, where customers and other IT enthusiasts can offer recommendations about future Dell products and configurations that they'd want to buy, was started on Feb. 16 by CEO Michael Dell. He is looking for ways to re-energize the company's sales and financial performance after several disappointing quarters.
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Dell on Tuesday said it was ditching its predefined support model and introducing a more customizable program that can be tailored depending on products and services support that a customer needs.The ProSupport portfolio will enable enterprises and small and medium businesses to buy specific support modules to set up and fix hardware and critical applications. The model is not for the consumer market, said Steve Meyer, vice president of global services at Dell.Dell used to offer the &quot;medal&quot; model for services -- platinum, gold, silver, and bronze -- that bought customers a predefined set of support services. Under the new plan -- now available to SMBs and not just large enterprises -- customers will be able to buy specific services and a timetable within which issues are addressed, Meyer said.For example, small businesses with remote offices can buy into services that enable quicker response times and support for point-of-sale software like Microsoft&#39;s Small Business Server, Meyer said.&quot;We&#39;re in the process of enhancing capabilities and adding experts and agents in specific areas,&quot; like operating systems and storage, said Cary Gumbert, lead product manager for Dell ProSupport.Dell will also provide advice on software applications including Norton AntiVirus, Microsoft Office, Intuit QuickBooks, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Acrobat. In addition to training its own staff, Dell is partnering with vendors including Microsoft, Oracle, and EMC to provide support.The support services offered will be standard worldwide, Meyer said.Dell found that customers want a personalized support experience based on who they are, Meyer said. IT professionals at large enterprises may need fewer services compared to small businesses that don&#39;t have IT departments, and which may need more hand-holding and rapid response to enable server uptime.Analysts weren&#39;t sure if the new offering is a radical difference from the support model already being offered by Dell. The new support model from Dell is just old wine in a new bottle, said Ron Silliman, principal analyst at Gartner.&quot;It&#39;s not so terribly different from the original model they had. It&#39;s a return to that, as the model had gotten away from its strengths,&quot; Silliman said.Wading through a complicated support process, Dell customers didn&#39;t always get the support they were seeking, Silliman said. The reorganized decision tree is neater and the modular approach will make it easier to solve problems, he said. The earlier model was a neat package that was incrementally mashed up with messy ideas over time, Silliman said.&quot;The best way to describe it -- When you get a brand-new sweater and see it at the back of the closet three years later, you can see it&#39;s fuzzy. Time does those things,&quot; Silliman said.The support model has more global consistency than the earlier model, which is good for global organizations, Silliman said. It also provides an educated approach to support by better understanding the customer, not the hardware, Silliman said.Understanding customers&#39; needs will ultimately help Dell deliver better services to consumers too, said Kurt Scherf, vice president and principal analyst at Parks Associates. However, while Dell has been criticized for a weak consumer support function, the new support model is targeted only at enterprise customers for now. It is possible that this support model will be delivered to customers in the future, Dell said.Pricing for support varies based on system and options selected, a Dell spokesman said. For example, in the U.S., Dell ProSupport for a PowerEdge server starts around $399 per system for three years of service, and can range up to a few thousand dollars for critical support. Dell ProSupport for Optiplex desktops starts around $79 per system for three years of service.
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Will a splash of color boost Dell's bottom line?
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No longer a laptop brand Wedged underneath the excitement of Dell's latest Inspiron and XPS notebook announcement, is a new line of Inspiron desktops that could actually give you some decent performance - if you don't mind being tied to your desk, that is.â¦
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MacCentral - Dell Inc. took the wraps off its holiday lineup on Thursday, showing new printers, plasma televisions and music players that will soon be available through its Web site.
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Another take on some of the issues faced when purchasing a new computer.
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No I don't want to register any E-Monkey Assistants DAMN IT! Dell's tradition of shoveling bloatware into newborn PCs may be coming to a close. All it took was a few years of outrage.â¦