February, 2009

Readers of Direct2Dell know that recycling is hardly new terrain for us at Dell. A few minutes ago, we announced that we're making it even easier for customers to responsibly recycle with two major announcements that expand our free recycling program. First, we expanded our U.S. ReConnect recycling partnership with Goodwill Industries to six additional states, including Arkansas, Iowa, Maine, New Hampshire, Oregon and Vermont. The Reconnect program will now also be expanded to include the cities...

Mini is all the rage. If you can't get enough portable electronic devices in your life, the ultra-small inkless Wasabi PZ310 printer may be perfect for you. You might have seen blog post about this little thing on sites like Engadget or Ubergizmo . So, how small is it? It weighs 7 ounces and has dimensions of 4.8 in. x 2.8 in. x 0.9 in. But, it's not just the small size that makes it noteworthy. It also features an inkless technology called ZINK (or zero ink). By that I mean no ink...

This past Tuesday I presented at the Small Business Tech Summit in NYC to talk with small business IT managers and owners about the power of social media and the value of forming relationships with your customers. If you missed the event, you can check out my presentation on the summit Web site . I outlined 10 recommendations that a small business leader can utilize today and, in many cases, the tips are free…..the cost is one’s time. My view is that there is nothing more valuable...

Several folks are interested in the Latitude XT2 – Engadget , SlashGear , Gotta Be Mobile and others have written in anticipation of the coming launch of the Latitude XT2. Rather than making you all wait any longer, we’re unveiling the Latitude XT2 today (Tuesday) instead of tomorrow as speculated here . We hope you like what you see. Click on the image to the left to see a larger version of it. To see more pictures, go here on Dell’s Official Flickr page. To give a bit of...

We’re providing a peek today from Dell on a brand that has been a labor of love for some time. It’s something you’ve never seen before and maybe never thought you’d see from us. And, honestly, you won’t entirely see it just yet. In the coming weeks, we hope you will follow the romance on Adamo by Dell . What you will see are glimpses of the inspired work from the diverse design team behind the product, and much more. Register today to receive breaking news at AdamoByDell...

You may have seen reports from some folks like Engadget and Rob Bushway , or from Dell customers like manquaman and jloudoun , about issues they've had with the digitizer and iTunes or things like video driver crashes. Many of you have reported to us on your Latitude XT where the digitizer stops working after installing iTunes. Dell has been working closely with Gear Software, one of the vendors powering iTunes. We were able to nail down the cause of the problem together with Gear, and...

I'm excited that the keynote speaker for the final day of Dell's IT Executive Summit tomorrow is Kevin Mitnick , a computer security consultant and author, who was incarcerated for more than four years without trial or a bail hearing (according to Wikipedia). He was a world-famous controversial computer hacker in the late 20th century, who was at the time of his arrest, the most wanted computer criminal in United States history (also according to Wikipedia). He now runs a computer security...

Well, first off, to understand the needs of their customers and of the business – that’s why innovation is important. To keep ahead of the current downturn in economy, small business owners must be innovative and able to change directions quickly . Business owners shouldn’t think of innovation as a separate activity, rather they should think of it as something that needs to be intentionally pursued. I found this to be true when I owned a security guard company. For the first...

This is certainly a time of change for companies today. Knowing what to do about it and how to build strength out of adversity takes a lot of work and a willingness to change. When I want great insight into change, I’ve often asked Gary Grates , President and Global Managing Director of Change and Employee Engagement for Edelman. Gary’s walked the hallways of the Fortune 1000 for many years and, more importantly, he’s one of the world’s top experts on “change ”...

I’ve posted previously on Dell’s recycling public policy and our commitment to passing substantive and consumer convenient computer recycling legislation. Last month, the Michigan Senate completed action on a package of bills that comprise a recycling law that is modeled after the legislation that passed in and five other states. The bi-partisan legislation, which passed with a broad range of support including Goodwill and the Michigan Environmental Council makes Michigan the first Midwestern...

While small businesses worldwide recognize that IT is critical to their success, many continue to lag on adoption. Why might this be? Cost, confusion, the return-on-investment? To uncover some answers on small business owners’ rationale for and pain points about technology, Dell and ICSB conducted the second annual International Small Business IT Survey . In a panel discussion at the 2009 United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship Conference , I discussed the survey...

If you haven’t been to the Government’s Small Business Website lately ( http://www.business.gov/index.html ) you might find some surprising new changes. Business.gov helps small businesses understand their legal requirements, and locate government services supporting the nation’s small business community. The graphics are really nice, and with the navigation bar on the right, you can clearly see where to go and how to find the information you’re looking for. One particular...

In the current down economy, the financial services offered by companies are really highlighted. As a small business owner, you should be on the look-out for creative promotions that might allow companies to continue to invest now, even in a down economy. I sat down with Sean Cunningham of Dell Financial Services (DFS) to get a better idea of why leasing may be a good option for small businesses right now and what DFS is all about. So, I asked Sean to go over the pros and cons for leasing technology...

Lots of readers have seen blog posts like those in VentureBeat and CNET that mentions Dell has generated over $1 million in revenue. While we're pleased with that, it's pretty clear that we can do even more. Beginning today, Dell will offer deals from the Dell Outlet exclusive to Twitter in the U.S. With over 11,000 followers, our team wanted to show their thanks to the Twitter world through these new deals which will continue each week. Our team at Dell, by the way, now has over 80 twitter...

We launched a new site today called Dell Social Innovation Competition . Using the same IdeaStorm technology, Dell is partnering with the RGK Center at the University of Texas to sponsor a competition for college students around the world to come up with new ideas to address social causes. The winner of the competition will receive $50,000 to fund their venture! You must be a college student (undergrad or graduate) at a 4-year university to enter, but anyone can comment and vote on the ideas. Learn...

It’s important for businesses, especially small companies, to share successful strategies. Wisdom and creative strategy can be garnered from listening to other businesses tell their story. However, these days, business advice seems to focus on how businesses and individuals can save money in a down economy. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing – But, when the story is all about the numbers, the innovative spirit of the entrepreneur is lost. Today, Dell kicked-off its global call...