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Dell Accepts Bitcoin as Payment Option

July 19, 2014 By Deborah Cobing Leave a Comment

Five years ago, Bitcoin was started. Few people believed the digital currency will actually catch on. But on Friday the announcement that Dell accepts Bitcoin does not come as a surprise. Dell claims to be the biggest retailer so far to accept Bitcoin as payment. According to a report conducted by Pew Research Internet Center, one of the biggest threats to the Internet is the loss of democracy. Well, Bitcoin seems to act in the opposite direction.

Initially, when Bitcoin was at the beginnings, its novel character helped companies attract new customers. Now, New York Times concludes, using digital money is seen as a method to lower payment processing fees. Bitcoin went a long way from the initial libertarian dream. The state of New York announced that it will take measures towards regulating digital currency. Regulation might encourage mainstream involvement with Bitcoin and the like. Bitcoin fluctuated from just a few cents to more than $1000, now revolving around $600. Techcrucnh says it is a strong correlation between Bitcoin’s price and media interest in the topic.

Dell accepts Bitcoin in collaboration with Coinbase

Making Bitcoin payments possible is not an easy task. Dell had to collaborate with Coinbase to create a Bitcoin payment system. Coinbase, a third-party payment processor, came to Dell with the proposal just two weeks ago. The partnership objective is to get the Bitcoin payment system on its feet in time for the back to school shopping. Conbase is already a widely engaged company. Around 35.000 businesses use their services for online payments and Overstook is one of them.

So how will you buy a Dell laptop with Bitcoin? After you will select the product and Bitcoin as a payment method, you will be redirected to Coinbase website to finish the transaction. Coinbase accepts two types of bitcoin payments. One is directly through a payment address which is generated, and the second is through QR scanning, according to maximumpc.com.

From now on Dell accepts Bitcon and with this occasion, the Alienware gaming laptops from Dell, are placed in a special promotion program. If you decide to buy an Alienware laptop and decide to pay with Bitcoins, you will enjoy a 10 percent or up to $150 discount. Dell accepts Bitcoin, but initially it will be available only for customers from the U.S. If everything goes according to plan, we will see Dell accepting Bitcoin internationally.

Dell Venue 11 Pro Now On Pre-Order, Range Starts At $500

November 8, 2013 By Jack M. Robinson Leave a Comment

The Amazon Kindle HDX 8.9 which happens to be the most expensive in the Kindle Fire line of tablets has started shipping. The tablet which comes with an 8.9 inch display offers a stunning resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels but is priced quite reasonably at $379. Other general specifications of the tablet include 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal storage to start with. At its core, it’s a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad core chip that does duty which ensures the table is able to ward off almost anything that is thrown at it.

Also, all of the above is packed within a case that is quite compact and handy, weighing in at just a shade on the other side of 13 ounce while being only 0.31 inches thick. Overall, the tablet does make a strong case for itself on the back of the hardware pieces that it comes packed with though it also marks the departure of Amazon’s traditional area of dominance, the low cost tablet market. The Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 is still among the cheapest if the specs it comes with is taken into account but far from the affordable devices that Amazon has been known to come up with.

To compare the other product available from Amazon, at $229 there is the 7 inch model of the same Kindle Fire which has a screen resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels. About tablets that command a higher price tag is the iPad Mini with 7.9 inch Retina display which comes for $400.

Another aspect to consider is that this tablet from Amazon has limited third party app compatibility. Users would get access to apps, music, eBooks and movies that are available at Amazon stores alone, even though the tablet is Android based. The iPad if one compares would have far greater third party app available to it.

Users could consider joining the Prime membership club of Amazon for $79 as annual subscription. There would be ample apps, free video streaming and access to Kindle Owners Lending Library, member would be able to check out one book per month from this library. The tablet therefore must not be totally written off due its high price. There are however other tablets like those form Samsung, Kobo etc which would come at a lower price and more third party app support.

Dell is Targeting the Budget Android Tablet Segment With its Venue 7 And Venue 8 Devices

October 21, 2013 By Georgia Dawson Leave a Comment

To add competition and alternatives available to consumers in the tablet sector, Dell has pitched its bit with their Venue 7 and Venue 8 tablet devices. Both the tablets have been priced competitively, it being $149 for the Venue 7 and $179 for the Venue 8. This no doubt makes for a compelling choice for those searching for a replacement for their existing Android tablets. The Dell tablets would be running Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean out of the box but will be upgradeable to Android 4.3 when the same is made available by Dell. What makes the Dell tablet offering unique is that both are built around Intel Atom chips.

Coming to specific details, the Venue 7 comes with a 1280 x 800 pixel screen of 7 inch dimension. The display is based on IPs technology that allows for better viewing angles. For its processing power the tablet is powered by an Intel Atom Z2560 Clover Trail+ processor clocking at 1.6 GHz. The onboard memory is 2 GB and storage capacity is 16 GB. It comes with an expandable microSD card slot of 32 GB. The tablet also has two cameras with the rear one of 3 MP while the front is just a VGA unit. It can take on connectivity to other devices via its micro USB port.

With a similar screen resolution, comes the Venue 8 though the display is stretched out to 8 inches. The price tag is $30 more than the Venue 7, which is justified by the inclusion of a faster processor that is rated at 2 GHz. That is not all as the Venus 8 also offers a better camera setup, equipped as it is with 5 MP and 2 MP camera respectively. The Venue 8 also has a higher internal memory storage capacity of 32 GB.

For wireless connectivity the tablets support Wi-Fi up to Wireless N. It also sports Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS. PC Mag had predicted the tablets to come with HSPA+ Modem which has been noted to be missing. This must be as the tablets are not meant for high end use and rather for browsing and social media enthusiast, who would not require such high end applications requiring HSPA+ modems for internet speed.

Dell Tablet PCs on More Focus Now:Dell Turns into a Private Company

September 15, 2013 By Jack M. Robinson Leave a Comment

Dell has been rated as the third in the list of PC makers in the market today. A conflict with its CEO, Michael Dell and Carl Ichan from Southeastern Asset Management and T. Rowe Price had been raging for some time now which Reuter informs has been settled. Michael Dell gets to buy Dell Inc private for a sum of $25 billion. Carl Ichan and his company had been a major shareholder in the company.

With this, there would be a change in focus of the company and along with computers, the company plans to invest more in tablets also. After the vote authorising his take over, Michael Dell announced more focus towards marketing and distribution was the need of the day. Tablets would be their area of focus along with computers which is facing a downward trend in the market today, as per the CEO.

The new structure would help in the company furthering its dreams and therefore shareholders desire, is what the CEO mentioned at the meeting. That they have been able to shrug off the continuous hurdles placed by Carl’s Asset Management Company setting targets and holding up progress due its scrutiny of the transactions would mean rapid progress now a possibility.

The founder and CEO of Dell did not elaborate on the issue of layoffs with the new set up. Dell has a long way to go as yet for a complete resurgence to pit against players like HP and the likes who have gained quite a foot hold in the tablet market already. Many of the shareholders who voted for the takeover did mention that they were not sure but wanted to give it a try.

Dell has had a luke warm response to their tablet efforts so far though with slumping demand for PCs, the company has no other choice but to go for the lucrative tablet segment all over again. For this, it is banking on the new Windows 8.1 platform which they believe will make for the best business oriented tablet device. The company already has a Windows 8.1 based tablet in the making based on the new Intel Atom bay Trail chip. The tablet which also comes with a stylus carries a tentative price tag of $400 which is quite competitive. However, the company has also stated they are not giving up on Android altogether and tablet devices based on the Google OS will also be in its thrust areas.

Dell to Launch 11 Inch Convertible Laptop to Pit Against Lenovo Yoga 11S

July 13, 2013 By Troy Rubenson Leave a Comment

By the end of the year, Dell is planning to roll out a 11 inch convertible laptop powered with Windows 8 OS. The new laptop should be available for purchase by the holiday season this year. The laptop is called Dell XPS 11 ultrabook.

The convertible laptop, Dell XPS 11 will come with a hinged keyboard which will allow you to use it like a tablet PC. The ultrabook was showcased at the Computex computer event which was held on Monday at Taipei.

The 11 inch screen of Dell XPS 11 offers a display resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels. The display technology is IPS display which remains bright from any angle you view it. The screen is powered with a very responsive digitizer which even responds to slight pressure exerted from a pen.

The ultrabook weighs 2.5 pounds and it is very slim measuring only half an inch. It comes with a SSD hard drive and a powerful Core i5 CPU along with Intel HD 4400 GPU. Dell’s spokesperson addressed that the laptop was only unveiled at the Computex event but the official launch is yet to take place. Dell has not revealed any details on the pricing and when the device will be available for sale.

The Dell XPS 11 is expected to compete with several other 11 inch sized ultrabooks. However, the company mainly aims to pit the XPS 11 against the Lenovo’s new Yoga 11S which is 11.6inch ultrabook. You can bend the Yoga 11S to use it as a tablet PC or you can make it stand upright as a display monitor. The Yoga 11S is a predecessor model to Yoga 11 which was powered with Windows RT.

The Lenovo Yoga 11S is already available for sale on Lenovo’s website. It is available in two colors, silver gray and orange. The device is powered with Core i3 CPU and comes with 4GB RAM and 128GB SSD hard drive. It is priced at $800. The other version of the Yoga 11S is powered with Core i7 CPU that comes with 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD hard drive.

The 11.6inch HD display of the tablet is supports a display resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels and it also supports multi-touch. It has got a 720p high definition camera onboard. The predecessor model which came out with a distinguished flip and multi-mode design had received good reception from the world and now Lenovo wishes to continue the trend.

Lenovo’s Yoga 11S is already available for preorder and the orders are expected to ship to the customers on 23^rd June. So, Lenovo has begun half a year early than Dell. Dell XPS 11 is an attractive ultrabook but by the time it rolls out in the market, Lenovo’s Yoga 11S may record a lot of sales. We hope Dell rolls out the new ultrabook at an affordable price.

Dell XPS 12 Features Intel Haswell Chip, Boots Better Performance and Battery Life

June 18, 2013 By Georgia Dawson 1 Comment

The Dell XPS 12 convertible machine had won many awards for its looks which were highlighted by the hinge made up of aluminum. This gave the touch screen a flipping effect which was much appreciated by its users. Also the base made up of Carbon Fiber added to its sturdy feel. There is news about Dell coming up with an upgraded XPS 12.

The highlight of the changes will be more to do with the internals of the device than its exteriors. It is going to have the Intel made Haswell processor at its core, which in turn will boost battery backup times to an impressive 9.5 hours. That will be almost a two-fold jump over the 5 hours that the current XPS 12 is now capable of. Endgadget reports that the upgraded XPS 12 would be coming with a price tag of $1200 and will be available from 9 June.

The other feature which the newly furbished Dell machine would have is the near-field-communications feature which is a chip that Microsoft unveiled at the TechEd conference held recently. This would provide ability to the machine for connecting to printers over the air. This feature would however be available when Dell upgrades the OS to Windows 8.1, which is slated for next year. Users would get the upgrade for free. Other features that users would enjoy with the OS upgrade are the advanced features of the music and video apps as well as ability to customize the home screen.

Microsoft on their part have mentioned that just by replacing the processor with their Haswell chip any machine would experience an improved battery life by about one third the previous time span.

Del is also planning to come up with a new XPS 11model. That would come with an 11 inch screen that is foldable. The base would be so thin and the overall gadget so light that the experience would be a treat. Details about this machine are very scarce with no word coming from Dell about it.

Dell XPS 10 Windows RT Tablet Price Cut, Now Available for $299

May 15, 2013 By Deborah Cobing 1 Comment

Windows RT is the mobile-friendly version of the desktop version of Windows 8. It was launched with great hype but sadly Windows RT tablets are not showing good results as far as sales are concerned. The reason behind it is that the market has got plenty of tablets already.

Since the makers are unable to find much success with the Windows RT, the Dell XPS 10 tablet that is powered with Windows RT is now being sold at a reduced price of $299. When the tablet was released, it was priced at $499. The current price shows that the manufacturers have considerably reduced the price of the Dell XPS 10 tablet.

You can say that the Dell XPS 10 tablet is the cheapest tablet in the market that is powered with Windows RT. The hardware specs of the device are not bad. It has got 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU, a 10inch display screen that supports 1366 x 768 resolution, internal storage of 32GB, dedicated slot for external memory, front and rear camera and a battery that delivers battery life of up to 10 hours.

As far as the specs are concerned, the device seems to be very competitive. The major problem that has considerably reduced the sale of the device is the Windows RT OS. The Windows RT brings apps like Microsoft Office and Metro Tiles user interface. A major problem associated with Windows RT is that it does not allow you to install programs of your choice. If you want to install any software, you need to access Windows Store and check whether the software is listed there or not. If it is not listed, you won’t be able to install it.

Samsung and Acer are no longer developing devices to run on Windows RT OS. Things can be become better for Windows RT users in the near future. The recent announcement from the Microsoft camp revealed that very soon they will be releasing the Windows 8.1 update for free. The update will be able to bring significant performance enhancements to both Windows 8 and Windows RT.

Dell is trying to grab potential customers’ attention by highlighting that Dell XPS 10 tablet which is available for $299 is limited time offer. Windows RT is clearly showing signs that the OS has failed to meet Microsoft’s expectations. We hope that the Windows 8.1 update to RT can make the OS much desirable and user-friendly.

Dell accepts Bitcoin in collaboration with Coinbase

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