The Dell Venue 8 Pro is a Windows 8.1 tablet that sells for an unbeatable $299 and runs regular Windows 8.1 programs
Dell Venue 8 Pro – a real value in an 8″ Windows 8.1 tablet
I am starting a series on tablets you should consider if you plan to give someone a tablet this holiday season, or for yourself. I will review the iPad Air and Surface 2 next.
The first tablet on your short list should be the Dell Venue 8 Pro 32 GB Tablet (Windows 8.1)
The Dell Venue 8 Pro has a 8″ HD touch screen, runs full Windows 8.1 and gets top marks from users.
That is probably the lowest priced tablet in the Windows 8.1 family and it’s no slacker. Considering the 64GB version is only $50 more at $349.99, I would recommend you skip the 32GB tablet. You can not add memory to a tablet later and you can never have enough memory.
The Apple iPad Mini with 64GB costs a whopping $599 and a Surface 2 costs $549 for the same size of memory. You could almost spread the love buying 2 of the Dell Venue 8 Pro’s for that kind of money.
What Do You Get with a Dell Venue 8 Pro
Dell Venue 8 Pro runs full Windows 8.1
The Dell Venue 8 Pro comes with a full Windows 8.1 operating system so you can run all the same software that comes on your desktop Windows 8.1. That’s because it has a real Intel Atom Z3740D Processor with 2MB Cache running 1.8GHz Quad-Core.
Intel has released its latest generation of Atom processors and they give you great battery life (about 10 hours), perform very well and run standard Windows software. This is not an RT device.
With only 2 GB of RAM there are limitations so don’t try to run full Photoshop, but who needs that any way? Many professional photographers have dropped Photoshop for Adobe Lightroom which costs less, is easier to run and has a free trial download.
Personally, I use Windows Live Essentials Photo Gallery which is free and has great editing capabilities.
Who is the Dell Venue 8 Pro for?
The Dell Venue 8 Pro is for people who already have Windows at home or work. I don’t think diehard Apple-aholics are going to shift to Windows but you now get the same look and feel as your Windows 8.1 computer.
It’s actually not that hard to shift from Apple iPad to a Windows 8 tablet. The apps don’t transfer but most of your purchased music and videos does.
The trick with the Venue Pro is think smaller, smaller price, smaller screen and smaller apps and programs. The nice thing is you are not limited to what’s available for Windows RT and Windows 8.1 apps, although Windows 8.1 apps will run.
Don’t feel like you will be an outcast using a Windows tablet. By Christmas, over 350 million people use Windows 8 or 8.1 on their computers. This is the first season for really good Windows tablets that you might want to own and the Dell Venue 8 Pro looks like a winner.
The 8″ screen is only 800HD but that is not important on an 8″ screen. A lot of attention is paid to speeds and feeds in reviews but in reality most of us just want a reasonably priced tablet not the Porsche.
What you get with the Dell Venue 8 Pro
- a license to Microsoft Office Home and Student 2013 (non business use only)
- enough free apps to keep you and your loved one busy for months
- a free 7 GB SkyDrive account of cloud file storage which means you can get your files anywhere Wi-Fi works
- MicroSD, SDHC and SDXC expansion
- 1.2 MP front-facing lens or video chat with the 5 MP rear-facing camera
- Dual-band WiFi and Bluetooth
- Miracast wireless technology for streaming to your TV
- Micro-AB USB2.0 (for trickle charging and data transfer)
- Headphone and microphone combo jack,
- and your choice of black color.
What you don’t get is a keyboard, or a cover, so plan on getting a Bluetooth keyboard for heavy-duty writing.
The Reviews Are In
Over at Amazon.com, the user reviews give the Dell Venue 8 Pro
The top review of 24 from CincyTriGuy says,
I’ve had this device for a few days and I’m pretty surprised at how much I like it. I originally questioned the value of an 8″ tablet – I got a Surface RT the day they launched and now have a Surface 2 and felt that I wouldn’t want anything smaller. But now I’m not so sure.
The other reviews are pretty thorough so I’ll just highlight what’s top of mind for me:
* Performance: The performance on this little thing is awesome, surprisingly so actually. Apps launch and switch very quickly.
* Screen: The screen is fantastic. Very sharp, great viewing angles, and great colors. It’s a joy to look at.
* Battery: I haven’t formally tested the battery life all the way to zero, but based on the drain I’m seeing so far, the stated 10 hours seems reasonable.
* Build: Feels like a solid, durable device.
So far it’s been a great companion device for me. I’ve been doing things like using the Reading List app built into Windows 8.1 to save webpages from my desktop that I read later on the Dell; the Kindle app; social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram; catching up on my RSS feeds; and of course email and general web browsing. I have the stylus on order and intend to use it to take handwritten notes with OneNote. And I know it will come in handy for watching movies when traveling, just haven’t had it long enough for that yet. And it’s small enough that I can pretty much take it with me everywhere, it’s my digital man-purse. 🙂
I think it’s a bit unfair to list screen size as a con, or to say it’s too small for running Office. That’s kind of like buying a small TV then giving it a poor review for being too small to watch movies. If you intend to use Office, and you’re buying an 8″ device, you should know going in that it’s going to be tiny. But it’s definitely fair to say that you’ll need a keyboard and mouse if you intend to use any Desktop app, and even then, it will be tiny.
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