I read an article yesterday about the new Dell Island. I was unable to locate it using Search, but I was able to find it using the Map. The four-possibly five-island complex located in the Eastern ocean includes a welcome center (with an orientation tour similar to SL orientation islands), the Dell Factory, an auditorium, a museum, a conference center, a learning center, "Dell City", and a giant computer that you can explore.

All major locations are joined by an aerial tram system that was a little difficult for me to figure out.



At the tram station there are signs for each possible destination. The signs say "Touch Here". If you right click the sign there is an option for "Sit Here" (although sitting on the sign makes no sense) and if you do right click it tells you to move closer. But now I'm so close that I don't notice/can't see the giant white transportation pod that I'm supposed to board. The first time took me about a minute and a half to figure out, subsequent times were also a little awkward because the transportation hubs sometimes span island borders, so you think you should be able to board the pod, but it keeps telling you "move closer" - when you are right under it. I also didn't know a lot about where I was going, so choosing based on the titles was a challenge - for example changing "Dell Giant Computer" to "Explore the interior of a giant Dell computer" might have lured me faster. Hey - still beats wandering and walking :)



Once you've selected a position, your avatar assumes the fetal position in a transportation pod and is whisked to your selected destination. My first stop was the giant computer where I wandered around oversized chips, cables, and (gasp) fans.







Next, I visited the Dell Factory where you can customize your own XPS 1710 at a drafting table or in a more private office area with a sofa.







The touchscreen interface is fairly simple, for example you click "memory" and are then prompted to make a selection between a number of options. The options are presented as scripted text and then you enter the corresponding number in the alert pop-up (a tad complicated - I'd like the options next to the buttons I have to push, likely a SL limitation). When finished, you have the option to purchase, which passes the information through to Dell's website where you complete the customization and perform the actual transaction.

Supposedly there's also an SL PC that performs functions such as alerting you when friends are nearby, but all I saw was the XPS 1710.