Dell Venue 8 Pro

[Tiger8]

Ok I admit it, guilty!

I have an iPhone and an iPad, but the geek in me couldn't help but notice that Dell Venue 8 Pro 8 inch tablet released last year is now in the sub $200 refurb from dell region, so I figured I wasted money on stupid things before so what's one more?

Besides, it comes with Office 2013 license, that alone is $139. I am planning to use it on my laptop rather than tablet (Yes, I'm allowed to do that according to office T&C). so it really ends up being cheap, the tablet itself.

So... I think it's great! It's really small yet not too small (Think iPad mini form factor) and very very very usable. I was impressed that typing on screen is easier than typing on a 10 inch iPad since the keys are closer to each other. Also, Windows 8.1 on a small tablet is actually pretty good, the experience, while not 100% there, is much better than the windows 8 developer beta I tried 3 years ago that had me uninstall it.

I think this one is a keeper. Anyone here used one? Thoughts?

 

[mclld]

I couldnt imagine wanting to use a device that small as a laptop. I think you can dock it and use it with a kbm and monitor, so that is a plus

 

[Tiger8]

I couldnt imagine wanting to use a device that small as a laptop. I think you can dock it and use it with a kbm and monitor, so that is a plus

I don't think it wants to replace your laptop, it's specs are modest and with only 2 GB of RAM, it's not meant to do heavy lifting. Though I have to admit it runs Full Windows 8.1 very smoothly, so it's good to know that some of the legacy software runs great.

It's funny how these tablets at 8, 10, 11, and even 12 inches from various vendors that run full Windows are quickly making Surface RT and Nokia tablet obsolete, why would you go for any of them?

 

[ozaz]

Wish it had 4:3 screen and a silo for the stylus.
I'd definitely buy one if it had these features.

 

[Lloydbm41]

Ok I admit it, guilty!

I have an iPhone and an iPad, but the geek in me couldn't help but notice that Dell Venue 8 Pro 8 inch tablet released last year is now in the sub $200 refurb from dell region, so I figured I wasted money on stupid things before so what's one more?

Besides, it comes with Office 2013 license, that alone is $139. I am planning to use it on my laptop rather than tablet (Yes, I'm allowed to do that according to office T&C). so it really ends up being cheap, the tablet itself.

So... I think it's great! It's really small yet not too small (Think iPad mini form factor) and very very very usable. I was impressed that typing on screen is easier than typing on a 10 inch iPad since the keys are closer to each other. Also, Windows 8.1 on a small tablet is actually pretty good, the experience, while not 100% there, is much better than the windows 8 developer beta I tried 3 years ago that had me uninstall it.

I think this one is a keeper. Anyone here used one? Thoughts?

I own one as well and got the 64gb in red model when it was on sale for $249. The stylus that Dell sells works pretty well with it too, although I don't believe the stylus justifies the $35 pricetag. But, it runs Windows 8.1 without issue and comes with Office, and when you connect it to a BT keyboard and Mouse you have a baby laptop, should the need arise. For the price, it is def a keeper.

 

[Tiger8]

I own one as well and got the 64gb in red model when it was on sale for $249. The stylus that Dell sells works pretty well with it too, although I don't believe the stylus justifies the $35 pricetag. But, it runs Windows 8.1 without issue and comes with Office, and when you connect it to a BT keyboard and Mouse you have a baby laptop, should the need arise. For the price, it is def a keeper.

That's a great price for the 64 GB one, especially the red one.

I quite like it so far actually, really usable device. My only issue is with IE 10, but using Chrome on Metro seems to solve it.

I am impressed how nice and original the Mail and Calendar UI is, really refreshing

 

[akuma13]

How is this compared to the Asus Vivotab Note 8? I would think the Asus would be a better deal since it has the Wacom screen and built in stylus. I'm deciding between the two. Is the resolution of the screen ok? It looks like it has the same resolution as the first ipad mini.

 

[Lloydbm41]

How is this compared to the Asus Vivotab Note 8? I would think the Asus would be a better deal since it has the Wacom screen and built in stylus. I'm deciding between the two. Is the resolution of the screen ok? It looks like it has the same resolution as the first ipad mini.

The resolution doesn't bother me, but I also use the original iPad and iPad Mini still, along with a Chromebook (all of which have non-HD displays).
That said, I will never by an Asus product again after the crap I had to deal with on the first two Nexus 7's. The memory issue on the first one wasn't so bad, but the touch issue on the second gen is completely unacceptable. I gave Asus 2 tries and they struck out both times.

For the price and what you get with a Dell Venue 8 or 8 Pro, you can't really go wrong. I have both and while the update to 4.4.3 on the Venue 8 took a while (expected), the 8 Pro is like any other computer and will get updates as soon as they are released by Microsoft. For the 2 months that I have had the 8 Pro, I have zero complaints. And the stylus you can buy works pretty darn well too. That was a bit of a surprise, considering it has pressure sensitivity capability.

 

[Tiger8]

How is this compared to the Asus Vivotab Note 8? I would think the Asus would be a better deal since it has the Wacom screen and built in stylus. I'm deciding between the two. Is the resolution of the screen ok? It looks like it has the same resolution as the first ipad mini.

One KEY thing for the dell is the Office Home & Student 2013 key, this is the full version. I believe that Venue 8 Pro has the full license, Asus Vivtab Note 8 and Lenovo Miix do not have them.

That alone is a $139 value

 

[Tiger8]

Keeps Getting Better

Day 3 with it, I think I know most of the gestures...

I now know how to have 2 applications running at the same time side by side, not to sound negative but, WHY THE HECK CAN'T MY iPAD DO THAT? It is so handy! I had a classic application on windows desktop and my web browser and I was filling a form on the chrome based on info I'm getting from the desktop app, what a neat feature!

 

[bearda]

I had one for a few weeks, but ended up returning it over touch sensitivity issues. This was after the touchscreen firmware update, by the way. No matter what I did (including multiple full restores) I couldn't get to the point where typing over three works on the keyboard didn't result in double and triple registers on some keys. It was especially annoying in the browser, since touching some links would register as double-taps and cause the window to zoom suddenly. Had I been able to resolve that I would have kept it to be able to access my corporate VPN alone, but it ended up being a dealbreaker.

 

[Tiger8]

I had one for a few weeks, but ended up returning it over touch sensitivity issues. This was after the touchscreen firmware update, by the way. No matter what I did (including multiple full restores) I couldn't get to the point where typing over three works on the keyboard didn't result in double and triple registers on some keys. It was especially annoying in the browser, since touching some links would register as double-taps and cause the window to zoom suddenly. Had I been able to resolve that I would have kept it to be able to access my corporate VPN alone, but it ended up being a dealbreaker.

Oh. So you recommend I don't update Firmware on it? I have had a DELL laptop before from my former job, that thing started having massive issues after a firmware upgrade.

 

[Billy95Tech]

Ok I admit it, guilty!

I have an iPhone and an iPad, but the geek in me couldn't help but notice that Dell Venue 8 Pro 8 inch tablet released last year is now in the sub $200 refurb from dell region, so I figured I wasted money on stupid things before so what's one more?

Besides, it comes with Office 2013 license, that alone is $139. I am planning to use it on my laptop rather than tablet (Yes, I'm allowed to do that according to office T&C). so it really ends up being cheap, the tablet itself.

So... I think it's great! It's really small yet not too small (Think iPad mini form factor) and very very very usable. I was impressed that typing on screen is easier than typing on a 10 inch iPad since the keys are closer to each other. Also, Windows 8.1 on a small tablet is actually pretty good, the experience, while not 100% there, is much better than the windows 8 developer beta I tried 3 years ago that had me uninstall it.

I think this one is a keeper. Anyone here used one? Thoughts?

This sounds good, I am quite Interested in buying a small 8inch Windows 8 tablet like the Dell Venue Pro 8 in the future.

Do you think small Windows 8 tablets will be as powerful as big Windows 8 tablets like the Surface Pro 3, Acer Iconia W700(I5 Core) in the future?

Because i am holding out of buying small Windows 8 tablets because of the Intel Atom CPU and Lack of RAM.

Since you have a small W8 tablet(Dell Venue Pro 8) can it handle very demanding tasks like Video editing and plays hardcore games(FIFA, GTA) despite of the Atom CPU and only 2GB of RAM.

I wonder if Microsoft will ever make a Surface Pro mini because that would be very good for small 8/9 inch Windows 8 tablets.

 

[bearda]

Oh. So you recommend I don't update Firmware on it? I have had a DELL laptop before from my former job, that thing started having massive issues after a firmware upgrade.

Not sure. I read a lot of reports of people having issues with the touchscreen prior to buying the tablet, so I applied all the updates as soon as I got it. I really didn't have a basis for comparison since I didn't use it much without the touchscreen firmware update and you can't remove it afterwards.

When I was trying to debug the problem I saw a lot of reports of people with similar issues, though. Most said that the performance prior to the update was worse, but the behavior I was seeing after the update still wasn't acceptable.

EDIT: This was one of the big discussions of the problem:
http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/mobile-devices/f/4586/t/19533399.aspx

 

[Tiger8]

Do you think small Windows 8 tablets will be as powerful as big Windows 8 tablets like the Surface Pro 3, Acer Iconia W700(I5 Core) in the future?

I think it's likely. One of the advantages of the Windows ecosystem is the diversity of hardware manufacturers and competition between them. The Atom 8 inch tablets have had mixed success, but this shouldn't stop at least one to try a high-powered tablet.

Since you have a small W8 tablet(Dell Venue Pro 8) can it handle very demanding tasks like Video editing and plays hardcore games(FIFA, GTA) despite of the Atom CPU and only 2GB of RAM.

I don't do either. The most exciting game I played recently is Angry Birds Racing... I know

I wonder if Microsoft will ever make a Surface Pro mini because that would be very good for small 8/9 inch Windows 8 tablets.

I'd be surprised, Microsoft are trying hard to 'establish' the Surface as a category of its own, so I doubt they would diversify this early.

 

[joshwithachance]

I just bought a 64GB refurbished model for $175 last week and I absolutely love it.

 

[LSUtigers03]

Will it recognize a 128gb micro sd card?

 

[Tiger8]

I just bought a 64GB refurbished model for $175 last week and I absolutely love it.

One more! Did it come with Office 2013 key? Either way. That's a FANTASTIC deal.

It's definitely one of the most underrated tablets out there, period. Dell suck like that, their good products have very little 'seasonal' promo.

I remeber in 2010 I bought Dell Vostro V130, at that time they were running a 'Work beautifully' ad, but it all faded away in two months. Definitely one of the best laptops I had, still going strong!

 

[joshwithachance]

One more! Did it come with Office 2013 key? Either way. That's a FANTASTIC deal.

It's definitely one of the most underrated tablets out there, period. Dell suck like that, their good products have very little 'seasonal' promo.

I remeber in 2010 I bought Dell Vostro V130, at that time they were running a 'Work beautifully' ad, but it all faded away in two months. Definitely one of the best laptops I had, still going strong!

It actually did come with the Office 2013 key! I love this thing.

 

[Billy95Tech]

I just watched a video on Youtube a guy running Photoshop, Dreamweaver and Filezilla and while running some programs like IE in the background on Dell Venue Pro 8 and it did not lag at all despite with only 2GB of RAM and with the Intel Atom CPU.

That is impressive for a 8 inch Windows 8 tablet.

Here is a video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dTa6rhZu88

It's definitely one of the most underrated tablets out there, period. Dell suck like that, their good products have very little 'seasonal' promo.

I agree and another one is the Acer Iconia W700 with I5 Core 1.7GHz and 4GB of RAM with HD graphics 4000 and it is very powerful and it has a 11.6 inch sceen.

It handles pretty much everything you throw at it with ease from surfing the web to playing hardcore games like FIFA 14, GTA on medium settings and very demanding tasks like Photoshop , Video editing, and more, it is very fast as well.

And it is one of the best 10/11/12inch Windows 8 tablets with Surface Pro 3, Dell Venue Pro 11 IMO I have one and it is great!

But it is a shame it is nearly 2 years old since Acer launched this powerful and great Windows 8 Tablet(Acer Iconia W700) out and still ''underrated'' because mostly of the Surface Pro Line up.

I really hope small Windows 8 tablets will be as powerful and have more RAM like Surface Pro 3, Acer Iconia W700 in the future because that would be great!

Hopefully the next gen Intel Atom CPU will be even closer to like I Core CPU.

And i wrote this on my wonderful Acer Iconia W700 with touch sceen keyboard.

 

[Cod3rror]

Venue 8 is a fantastic little tablet.

This is what's possible with it,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPPY4m8iY0k

IMO, this year, it's kind of early, but next year's Windows tablets are going to be beasts! With Intel Cherry-Trail (Broadwell based) SoCs that will include GPS, and other sensors, not mention a lot more power, while keeping the efficiency.

They'll really be able to replace laptops and even desktops for casual users.

Windows 9, I also imagine will improve the touch experience.

But most of all I want them to improve the latency on touch screens, so when using a stylus it feels as close to a pen as possible.

 

[sracer]

Venue 8 is a fantastic little tablet.

This is what's possible with it,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPPY4m8iY0k

IMO, this year, it's kind of early, but next year's Windows tablets are going to be beasts! With Intel Cherry-Trail (Broadwell based) SoCs that will include GPS, and other sensors, not mention a lot more power, while keeping the efficiency.

They'll really be able to replace laptops and even desktops for casual users.

Windows 9, I also imagine will improve the touch experience.

But most of all I want them to improve the latency on touch screens, so when using a stylus it feels as close to a pen as possible.

I agree.

The first company that produces an 8" tablet running Windows 8.1, active digitizer, microHDMI, microSD, microUSB will get my money.

 

[BuyCurious]

Getting mine next week. Has anyone figured out a way to attach a display without a docking station yet? Isn't there such a thing as a USB to HDMI or something?

 

[ewils19]

I just bought a 64GB refurbished model for $175 last week and I absolutely love it.

Did you buy it from the Dell Outlet? I'm considering getting one.

 

[joshwithachance]

Did you buy it from the Dell Outlet? I'm considering getting one.

I did. It basically came in mint condition too.