Dell Venue 8 Pro, thoughts?

[OhHaiThere]

OP, since you were asking for opinions, just wanted to mention one thing which was of concern (realistically a little gripe, but it's important to me). There's only one USB port and it happens to be the one used for both charging and peripherals. Wish there were two, but oh well.

 

[hashholly]

The email I got seems to indicate two prices.

$99 for in store B&M (20 p/s)

$199 via Microsoft Online Store (while supplies last)

The way that I read that email from the details is that the early deal is $99 in store (20) and online doorbuster, and the $199 deal is instore (10) and online the rest of the day.

 

[balamw]

The way that I read that email from the details is that the early deal is $99 in store (20) and online doorbuster, and the $199 deal is instore (10) and online the rest of the day.

I read it that way too.

B

 

[Rodster]

The way that I read that email from the details is that the early deal is $99 in store (20) and online doorbuster, and the $199 deal is instore (10) and online the rest of the day.

I didn't read it that way but I AM WILLING TO STAND CORRECTED.

I will be on my comp at 12:01am Monday morning hitting their online store.

----------

OP, since you were asking for opinions, just wanted to mention one thing which was of concern (realistically a little gripe, but it's important to me). There's only one USB port and it happens to be the one used for both charging and peripherals. Wish there were two, but oh well.

Thanks much but that's not an issue for me.

 

[Dontazemebro]

The way that I read that email from the details is that the early deal is $99 in store (20) and online doorbuster, and the $199 deal is instore (10) and online the rest of the day.

Per the Verge it seems like it's $99

" Microsoft's online store is also carrying the offer, with the $99 price for the first 100 orders and then $199 for the rest of the day while stocks last."

Now I just have to find out is it 12am Pacific, Central or Eastern time. Even at $199 that's a helluva deal.

 

[LSUtigers03]

Did anyone get the deal online? I forgot about it and when I checked at 8:30am CT it was at the normal price.

ETA: Looks like the $99 ones are gone. For about 10 minutes the site wouldn't load now the 32gb is at $199 but there's no way to add it to your cart.

 

[Rodster]

Did anyone get the deal online? I forgot about it and when I checked at 8:30am CT it was at the normal price.

ETA: Looks like the $99 ones are gone. For about 10 minutes the site wouldn't load now the 32gb is at $199 but there's no way to add it to your cart.

I tried and their servers were getting hammered. I kept getting placeholder error. When I finally got thru the price changed to $199. After a rethink I'd rather wait for the Nexus 8.

 

[LSUtigers03]

I tried and their servers were getting hammered. I kept getting placeholder error. When I finally got thru the price changed to $199. After a rethink I'd rather wait for the Nexus 8.

I can't even get to the tablets page anymore. When I click on it it just brings me back to the main page. I'll just grab one used later.

 

[Rodster]

Sold Out

 

[LSUtigers03]

I don't know why I ever try to get these deals. Not once has a website ever stayed up long enough for me to buy anything.

 

[Rodster]

I received my Venue 8 Pro from Walmart today and to be quite blunt. This device is worth no more than $99.

It's not the OS that's the problem well sort of cause after an update it killed my Wifi so i'll need to do a system restore. First off I'm way to used to the touch accuracy of the iPad's.

The original Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 was not this bad and it's a close tie between the Venue 8 Pro and the 1st gen Kindle Fire HD 7". If you don't want to break the device from frustration I suggest investing in a stylus pen. Fortunately I have several and was able to improve accuracy but not by much.

The thing gets really hot in the bottom right in Portrait mode. That's probably where the battery is. The fonts are OK but not as clear as it should be. There is something weird about the aspect ratio and resolution because while the font looks rather sharp touch an icon in the system tray will usually result in bringing up something you didn't want. The icons are just too close together.

I'm already frustrated with this device and I've only been using it for a little over an hour lol. If it were a $99-150 tablet I could overlook several things but at $269, it's going back to Wally World.

The one positive is that it does run the FULL version of Windows 8.1 in all it's PC glory.

 

[samiznaetekto]

Got it yesterday for $99 and so far like it. I also bought Dell stylus pen (with "left" and "right" mouse buttons) and it makes input in Desktop mode very easy.

I bought it for two reasons: to code in Visual Studio on the road, and to keep up with the modern Windows technology, since I've been out of Microsoft ecosystem for several years. I already have rMini and Nexus 7, so I don't need it much for casual usage (web, email, maps, etc), but at $99 it's a steal. I would have bought it for $199, too, but not for $299.

 

[spinedoc77]

I received my Venue 8 Pro from Walmart today and to be quite blunt. This device is worth no more than $99.

It's not the OS that's the problem well sort of cause after an update it killed my Wifi so i'll need to do a system restore. First off I'm way to used to the touch accuracy of the iPad's.

The original Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 was not this bad and it's a close tie between the Venue 8 Pro and the 1st gen Kindle Fire HD 7". If you don't want to break the device from frustration I suggest investing in a stylus pen. Fortunately I have several and was able to improve accuracy but not by much.

The thing gets really hot in the bottom right in Portrait mode. That's probably where the battery is. The fonts are OK but not as clear as it should be. There is something weird about the aspect ratio and resolution because while the font looks rather sharp touch an icon in the system tray will usually result in bringing up something you didn't want. The icons are just too close together.

I'm already frustrated with this device and I've only been using it for a little over an hour lol. If it were a $99-150 tablet I could overlook several things but at $269, it's going back to Wally World.

The one positive is that it does run the FULL version of Windows 8.1 in all it's PC glory.

Odd, maybe you have a defective unit. I was pretty impressed with the touch accuracy, especially with the tiny desktop mode. I didn't keep mine though because I either need a full size tablet, or something pocketable like 6" and the v8p just straddled that line too much.

 

[balamw]

it's a close tie between the Venue 8 Pro and the 1st gen Kindle Fire HD 7".

Ouch. My kindle fire sits here uncharged and unloved since I got the iPad mini, which I love.

Several reviews around the web have similar issues with the touch accuracy, which was ultimately the reason I didn't brave the snow and try to pick one up on Monday. I still think I want a device with a Wacom digitizer, exactly for this reason. Either a Surface Pro 2 or a Lenovo Tablet 2 may be the better device for my needs.

B

 

[Rodster]

I guess i'm not the only one with Wiff-fee issues as well. Someone on Amazon reported the something after doing Windows updates. The person restored the device to factory settings, performed the Windows updates and no Wiff-fee again.

Yeah for me the touch accuracy is a bummer but having no Wiff-fee after updating the OS is a definite deal breaker.

 

[Rodster]

Amazon dropped the price to $234 if anyone is interested.

 

[balamw]

Amazon dropped the price to $234 if anyone is interested.

All I saw was third party sellers at $288 and up.

B

 

[spinedoc77]

Amazon dropped the price to $234 if anyone is interested.

Microcenter has them for $229 regular price, but in store only. I wonder if upcoming tablets are much nicer, or if this is setting off a price war for upcoming tablets to compete with.

 

[slitherjef]

I picked up the 64gb version from amazon. Have not done much of anything with it really. It does seem pretty nice and totally different from the rest of the pack out there. Got it mostly to tinker with.

 

[alex2792]

I picked one up over Thanksgiving weekend and it's pretty damn awesome. It's basically a real computer in 8in form factor so it obviously destroys iPads and android tablets in functionality.

 

[slitherjef]

Just had an error that required a restart on this thing. Driver. Trying to pair a bluetooth keyboard to the device. It found the device, but would not pair. So after trying a couple times, I turned off bluetooth then turned it back on a moment later resulting in the crash.

After having the thing for a couple days I am thinking perhaps I should have just got the iPad. Maybe more tinkering with the thing will change my mind.

 

[Mcdevidr]

Have any of you tried miracast with the dell venue pro 8? I'm curious if it's good enough for watching video or playing some emulators.

 

[laserfox]

Have any of you tried miracast with the dell venue pro 8? I'm curious if it's good enough for watching video or playing some emulators.

I just sent back my miracast adapter to amazon. I was using the Netgear P2TV3000 and found performance inadequate. Its goodfor simple tasks like coding on a bigger screen or web browsing but videos lags and music stutters. In the end i found i hardly ever used it so i sent it back. I have an Xbox so i use PLAY TO to send video/music wirelessly so I dont need miracast for that.

Play to works much better for video/audio (DLNA) it just doesn't mirror the tablet screen.

 

[Mcdevidr]

I just sent back my miracast adapter to amazon. I was using the Netgear P2TV3000 and found performance inadequate. Its goodfor simple tasks like coding on a bigger screen or web browsing but videos lags and music stutters. In the end i found i hardly ever used it so i sent it back. I have an Xbox so i use PLAY TO to send video/music wirelessly so I dont need miracast for that.

Play to works much better for video/audio (DLNA) it just doesn't mirror the tablet screen.

Thanks. That's saves me from buying the net gear from amazon. My cousin said the one he picked up for me worked pretty well with the new samsung blu ray player that has widi. I'll have to wait and just check it out when I go up there to pick it up.

 

[ZBoater]

I just got mine and I can unequivocally say...

WOW.

Full Windows 8.1 in a package just slightly larger than a Nexus 7. I installed Quicken, Chrome, and Zork just to mess with it. You can use the Metro interface but hit the desktop button and BAM! Full Windows.

Is is very snappy, and the screen looks very nice. For the price, this thing is amazing. Can't wait to get my hands on a DVP11.