I'm starting a new forum - it's time for you to join!

Many of the readers of this blog (and the articles I write for CPU and Custom PC) consist of Wall Street regulars, enthusiasts of technology, start-up owners, and early adopters. The forum we are creating is a great place to share ideas and concepts with like minded individuals such as yourself. I am starting this as a pilot and if it`s successful it will continue.

You may visit this group to discuss anything related to hi-tech companies, to pitch new ideas and technologies, and to learn more about the companies you’re investing in. I imagine it will be slow to start, but hopefully we'll build a new and interesting community. I am hoping to learn about new technologies along the way, you never know what might come out of it. In the meantime please excuse the work in progress, there will be many modifications along the way - especially during the beginning.

I am heading to Dubai and India for about five weeks, so I thought I would launch just before I left. I'll monitor it along the way - and I'll try and appoint some moderators as well.

So you're all welcome to join 328KPH.com Rahul Sood's official Tech Entrepreneur & Investor Forum.

You just can't pay for P.R. like this :)

I can't stop laughing about this. It has to be the best P.R. campaign ever - and we didn't even try!

Charlie, you are a man of your word, don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Be on the lookout for a Pink Bunny at IDF...

We are in a bit of a quiet period at the moment as we are planning to announce some new products shortly. That being said I’ve been put to work (no time to shave even!) and I have had no time to provide any significant updates – please bear with us until early October.

In the meantime I wrote up a (fantastic?) article on Intel Kentsfield for CPU Magazine. I think it's a must read for all enthusiasts looking to upgrade to something new this fall. I still get a good laugh from many of the die-hard Intel Fanboys who continue to accuse me of being biased, they obviously don't get it. Regardless of what they (or anyone else) says, I will continue to call it like I see it.

For now, be on the lookout for a pink bunny at the Intel Developer Forum. You probably know him as Charlie from the Inquirer – as many of you know he lost the bet and he’s going to pay dearly for it.

If you see him there please give him a hug from all of us at Voodoo, he’s a great sport and we want this event to be somewhat memorable.

If you haven’t been following “the bet” here is the original thread linked to the series.

Help Design the Bunny Suit: Win a Prize...

I must apologize for not writing any updates since E3. The bottom line is I have been travelling more now than ever before, and I am currently sitting in the San Francisco airport and I thought I would grab a few minutes to write a blog.

In the meantime I thought I'd write a quick note to Charlie at the Inquirer. Many of you recall the bet we had where I said Dell would eventually come around and carry AMD... It looks like this is indeed the case and AMD's stock is going crazy in after hours trading.

I don't think this is the last surprise, this is simply the beginning...

Over the next week or so I plan to write a few articles on PC Gaming, what I saw at E3, and the future of our industry. I will also soon talk about the consolodation of graphics and CPU, I believe there is convergence in these technologies in the future. In the meantime I can't talk too much about Conroe other than to say I am very impressed with the performance - it's $%*#ing fast man, seriously. I still think yields may be low to start , but I think Voodoo will be alright with allocation...

Last note (back on topic): I want to get some ideas for the bunny suit decoration for Charlie at the Inquirer. Please feel free to grab his picture from the blog and do your best in Photoshop... We are allowed to hang a sign around his neck, so the best photo wins.

The winner will receive a very cool signed Voodoo EDGE Mousepad...

Dellienware: Will Aliens get abducted?

UPDATE March 22, 2006: Looks like I was right.

I recently wrote a column for the upcoming issue of Custom PC Magazine. You’ll have to pick up a subscription to read it, as I said before this is among the best “hardware lifestyle” magazines in the world. Although Computer Power User, PC Gamer, and Maximum PC are also among my favorites, Custom PC is fantastic; the photography is good enough to eat, and the layouts are scrumptious.

The story is about Dell and the changes that I think they will go through this year. The column is called “The Bear Hath Awoken”, and the following is the “sequel” to the column.

Dell + Alienware = Dellienware. Is it possible? Yes, at least I think so. I won’t get too far into details as to why I believe this is going to happen, but I will offer some of my thoughts. Even though Dell has never been known to make acquisitions, times are changing and so is their brand positioning.

First we all know that Dell cannot risk losing their stronghold in the server space therefore a potential relationship with AMD is bound to occur. That still leaves the question of the consumer market.

With the recent Intel/Apple relationship it’s clear that 15% (or whatever) of the consumer space for Dell may not be enough. Apple is likely to go to 8% with the help of Intel over the next year or so. The PC gaming market is threatening Dell’s “perceived technology leadership” – and ultimately the consumer space. The Alienware brand is cooler than Dell, and perhaps a likely candidate for Dell to take over based on size alone.

These are just some observations;

1) Dell is not unlike a big bad bear that has been awoken from his hibernation.

2) Dell knows they need to grow, and they need to be perceived as a leading edge company.

3) Dell can’t crack the “cool” factor with the Dell brand.

4) I’m pretty sure if offered a check (cheque for my Canadian/U.K. brothers and sisters) the guys at AW may jump at the chance to cash it.

5) Dell could take on another brand and grow it as an individual brand separate from Dell – perhaps?

Why the potential for a Dellienware and not another?

Alienware is widely considered to be the volume leader in gaming, they have scale. To me scale isn’t as important as “customer experience”, but time will tell if I’m right. I have not for a second ever considered dumping our price in order to compete head to head with Dell like our competition has. I believe the Voodoo brand is all about the experience, and as a result we keep adding more value to our experience – and we will continue to do so regardless if this happens.

On the other hand I can't fault my competition for single handedly taking on a giant. Though I believe it changes their brand position I think they have had Dell in their crosshair for years.

I am not sure about the move for Dell, but I am sure that Steve Jobs is God according to Wall Street, Hollywood, and every mainstream publication – and I think Michael Dell wants to change that. I can think of better ways of changing it, but hey, what do I know? This is all pure speculation.

Whether I am right or wrong AMD is going to win – and Dell may likely come out a winner as well. Imagine what a deal like this does to change our landscape.

This year will certainly be an interesting one no doubt. Of course when I say “Dellienware” I am being facetious, but I believe an acquisition is on the horizon. I'm looking forward to the comments, I think this should make for an interesting topic.

This goes out to Charlie from the Inq: If this does indeed occur I still win and you’re wearing a bunny suit even if I have to throw you in it myself!

..and the bet is on Charlie!

Sorry for the lack of updates, I was in Montreal for the Canadian System Builder Summit for the last few days.

Charlie from the Inquirer received a ton of emails with some great suggestions regarding our bet. We have narrowed it down to what we believe is the best suggestion.

If you want to read what this is all about go here.

We are setting the official deadline for Dell to take on AMD for one week before the fall Intel Developer Forum. I'm not exactly sure when that is, regardless it will give us time to prepare the costume required to complete the transaction.

The loser of the bet shall dress up in a bunny rabbit suit and wear it at the fall IDF for a day. The bunny rabbit suit shall be decorated as the winner sees fit. We're talking about a full on bunny suit here and not just some rabbit ears.

Proof will be provided in the way of a short video, photos, etc. Whatever we can arrange to prove the loser was there.

Why do I let myself get involved in these things? -- Let the games begin!

Charlie Demerjian: Will he lose the bet?

Charlie Demerjian from the Inquirer wearing his bunny suit...

Charlie Demerjian recently posted an article on the Inquirer challenging my recent entry on Dell and AMD.

I don't want to get into all the reasons why I disagree with his analysis, but the long story short is just because AMD has X% market share it does not mean that it will equate to the same market share within Dell. :)

So that being said, he challenged me to a bet - and we still haven't figured out what the loser has to do. If you have any suggestions please submit them to Charlie directly over at the Inquirer over here...

Be creative, and be tasteful. This is a family site so we need to ensure that Charlie doesn't wind up in offensive or compromising positions.

Dell and AMD: No longer a matter of "if"?

I am not a big gambler, but I’m about to go out on a limb.

My goal when I started writing publicly was to create interesting truthful (some might say opinionated) articles on the industry with a fresh perspective. At the same time it gives me the opportunity to offer intimate insight on VoodooPC and what we do.

Even though Voodoo is a small boutique company I believe we have our finger on the pulse of the industry. We tend to see industry trends months (or years in some cases) before the mainstream market takes notice. We witness all of this by crafting the most bleeding edge luxury PC systems available today. By testing all of the latest hardware we almost always see industry shifts well ahead of time.

I hold Dell in high regard, even when the channel partners “beat people up” who use Dell laptops at channel meetings - you have to give it hand it to them. Ten million PCs in a quarter is nothing to sneeze at. In July of 2005 I wrote a controversial article entitled “Is it time for Dell to file for Divorce?” I wrote the article to simply question why a company as leading edge as Dell wouldn’t consider using the best technology in their systems. I am sure there are many reasons why they haven’t pulled the trigger until now, and only Dell can answer those.

Are you ready for this?

After all the writing, and living, eating, and breathing the technology day and night – I am now of the mind that the Dell AMD relationship is not just a matter of speculation, I would say it is imminent, and it is not a question of “if” but “when”. Even though analyst Ben Lynch and other analysts quelled these rumors, I still challenged them with their recommendations here, here, and here. Looking back I recall they put a sell recommendation on AMD with targets pinned squarely at $26 - and here we are today and it’s holding strong at $40+. In this business you can’t simply depend on analysts to make industry predictions, you have to understand the technology and realize how it affects the industry.

Dell needs AMD in order to get back in front of the Tier 1 OEM pack. They need to procure the best technologies, and they probably realize that they need to offer choices. I imagine Michael Dell is looking forward to reinvigorating his brand, and creating excitement within his company again.

Dell can no longer do business with an Intel only relationship. You can argue with me until you’re blue in the face, but when Dell finally transitions some of their products to AMD those with blinders on might become green in the face instead. It’s probably best that people in the channel prepare themselves, and realize that Dell procuring AMD products will only increase AMD’s ability to innovate new and exciting technologies.

So as I sit back and prepare myself for the onslaught I have to weigh the pros and cons of AMD doing a deal with Dell. On one hand I imagine Dell will do whatever it takes to expand its business, and rightfully so. On the other hand there is the matter of the high end luxury PC market of which the Voodoo brand has settled in nicely. I consider it a pending challenge – and the PC industry is much like the automotive industry, there is room for Ferrari and there is room for GM.

Will AMD allow Dell to cherry pick their best components and leave the rest for the others? Doubtful, knowing the AMD of today I would suggest that they will be calling the shots and they will ensure that there is a decent spread of technology throughout their portfolio.

Dell also has other markets to attack, including the server market - I imagine this will be their largest focus as they ramp up to launch a full line of Opteron 64 based servers. In the server market there is some heated competition between Sun, HP, Dell, and boutique companies like Rackable. Pure speculation here, but the recent news of a Dell Google relationship has me thinking that Google may eventually buy Opteron based servers from Dell.

That leads into the possibility of acquisitions. Dell will probably consider making acquisitions of companies who use AMD products in their systems in order to expand their portfolio. Certainly Dell can manage by themselves, but the possibility of acquisitions means that they can accelerate into certain markets quicker while expanding their growth potential. Dell doesn’t have a history of making acquisitions, but then again they don’t have a history of dealing with AMD either. Times are changing.

So with that being said I would say that this is good news for AMD and Dell. AMD should tread carefully as they are going into un-chartered waters, but generally speaking current AMD customers should view this as good news. It’s clear that AMD will not replace Intel completely for Dell, but it will be nice to see them finally get the recognition they deserve.

Then again, I could be wrong, and this article could end up with the rest of the rumors, bunk, and speculation. If I am right, let’s just hope AMD doesn’t forget their roots….though something tells me that they won’t.