Archive for October, 2009

Dell on Sustainability Kick; Generating Power and Protecting Against Hail Damage

Dell's Parking Lot Solar Array

Dell just rolled out a new solar array at its Round Rock Headquarters (is that RR2 in the picture?).  The array of panels can generate 131,000 kwH of electricity each year for its corporate headquarters and also includes 2 charging stations for any electric cars the employees drive to work.

All efforts at combating Global Warming Climate Change aside, I bet there’s a rush to park under those locations by employees, even if it means parking farther away from the building. If you haven’t lived in Central Texas, your car is an oven between the months of May and October due, regardless of tint and sunshades. Also the Texas Hill Country is known for getting hail over an 1″ in diameter multiple times a year. Solar or no solar, its nice to have covered parking!

Dell to Face Backlash in US Over Factory Closures?

When Dell brought in Mike Cannon as its head of operations, it was pretty clear; In order to reduce expense overhead, Dell would be shutting down much of its in-house manufacturing operations and shifting production to contract manufacturing. Dell’s expense structure was bloated and needed to trim down in order to compete with HP and Acer who have utilized this practice for years.

However, there may be a large backlash forming against the company who has, over the years, focused a majority of its sales focus in the United States and other western countries.

Many of these now-closed production centers (Texas, Tennesee, North Carolina, Ireland) have caused controversy in those localities. Jobs lost have been lost (for good?) and voters are left scratching their heads on why Dell received government incentives to bring these factories in the first place.

Will this affect Dell’s ability to sell to consumers and companies in these affeted areas? More so, could this negative brand impact grow beyond across the US and Europe? Check our articles like this, from a local North Carolina TV Station (WRAL): “Dell is turning its back on the U.S. – Just say no to Dell”.

In this current economic climate, you want to make all the friends you can. There’s a chance that consumers will rally around “Made in the USA products” in response to the negative ramifications of globalism. Dell and other US companies better find a way to respond to this.

Love your Dell Adamo XPS; Just don’t LOVE your Dell Adamo XPS

CNET’s Crave Blog had an opportunity to take Dell’s new Adamo XPS notebook out for a test drive. We here at DellObserver.com shared with you teaser pictures which had been leaked teased by the company.

Turns out that the Adamo can only be opened by “rubbing” a sensor on the front of the case. I guess this takes affection for a gadget to all new heights not seen since the debut of the “RealDoll” back in the early 2000’s?

Dell Will Repay Incentives to Local NC Municipalities

North Carolina’s News & Observer is reporting today that Dell has agreed to pay back $26.5M to local city and country authorities. Dell had originally received almost $300M from city, county and state programs to build its now closed plant in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Microsoft Selling PCs Directly For First Time

Microsoft has always had a token web e-commerce presence, but on the heels of the announcement of Microsoft’s first ‘brick and mortar’ retail store, they now are also selling PC’s online.

Named curiously enough “Microsoft Store” (very ingenious!), the site offers PCs from Dell, HP, Acer, Lenovo and Sony. Looking at the products offered, these aren’t just your run of the mill systems. Instead, they are (as the PC industry would say) “Hero SKUs” = interesting and different products that show off cutting edge features. In this case, these are some of the best netbooks, notebooks and “all-in-one” desktops found on the market today.

Windows 7 Launches Tomorrow – What You Should Know

Finally, the folks at Microsoft get to put the debacle known as “Windows Vista” to rest with its successor product Windows 7. I’ve been running it at work and at home for many months now and have to say its the best Microsoft OS ever. That’s not a backhanded compliment, despite what all the Apple Macintosh fanboys will say. Its easy to use and rock solid – never crashes or other application or device issues.

For all the folks out there thinking of upgrading or purchasing a new system, here’s a collection of great articles to bring you up to speed. Happy Shopping (tomorrow, all PCs will now come with Windows 7 Pre-installed)!

New York Times: The People Spoke. In Windows 7, Microsoft Says It Listened.
Wired: 7 Things You Should Know About Upgrading to Windows 7
PC World: Windows 7: A Complete Survival Guide