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hotrodlincoln
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Joined: 08 Apr 2003
Posts: 1639
Location: Not in Austin anymore
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 Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 8:00 pm Post subject: Dell's new line changes more than just the cover |
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The company launches two new applications aimed at improving the user's experience
By Dan Zehr
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Thursday, June 26, 2008
The world's largest computer makers won't wait for criticism of the latest Windows operating system to die down.
Dell Inc., Hewlett-Packard Co. and several other Windows PC makers are supplementing Vista with a growing number of their own software designs, each hoping to smooth the interaction between home users and their computers. The companies are developing programs that help users do things like navigate their desktops, play with multimedia files or connect more easily with friends and family.
To a great extent, these computer makers are looking to replicate the success at Apple Inc., which designs both the hardware and much of the software that runs on its machines, resulting in a more seamless experience. But whatever the inspiration, the ultimate goal is creating a new and better take on the Windows experience.
The aim is to "build better and unique capabilities that differentiate you from your competitors," said tech analyst Roger Kay, president of Endpoint Technologies Associates Inc. "If you have some of that stuff that makes you a little bit different, a little bit better, that's the right way to go."
Dell plans to launch the latest examples today in a new brand of multimedia-geared computers. The company's newly minted Studio brand, which was designed to fit between Dell's mainstream Inspiron and high-end XPS brands, will be the first to feature two new programs jointly designed by the company and its partners, said Brent Wampler, director of global product marketing for the company's consumer division.
"The realization is there that software really is just as important as the hardware for us," Wampler said. "We want to make sure user experience is flawless."
Perhaps the most striking software addition in Dell's two new Studio notebooks is an application the company is calling Dell Dock. The program employs a line of icons that users can place along any border of their screen, giving them access to various programs and packages with one click.
The feature looks very much like the dock featured on the Apple's computers. The company's fashionable buzz and its user-friendly software have helped fuel soaring computer sales over the past two years.
Apple's computer sales still fall well short of those at H-P, Dell and some other companies that sell Windows PCs. And the uptake of Vista in consumer models has been brisk, primarily because it's the default operating system for most large computer makers. But Microsoft Corp. has faced criticism for its new operating system, including a groundswell of requests for computer makers to continue offering Vista's predecessor, XP.
Meanwhile, several PC makers have privately admitted they've been frustrated with Vista's complexities, Kay said. They're developing more of their own software — either internally or through partners and acquisitions — in hopes of making their computers more usable and more unique. (Ironically, one of Vista's key attractions is the fact that it allows computer makers to do some of their own customization.)
"It's more like they're creating a bulwark to shore up the crumbling walls against Apple," Kay said. "Apple is the one making inroads, and what the PC guys can do is slow their progress ... by making a better user interface on the PC."
Wampler acknowledged that Dell's new dock is similar to Apple's, but he said the decision to add the program was sparked by customers who said they preferred that style of interaction. The company partnered with Stardock Corp., a Detroit-area firm, to develop the application.
"We are working much more collaboratively with software partners than we have in the past," Wampler said. "It's more important for us to get the best software user experience in the marketplace on our product."
Dell worked with another company, Berkeley, Calif.-based SightSpeed Inc., to develop a software console for video chat sessions, instant messaging, phone calls and other communications. The Dell Video Chat program can be running with a couple clicks of the mouse, Wampler said, and it will facilitate video chat sessions with up to four people at once. The program only works with other Dell Video Chat or SightSpeed users, but PC owners can download a free, basic version of the program at www.sightspeed.com.
Both the dock and video chat applications will be standard features on the Studio line, said Anne Camden, a Dell spokeswoman. The dock will be added to several current products over the summer, she said, and both it and the chat application will be added to new consumer products as they launch.
The Studio line will debut with a 15.4- and 17-inch notebook, which will start at $799 and $999. The laptops go on sale today online and in more than 13,000 retail stores worldwide.
dzehr@statesman.com; 512-912-5932
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http://www.statesman.com/search/content//business/stories/technology/06/26/0626dell.html
Didn't they try colored laptops just last year? And how well did THAT work out for Dell??? |
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Rocke_T_Sinetist
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Joined: 26 Aug 2005
Posts: 2481
Location: DFW airport
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| Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 8:34 pm Post subject: |
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Right, more intervening bloatware. That will make Microshaft's bloatware work better. 
Ya know, horse stables have been full of that since well before the advent of the automobile.
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Rocke T Sinetist
as in, 'it doesn't take a...' |
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FallenAngel
Super Hater
Joined: 21 Feb 2006
Posts: 1487
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| Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2008 8:12 am Post subject: |
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| Man, just when you thought Dell couldn't perform any stupider stunts, now they come up with this. Even the name Dell evokes laughter from everyone that hears it these days. How sad. |
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