Dell - Pro Support for IT - Are you Kidding?

As some of you know, we are a truly cross-platform business with a 70:30 ratio of PCs to Macs. Historically we have purchased all of our windows hardware from Dell. Having spent several hundred thousand dollars with Dell you can imagine I've had my share of moments. Tech support and parts delivery gone wrong, deceptive bait and switch tactics, and overall ordering chaos have contributed to lots of confusion over the years. Overall though our experiences have been pretty positive and we are pretty happy with the goods and services we have received from Dell. Our current account rep is great and is doing a good job to put a humble but proactive face to our interactions with Dell.

As we do every year, we are ordering a new batch of laptops for upgrades, replacements, and new hires. We always order extended support on our equipment with speedy turnaround on parts and labor. Dell now has some new offerings in the realm of support. One of these offerings is 'Pro-Support for IT'. The idea is that through this support tier IT Professionals are granted speedier response and are able to push through tickets faster because they can do most of the troubleshooting and diagnostics before they even get on the phone with Dell. For me, an IT professional, this sounds great. But, there's a catch. Because of my expertise and my ability to offload some of the troubleshooting from Dell onto my plate, we get to pay extra for this level of service. Ok, so because of my expertise, and my ability to save Dell time, we have the option of paying more for support. Seriously?!? If that's not a sucker move, I don't know what is. Typically when I get the Dell tech on the phone, I just tell them I've completed all of their troubleshooting steps, please just send me a new part, and they do. Now I have the option of paying for that level of service. Not so much.

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Our Latest Launch - Sinusense.com

Today we launched the second in a series of redesigns and microsites for WaterPik in Fort Collins, CO. Last week we relaunched the Professional Oral Health site, and today we launched a microsite dedicated to Waterpik's sinus care line, known as Sinusense.

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Alienware M11x

Ever since the dawn of the Netbook age I've wanted one. Having that level of mobility is critical for me. The problem is that Netbook capabilities are extremely limited because their processing, memory, and other resources are extremely limited. After this year's CES I expected a next generation of Netbooks with meaningful horsepower. Intel delivered a new Atom N450 processor, with no boost in processing and a meaningful decrease in power consumption (thus longer battery life). Booooorrrrrrrriiiiiiinnnnng. I got an email today from Dell which included information about their newest Alienware laptop the M11x. It's basically micro gaming laptop. 11" 720p display, Core 2 Duo processor, 8gb of RAM, 256gb SSD, and 1gb VRAM will make this thing scream. While I won't be gaming with gaming with it, I'll definitely take advantage of the additional power for day to day tasks. Because it's a gaming laptop it's all tricked out with a Lunar Shadow paint job and and Astral Aqua ground effects. It even includes a custom engraved plate. You can't miss it. It's the one that says Badass Motherfucker.

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Our Latest Launch

This morning we launched a vastly new and improved web site for Waterpik Dental Professionals. This is a first in a series site refreshes we are completing across several of their brand. Stay tuned, in the mean time, check it out!

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PowerBook G4 - Now With Reverse Camber

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Our Latest Project - Proveloveheals.com

Take a look at our latest microsite launch for Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers. Proveloveheals.com is a site dedicated to the healing power of love in the battle against cancer. Through webisodes people tell the story of their struggle with cancer, and how the power of love helped them in the healing process. Check it out.

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Comcast Rebranding to Xfinity

Jon was telling me about Comcast rebranding itself to Xfinity last week and believe it or not, Comcast called me later that day to let me know they are going to be changing their network around and adding more channels, etc. (mmm, Xfinity?). They wouldn't confirm if that's when it would be in our area, but they did say they will no longer have analog channels to make room for an improved network.

Xfinity is basically Comcast without Analog stations anymore. That's why everyone needs a digital converter box. Analog stations will be thrown to the streets on March 22nd (according to Comcast). With stations going all digital, TV/ISPs are able to provide more content and higher speeds, hopefully at no attentional charge (/me gives Comcast a suspicious eye-glare).

By the sound of it, we will be getting Xfinity rolled out around late March or early April. Once it's fully rolled out, we can expect over 100 HD channels and huge internet speed boost from 8-16Mbps to 50-100Mbps. Google's experiment is hoping to boost competition with ISPs to lower rates, increase performance, etc. so maybe Comcast is making sure it's customers are happy with their service (Hey, anything can happen these days) before anything gets too serious.

Let's hope this all happens soon. It will definitely happen someday, but the sooner the better!

Here is Comcast's Xfinity page. It's not that great, at least you know it's real! If you are currently a Comcast customer, you should receive a note in the mail once Xfinity has been rolled out in your area.

Thanks to Jon for the heads up!

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