Dell Looking to Pick Up Women With New Website

Dell has launched a new website targeted specifically at women trying to find their way around technology and, while the site itself is a pretty decent concept, some of the stuff is slightly off the mark.

Dell launched Della earlier this week and while you can’t argue that it won’t help the less tech savvy woman find her way around computers, we do wonder why it’s directed at females only. Surely there are men who know very little about computers too, right?

Under ‘Tech Tips’ the site explains how your netbook can help you meditate, “bliss out,” create “soothing” slideshows and, with the help of a program called “Remember the Milk,” track your time, keep lists and “send yourself remembers.” What other tips does Della have for women? Well, did you know that your netbook can also help you find recipes online, store and organize them, watch cooking videos and count calories? You can also download meditation podcasts and watch yoga videos for all those “mini-breaks” you take during the day (which Google Calendars will remind you to take, by the way).

Leaving aside the fact that Dell seems to have suddenly arrived upon the notion that there is an untapped audience out there who were just dying to get connected, but found that, gosh darn it, this technology thing was so confusing, we like the idea of teaching those who aren’t familiar with the ins and outs of a laptop exactly what they can get from their machine. The site does a pretty decent job of explaining the term cloud computing, a phrase that is thrown around a lot these days and likely confuses those unfamiliar with computing to no end. However, it kind of stops there. When you’re buying a laptop through Della, it offers you a limited number of choices: the Inspiron 15, the Studio 15, the Studio 17 and of course, the Mini 10 and 12. Clicking  “Configure” or “Buy Now” sends you to the back to Man World (the regular Dell site).

Dell more than likely won’t target the man who knows nothing about gadgets, but the company could start by making the Della site less pink. Does Dell think we women are immediately pacified by any brand of rose-colored or fuscia hue? Were there any women on the team who designed this thing? I emailed Dell and asked. I’m not holding my breath for an answer, but I’ll update if I get a reply.