Dell Latitude XT Tablet PC: It’s Recall Time
The following is a guest editorial by Rob Bushway, the founder and former owner of GottaBeMobile.com.
Like many men, I take my role as a father very seriously. It is not only my job to teach my children principles in how we live and treat each other, but also to try and model those same principles in my day to day living.
In teaching my children, one of the areas I always stress is that of servant leadership and integrity: be bold and courageous in making decisions, produce excellent work, take ownership and responsibility for decisions you make (especially where you’ve failed), and serve those whom you are called to lead. Serving others is costly, but it is what we are all called to do.
Companies are not exempt from those expectations in servant leadership. In fact, because money is often exchanged for goods and services, servant leadership should be a defacto standard in customer service and not the exception. Unfortunately, as is the case of well documented problems plaguing Dell Latitude XT customers, Dell has not lead by example.
Background
For the sake of brevity, I won’t rehash everything that has plagued the customers who own a Dell Latitude XT Tablet PC. Review the following links for some background on the XT issues:
- GottaBeMobile.com’s Dell Forums (take your pick of posts)
- Dell IdeaStorm
- My Twitter postings
- Dell and N-Trig: I’ve Had It
Today
After having their hand forced in October, Dell indicated that Windows 7 drivers for the XT would be delivered in December. Well, we still don’t have the drivers, and despite calls for an updated status, there have been zero communications from Dell about when we can expect resolution. The current N-Trig Windows 7 drivers that were released in September 2009 are still buggy and have not been updated since, basically relegating my XT to paper-weight status. Others are in a similar boat. What’s worse is that many XT owners continue to experience issues they’ve experienced from day 1 with very little hope on the horizon of anything changing.
It is now day 83 since Windows 7 was launched and we are no further along than when we started. To a large extent, we are at the same place we were when the XT was first released in December 2007. Like many others, I’ve exhausted all of my patience on this issue, and on behalf of all other Latitude XT owners, I’m calling on Dell to man-up and take responsibility for a mess that is theirs and theirs only. It’s time to recall the Latitude XT.
Next Action Steps
Here are the action steps I’m calling on Dell to perform:
1) Issue a voluntary recall of the Dell Latitude XT Tablet PC. Customers who take advantage of the recall can either:
- Exchange their current XT for a non-refurbished / new-off-the-assembly line XT2 Tablet PC, with Windows 7 Professional pre-installed. The replacement system should meet or exceed the specs of their current XT. See # 2 below for the state of expected drivers. Or;
- Request and receive a full refund of the purchase price of their Latitude XT system.
2) Within 45 days of this article, issue fully compliant and working Windows 7 drivers across all system components for the XT and XT2 Tablet PC. The drivers from N-Trig will be fully functional, will not create phantom clicks, will not have digitizer issues when resuming from stand-by / hibernate, and will have zero issues when iTunes is installed. In other words, the system will work and perform as advertised.
3) No longer use the N-Trig digitizer in any future Dell products; address the hardware design issues that contributed to the XT problems for the benefit of future Dell Tablet owners.
Dell, this is your opportunity to prove that you are serious about being a servant leader in the mobile computing industry. Do what’s right by your customers, take ownership of this problem, and deliver expedient solutions.
Category: Editorials, Featured, Hardware
Is anyone on here a lawyer or know a lawyer? Perhaps we really should start putting into action our words and really put some heat on Dell and N-Trig. My XT has NEVER performed as advertised and it seems that I am suppose to accept this.
Since buying the XT, I have had almost every part replaced. Granted I did get it from the outlet. I had a Gateway tablet-PC for two years before it finally gave up and died from a short in the wring that snaked though the hinge.
I have gotten the top, bottom, motherboard, screen, and battery. The only part that is still the same as when I got it would be the hard-drive, keyboard and the power brick. It is not even a year since I bought it. (I did get it from the Dell Outlet Store)
I would really love if I could actually use my tablet for the reason that I shelled out so much money. I would love to be able to sit down, take notes on it and actually have them look like something that may be readable. I’d love if my computer did not randomly click the start bar and open random programs. I’d love if touch actually worked. I’d love if my mouse actually worked, where it did not go haywire and start to act really funny.
Right now, I have touch turned off, I don’t use my pen, because of the random straight lines.
Really all I want is a work horse like my Gateway tablet. I gave it hell and all it did was ask for more. It took the techs at Circuit City to finally do it in. I thought that the Dell XT was that work horse. I was wrong.
I am still very puzzled about why Dell and N-Trig between them cannot work the bugs out of the XT’s digitizer problems. Unlike Rob, I still see the potential of the N-Trig digitizer.
Mine works beautifully (and I do mean beautifully, I love the feel of the XT writing and touch when it’s working) for ten or fifteen minutes and then touch drops out. Without warning.
Just quits.
Because of problems with the new Windows 7 drivers, I have taken to turning off touch when I am doing a lot of inking, because I keep randomly opening programs from the taskbar when my hand rests against the screen. Now that they’ve killed auto mode, this is a multi-step annoyance.
It really is unfathomable WHY they can’t/won’t address the bugs! People giving away free software are constantly striving to put out bug fixes and make their product as good as it can possibly be. You would think people SELLING a $3,000 tablet pc would be at least as anxious to address problems and keep their customers.
Kudos to you, Rob for being so vigilant. Since joining the XT family almost 2 years ago, I have gone through the entire spectrum of emotions regarding the XT, N-trig, et al. Sadly, to add to my frustration, I am now receiving a pop-up saying my battery is nearing the end of it’s normal and natural life. Murphy’s Law and the XT go hand in hand apparently.
DELL XTinks
I have friends with HP tx2000 series tablets (which were much cheaper than my Latitude XT) who are much happier with their computers. I guess it serves me right for buying a first-generation product from a company that’s never been known for creating anything new.
I’m not too experienced in the way of corporate recalls and such – is there any chance that Rob’s call might actually be answered?
Wholeheartedly agree. The issues with this tablet have become so numerous over it’s life. As i type this the n-trig digitizer is phantom clicking all over the place.
Hi Gang,
Just wanted to let everyone know that I sent an email to Michael Dell’s address and in fact received a response. After being escalated to a manager of some sort Dell is going to replace my refurbed XT with a brand new XT2. I won’t get to name my specs but I just received the order confirmation last night.
I would recommend that everyone contact Dell directly and express your discontent. My guess is that they realize there is nothing they can do about the XT and don’t want to be hit with a class-action lawsuit.
Cheers!
Wow, that’s great news. Can you please tell us what you said in the email?
Shan: based on that info, and what I’m hearing from others, I would encourage anyone with XT issues to call Dell and get your case going.
I’m hearing lots of reports of Dell sending replacement systems (which is common policy for them when customers get lemons – they have a lemon policy), although depending on your case that may not happen for you.
So, I opened another case with Dell tonight but the tech didn’t even bother to offer to help. I did send an e-mail to a support tech (and her manager) who handled my system swap because of issues I was having with the TPM. What is Michael Dell’s e-mail address? I have no problems sending him a note…I just want this problem fixed.
I went ahead and opened a warranty case tonight. I have been getting BSOD’d way too often lately and so I let this issue take the lead for my current list of complaints. I have prepared a concise list of specific issues and am prepared to fight to the death…of my XT. Good luck to all who take up the cause.
I’ve had a case open for about two weeks now, trying to fix a “malfunctioning keyboard”. Dell have tried to swap out two keyboards, and a system board before sending it to the depot. When I received my XT back today, it worked for about five minutes before becoming unresponsive again. So I’ve called Dell, and they informed me that I will be receiving a swap. I’m really hoping for an XT2 and not a refurbed XT. Is that wishful thinking?