Design

  • Dell's XPS 730 Gaming Desktop Details Over at Your Blog

    Update: This time on the Direct2Dell homepage.

     If you're interested in the latest information on the XPS 730, see Anne's post on at Your Blog. If you are a gamer, there's probably some stuff you'll want to see.

    It's got three videos: one that gives an overview of the system, a second all about overclocking and a third that highlights the new H2C cooling system.

    Enough babbling from me... if gaming's your thing, hop on over.

  • New Dell.com Home Page

    When I last discussed our Dell.com home page here, I said that we would not be going forward with the page we had beta tested last year due primarily to an issue with findability. A recent look at HP’s new home page design, however, presents a good opportunity to look at some of the other problems we identified with our test page, and to update you on how we continue to look for improvements to our page.

    If you followed me on Twitter back in February, you might have seen me note some similarities between the design we thought about last year and the one that HP was beta testing at the beginning of this year.

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    I tried to find something about it on HP’s blogs to see what their thought processes were behind the new look. After all, they face the same challenge we do of trying to craft one page to suit a wide variety of customers – from individuals to large corporations. But, the only thing I found in the web design category was a brief note in January that mentioned they were testing the page.

    At least one author on the WebGuild Blog thinks itmissed the mark … by over-designing and foregoing usability.” He noted that the segment navigation panels popup after a delayed mouseover, which is an issue we identified in our beta page as being very annoying to our users. He calls out three links that have no mouseover effect and on mouseover automatically take you to pages without you clicking. We had a similar functionality in our beta page and found that users reacted very negatively to the feeling of being taken to a new page without choosing to do so by clicking.

    He also lists as a negative the fact that the page scrolls down “beneath the fold”. This is still a bit of an ongoing debate in web design, and something Milissa Tarquini at AOL calls a myth. We found from our beta page usability testing that if the main navigation was above the fold, users were “ok” with it. Getting all the main navigation above the fold was very important to our users, however, and was another reason we did not push our last beta design.

    All of these, plus the findability issue led us to make a call to pull back from the direction we were going last year. That didn’t mean we stopped looking for improvements, however. You may have noticed some subtle changes to our current page design. We’ve been adding a bit more color and style variety to the rotating banners, and in the U.S. we are trying the addition of navigation elements that let you control the rotation. These are only minor adjustments, though. The really big stuff is still out there to come.

    We’ve taken the lessons learned last year and started working on new ideas to make it that much easier and faster to navigate from the home page of Dell.com to what you really came for. We’re looking hard at traffic patterns on the current page to make sure the top things our visitors seek can be easily found. And, while segmentation of customers might not go away all together, we are trying new ideas to simplify it for you and make it as invisible as possible.

    The feedback you gave us last year spoke clearly against some of the design elements that HP’s new page incorporates. Rather than follow the competition, we will keep our focus on what our customers tell us they want. Watch for a chance to provide input on something totally new soon!

  • New Graffiti Contest from ReGeneration and Facebook

    Over at ReGeneration.org, we just launched a follow-up to the “What Does Green Mean to You” Graffiti contest on Facebook.  The theme of the new global contest will step beyond ”What Does Green Mean to You?” and head to the next step: what actually “Going Green" means.  We’ve evolved the categories by which the entries will be judged to get some different responses.

    The new categories are:

    • Best Overall
    • Most Inventive Green Technology
    • Sustainable Architecture
    • Most creative vision of a green future
    • Show us how you can improve the environment now

    After the submission round is complete, users will vote on their favorite entries.  The deadline to submit entries will be Monday, April 14, and user voting will begin the next day and end the following Monday, April 21st.  A panel of judges will decide on the winners from of the entries receiving the most votes.  The winner in the “Best Overall” category will receive a Green Dell Inspiron laptop!  The other category winners will receive Dell backpacks.  The winners will be announced on Earth Day, Tuesday, April 22.  Be sure to explain your art in words when prompted because another Green Insprion will be awarded to the entry with the best overall text.

    Sign up for the ReGeneration movement while you’re at it.  There's a cool new section on the site called Café Re which encourages dialogue and self-expression…you can chat with others participating in the contest and view the latest art being submitted by Graffiti users across the globe. Like Dane mentioned in his recent post, look for this image on the right hand section of the ReGeneration.org site to join. Clicking on the image below will take you to the main site:

    On a related note, a long time ago, I had seen this post from Shel Holtz where he reacted to a report that many companies block employees from Facebook and other social media sites. We were one of those companies until last week. Now, we can open up this contest to Dell employees worldwide.  

    ReGeneration's challenge to us: Share your ideas about what going green really means through graffiti, text and Cafe Re's new live chat. Exchange thoughts with other participants by posting in the comments section.  The world will be watching.

  • Dell: 10 Years in China

    Michael Dell recently visited China last week. Some of you may have seen reports in the blogosphere about some things he discussed. For a bit more context, I thought it made sense to share Amit Midha's recent Direct2Dell Chinese post on our English site as well. Here's Amit's post.

    Amit Midha
    Dell Greater China President

    2008 is a unique and important year for China since it will host the Olympics Games. 2008 is a unique and important year for Dell China as it marks our 10th anniversary in China and we will turn into a new chapter of our growth and development in China.

    Last week, our Chairman & CEO Michael Dell visited China and kicked off our 10th anniversary celebration in China by announcing extensions of the company’s educational and environmental initiatives in the country.

    Dell will invest RMB 1.7 million to equip six more Dell Learning Centers (DLC). The centers are helping rural migrant children bridge the technological gap to the Internet-based Connected Era. By the end of the year, Dell will have initiated 10 DLCs in China. The first three new centers are scheduled to open in April and May in Tianjin, Hangzhou and Chengdu. Each center will feature Dell’s leading computer systems paired with education software, which Dell volunteers and others will use to help train children on how to use information technology.

    Additionally, Dell will donate RMB 1 million to support the “greening” of the Chao Yang district of Beijing as part of the Company’s global Regeneration initiatives (www.regeneration.org). The entire amount will go toward planting trees and maintaining green areas in the area.

    Dell began operations in China in 1998. Since then, the company’s business here has expanded to include:

    • Two manufacturing operations in Xiamen -- one for mainland China, and one for export to Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong;
    • An enterprise command center, also in Xiamen, to provide rapid support services to customers with large computer networks;
    • A global design center in Shanghai, one of Dell’s largest such centers outside the United States, and;
    • A sales and support center in Dalian for customers in Japan and South Korea.

    Dell’s economic presence in China is significant. Last year the company purchased about US$18 billion in technology components and related products from supplier partners in China—more than any other computer-systems company. Dell expects that number to grow to US$23 billion this year. Based on projections from a 2005 Peking University study, the company estimates its spending in the country this year to contribute more than US$50 billion to China’s gross domestic product and support more than two million jobs.

    Dell’s contributions to China are not only economic. In 2007, Dell employees volunteered more than 7,000 hours and the company donated RMB 5 million to charities in the country and to promote the informatization of the country.

    The learning center and green initiatives in China announced by our Chairman and CEO are just the latest examples of myriad programs in countries worldwide that have earned Dell repeated recognition for its social responsibility and are the beginning of the celebration of our 10th anniversary in China.

    Stay tuned.

    QA_Michael Dell(1) (2)  Keynote_Michael Dell(2)

    QA_Michale Amit(2)

    戴尔中国开启十周年庆典

    戴尔公司大中华区总裁闵毅达

    随着中国举办奥运会的步伐越来越近,2008年对中国将是非凡而重要的一年。同样,2008年对戴尔中国来说也是不同寻常的一年,我们将迎来在中国的十周年,掀开在华持续增长和发展的新篇章。

    上周,戴尔公司董事长兼首席执行官迈克尔•戴尔访问了中国,宣布将在中国积极开展一系列有益的教育和环保项目,拉开了戴尔中国十周年庆典活动的帷幕。

    戴尔将再增资170万元人民币成立六家新的戴尔学习中心(DLC),致力于帮助缩小农民工子弟与互联网时代之间的数字鸿沟。截至今年年底,戴尔在中国的学习中心总数将达到10家。新增的6家学习中心中的前三家将在今年4、5两月分别落户天津、杭州和成都。每个中心都配备了戴尔领先的计算机系统及相应的教育软件,而且来自戴尔和社会各界的志愿者还将义务为学生提供培训。

    另外,作为戴尔全球“绿色革新”(www.regeneration.org)项目的一部分,戴尔公司将捐赠100万元人民币支持北京市朝阳区的绿化建设,全部资金将用于园区的植树和养护工作。

    戴尔在中国开展业务始于1998年。十年来,公司在中国的业务规模持续扩大:

    · 两家位于厦门的制造工厂,一家面向中国大陆市场,另一家出口到日本、韩国和中国香港地区;

    · 企业服务指挥中心,同样位于厦门,负责为拥有大规模计算机网络的客户提供快速支持服务;

    · 位于上海的中国设计中心,是戴尔在美国之外的全球最大的产品设计中心之一;

    · 位于大连的戴尔国际服务中心,负责为日本和韩国客户提供服务。

    戴尔对中国的经济贡献有目共睹。去年,公司从中国采购了价值180亿美元的部件和配件,采购额位居所有计算机厂商之首。戴尔预计今年的采购额将增至230亿美元。基于北京大学针对2005年戴尔对中国经济贡献所进行的研究和报告,戴尔公司预估今年公司在中国的直接和间接业务将为中国创造超过500亿美元的GDP,提供近200万个工作机会。

    戴尔对中国的贡献不仅体现在经济层面。2007年,戴尔中国员工累计贡献了长达7,000多个小时的志愿服务,公司为中国慈善机构和信息化事业捐款总计500万元人民币。

    长期以来,戴尔在全球各地积极实施了大量的社会公益项目,赢得了社会各界的广泛赞誉。此次宣布开展的学习中心和绿化项目,揭开了戴尔中国十周年庆典的帷幕,同时再度体现了我们对企业社会责任的高度重视。

    请拭目以待!

  • Dell’s PowerEdge M-Series and Power Efficiency

    Since Dell introduced the PowerEdge M-Series blade server, we've received many questions regarding how we designed the product. Most of these requests revolve around how Dell chose the M-Series chassis and blade design, plus how we achieved the impressive power efficiency metrics published in the third party report from Principled Technologies.

    Dell designed the M1000e blade chassis as a 10U enclosure housing 16 blades and 6 highly flexible switches. Each half-height blade is capable of having up to 4 high speed ports per blade to maximize throughput out to the switches. The switches themselves are designed to be upgradeable to provide a long lasting enclosure capable of hosting the high speed interconnects of today and tomorrow. You can see more details about the Energy Smart components integrated into the M1000e in the following whitepaper.

    We crafted the M-Series chassis from the ground up to be the most power efficient blade enclosure in the world. This meant methodically designing each individual enclosure component to run as efficiently as possible. Find out more in the following vlog with Tom Garvens, a senior engineering manager on the M-Series team.

    <a href="http://media.dellone2one.com/dell/March2008/M-series_Vlog_Tom_Garvens_revised.flv"><img src="http://direct2dell.com/photos/videos/images/49346/300x225.aspx" border = "0" width="300" height="225"></a><br /><a href = "http://media.dellone2one.com/dell/March2008/M-series_Vlog_Tom_Garvens_revised.flv">View Video</a><br />Format: flv<br />Duration: 5:17

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  • M209X Ultraportable Projector Coming Soon

    For many road warriors, portable projectors are an essential part of life. When success depends on being able to present on the fly, qualities like being lightweight, reliable and easy to use are a must. We designed the new M209X ultraportable projector to be a strong performer with an added bonus: a sense of style.

    Note: For a larger view, click on the image below.

     

    Even though the M209X weighs in at just 2.6 lbs., it doesn't cut corners in terms of performance. Its 2000 ANSI lumens brightness is strong enough for lights-on environments, and its vivid image quality with new BrilliantColor technology will give any presentation a little extra punch.  With VGA, S-Video, Composite and even HDMI inputs, it gives you all kinds of connectivity options. And when you're not working, it's a solid addition on the home theater front.  

    I'm glad to see that Government Computer News just gave it a Reviewers Choice award. But we're more interested in what you think - so leave a comment here, on IdeaStorm, or on the Dell Community Forum.

    The M209X will be available online in the next few weeks - in the meantime, check out its award-winning predecessor the 3400MP.

  • Dell Joins Microsoft and (PRODUCT) RED in the Fight Against AIDS in Africa

     

    You've probably seen some of the reaction about this in places like Gizmodo, and now I can confirm it. Today, we're making it easy for Dell customers who want to make a difference. Anyone who wants to join us to fight AIDS in Africa can do so by purchasing any of our (PRODUCT) RED-branded PCs. For Dell, this initiative represents an important step in our ongoing commitment to fight the spread of HIV around the globe.

    Dell (PRODUCT) RED products are all distinguished by bright red accents and (PRODUCT) RED branding. Each of these systems will come with a special version of Windows Vista Ultimate. Windows Vista Ultimate (PRODUCT) RED includes six unique desktop wallpapers, a screen saver, and two Windows Sidebar gadgets and a (RED)-themed Windows DreamScene.

    Dell and Microsoft will make a combined contribution of $50 - 80 depending on the PC purchased to the Global Fund. Dell will contribute $5 for every (PRODUCT) RED printer sold. 100% of the contributed finds will go toward Global Fund-financed grants in Africa. To put it in perspective, the $80 contribution generated by the purchase of the (PRODUCT) RED XPS One with Vista Ultimate  is equivalent to more than six months of life-saving antiretroviral treatment for someone living with AIDS in Africa.

    Update 1/24, 10:30am—Here's a cool photo from Davos with Bill Gates, Bono and Michael Dell to celebrate the launch of these products. You can click on it for an enlarged version.

    Dell (PRODUCT) RED products are now available for order at www.dell.com/joinred. They will also be available in Best Buy stores throughout the United States by the end of the week. And beginning January 31, these products will be available through Dell in nearly 30 additional countries.

    Now for some details about the (PRODUCT) RED systems. Clicking on the images below will give you a larger picture.

    XPS One (PRODUCT) RED:

    • This is Dell's all-in-one product that I've blogged about before. Starting price is $1,599—every purchase results in an $80 contribution to The Global Fund.

     

    XPS M1330 (PRODUCT) RED:

    • This is our award-winning sub-four pound notebook that regular Direct2Dell readers are pretty familiar with. Starting price of $1,149—purchase results in a $50 contribution to the Global Fund.  

     

    XPS M1530 (PRODUCT) RED:

    • This is the larger 15" version of the XPS M1330. Lots of the same design and feature enhancements with a larger display. Starting price oof $1,149—purchase results in a $50 contribution to the Global Fund.  

     Dell 948 All-in-One Printer:

    • The 948 printer integrates fax, scan, copy, print and photo-printing capability together into an easy-to-use package without requiring a connection to a computer. Starting price of $149—purchase results in a $5 contribution to the Global Fund.

     

  • Dell 22" Crystal Display

    Many of you have probably already seen the coverage in Gizmodo and other places in the blogosphere. I had blogged about Kevin Kettler's demo of a prototype of the display, but now it's official. Today, we introduced the Dell Crystal 22" widescreen display.

    It features a maximum resolution of 1680 x 1050 display, a 2ms response time, and integrated webcam and speakers, in a pretty slick overall design. It's our first monitor to feature a DisplayPort connection. Lots more to talk about in terms of that new technology, so I'll see about getting some Dell folks to blog more about DisplayPort in the future. Besides DisplayPort, The 22" display supports high definiton resolutions through DVI or HDMI as well.

    Update February 18:  My apologies to customers for mis-quoting the specs of the 22" Crystal display. It does not support DisplayPort—our 3008WFP widescreen flat panel is the first one to incorporate DisplayPort.

    It doesn't come cheap though—the Dell Crystal display is $1,199. See more information at www.dell.com/crystal.

    Update: 1/13-I forgot to include the IdeaStorm reference here. My apologies for not doing this several days ago. On IdeaStorm, conversations around improving the look of Dell's widescreen displays have also been popular. Back in May, IdeaStorm member jmxz posted an idea for Dell to "keep making great designs like this" for its monitors.

    Not long after, hope_l from Dell's Experience Design display and imaging team joined the conversation and talked about Dell's commitment to creating new designs that blend technologies and reduce wires.

    And while I'm here, I thought I'd post another video from CES. This vlog features Ken Ding, who was the lead designer behind it. He highlights some of the features and discusses the design goals behind it.

    <a href="http://media.dellone2one.com/dell/January2008/Crystal_vlog_CES.flv"><img src="http://direct2dell.com/photos/my_photos/images/41111/300x225.aspx" border = "0" width="300" height="225"></a><br /><a href = "http://media.dellone2one.com/dell/January2008/Crystal_vlog_CES.flv">View Video</a><br />Format: flv<br />Duration: 3:58

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  • New Inspiron 1525: Smaller, Thinner and Lighter than the 1520

     

    Today, customers in the United States can order our new Inspiron 1525 notebook. More regions will be able to soon.

    Starting at 5.9 pounds, the 1525 is about 25% smaller and thinner than the Inspiron 1520 and about a half pound lighter. Pricing starts at $499, and it can be ordered in any of the eight colors of its predecessor. Beyond that, we're introducing four new optional design patterns: Blossom, Chill, Commotion and Street. Click on the picture below to see Commotion in Jet Black in a bit more detail:

     

    Initially, we will offer a 15.4" WXGA (1280 x800) display and an integrated Intel X3100 media graphics accelerator. The display can be ordered  with either the matte finish or high-gloss TrueLife one.

    Customers can also purchase color-matched peripherals the pink notebook sleeve, mouse and external hard drive pictured with the Flamingo Pink 1525 below:


    Like its predecessor, it features all kinds of connectivity options, including mobile broadband, 802.11a/g/n, and Bluetooth. It also features capacitive touch multimedia controls, integrated 1394, plus  options like the integrated 2 megapixel webcam and the Dell Travel Remote. Through Dell MediaDirect with Instant Office you have quick access to information like digital music, photos and meeting and contact information without having to boot up the operating system.

    The Inspiron 1525 is also our first system to feature built-in Wireless USB. This new technology accesses an external hub that acts as centralized area for any USB-connected devices or accessories like MP3 players, digital cameras, etc. See above Wikipedia link for more information.

    Something else that's new is our PC-to-PC Transfer service. With it, customers can easily and securely upload personal settings and files like E-mail contacts and accounts, Internet favorites & desktop wallpaper, geographic settings, mouse/touchpad settings and Start menu settings to their Dell DataSafe Online Backup storage location. This data migration service  also covers other file types you've uploaded as well—like digital music and photos. Dell will load all of those settings and files on your new Inspiron 1525 before we ship it to you. End result, when you receive the notebook, it will be customized the way you're used to.

  • Latitude XT: Capacitive Touch and More

    As many of you know, we've been developing the Latitude XT for some time. During that time, we've spent a lot of time talking to Tablet PC customers about what they like and don't like about existing products.

    Customers told us that existing Tablet PCs are just too clumsy and clunky. We've worked to address this by creating one of the lightest and thinnest 12.1" convertible tablets on the market at about 1" thick and 3.6 pounds. I'm glad to see that some reviewers like Andrew Baxter at Tablet PC Review said it was the smallest power adapter he's seen on any notebook or Tablet PC.

    It's clear that displays are important to many customers as well. Many customers use Tablet PCs in outdoor or brightly-lit environments, and many existing products didn't have adequate screen brightness.  That's why we designed an optional daylight viewing panel that is the brightest in its category-at 400 nits, it's almost 2X the competition.  Now, this option does add a little more thickness and a little more weight.  So, for mainstream users more concerned about size and weight, we still recommend the backlit LED panel at 220 nits.

    Next, as tablet users are mobile all day, they told us that battery life was becoming increasingly important.  We answered this with a standard six-cell battery that offers about 4 ½ hours of continuous battery life and an optional battery slice that snaps snugly on the underside for up to 9 hours of "all day computing." Regarding the battery slice, I saw that Engadget raised concerns about the battery slice blocking the air intake. Here's the deal: with the battery slice attached, there is  a small gap (1mm or so) between the slice and the bottom of the tablet. This space leaves sufficient room for air to flow from the fan through the sides of the system, allowing the unit to cool. In our tests, the system remains within spec for heat both with and without the slice.

    But perhaps the biggest frustration customers told us about with existing offerings was around the use of "resistive" touch technology. This technology needs the user to apply force to the screen in order for the system to recognize interaction, which contributes to poor accuracy and durability issues with the screen itself. Many customers using resistive tablets that support both pen and touch actually wind up turning this feature off because the palm rejection technology is so cumbersome. On this front, I think we're making our biggest impact. The Latitude XT is the first sub-four pound convertible with both pen and "capacitive" touch technology. Capacitive technology senses the touch of a finger with no pressure leading to better accuracy, response times, screen durability, and ultimately, a better user experience. As an example, as far as accuracy and speed, our third-party tests confirmed this against the Lenovo X61T.  Also, the digitizer is rated up to 10 times more durable than competitors resistive touch digitizer technology.

    In this vlog, Rick Seger from N-Trig and Bob Sparks from our Engineering team walk you through the capacitive pen and touch capability of the Latitude XT and introduce you to the benefits of freestyle computing. 

    <a href="http://media.dellone2one.com/dell/December2007/XT_pentouch.flv"><img src="http://direct2dell.com/photos/my_photos/images/37919/300x225.aspx" border = "0" width="300" height="225"></a><br /><a href = "http://media.dellone2one.com/dell/December2007/XT_pentouch.flv">View Video</a><br />Format: flv<br />Duration: 9:23

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    With this product, we've really made an effort to address our customers' issues with other Tablet PC offerings. I hope you agree!

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