Dell's new Venue 8 Pro 3000 is another affordable Windows tablet

Behold the underwhelming majesty of the Dell Venue 8 Pro 3000

There always seems to be more room for high-end Windows tablets like the Surface Pro 3, and the same may be true for the other end of the spectrum.

Enter Dell's new Venue 8 Pro 3000, an affordable Windows 8.1 tablet with zero bells and whistles.

The Dell Venue 8 Pro 3000 starts at $200 (about £125, AU$230), which is more expensive than some of its contemporaries, but it also has slightly better specs.

These include an 8-inch 1280 x 800 display and 32GB of storage.

Unfortunately the Dell Venue 8 Pro 3000 has little in common with the svelte Dell Venue 8 7000, an Android tablet with an impressive screen and camera.

The rest of the Venue 8 Pro 3000's specs are exactly what you'd expect: an Intel Atom processor, just 1GB of memory, microSD expansion up to 32GB, Bluetooth, microUSB, and 5- and 1.2-megapixel cameras.

You can certainly do worse at that price, but better is always an option as well when you're shooting this low.

Via PC World

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Review: Dell Venue 8

Page 1 of 3Introduction and design

The Android tablet can be quite overwhelming, with choices from Dell, Asus, Lenovo, Acer, HTC and so many more brands you might never have heard of. The distinction between these brands shrinks even further as we get down into the budget price range, too.

This is roughly where the $199 (£179, about AU$227) Dell Venue 8 fits in. It's an inexpensive, albeit solid Android tablet that doesn't have any glitz and glam, but it gets the job done. What job is that? Well, any job you'd need an Android tablet for: web browsing, watching videos, answering e-mails and maybe some light document editing.

The Venue 8 is slim, lightweight and the battery lasts about seven to eight hours if you're using it consistently. Overall, you're getting your money's worth, but not much more.

If you're looking for a bland, unassuming tablet, you've hit the money with the Dell Venue 8. It's a black slab made of glass and plastic, like so many other Android tablets. If you were to place the Venue 8 against similar tablets and have me stand 10 feet away from them, I wouldn't be able to pick it out from the crowd.

The display measures 8 inches diagonally. The device packs a 1,920 x 1,200 display, meaning that you're looking at a 16:10 aspect ratio, which is slightly unusual for tablets, most of which are 16:9 or 4:3. Regardless, it's a perfect size for me – not too small and not too large. (And I stand at 6 feet, 2 inches, with slightly larger-than-average hands.)

For those who prefer a slightly smaller slate, there is a 7-inch version, which is practically an identical tablet.

There is a 5MP camera on the rear with no flash, and a 2MP camera in front for self-portraits – I won't dare use that god-forsaken nonword – and video chatting. Neither camera is very sharp, but it's hard to imagine taking serious photos with an 8-inch tablet.

In terms of specs and all the innards, we're looking at an Intel Atom Z3480 chipset with a 2.1GHz, dual-core processor. There is 16GB of storage on board for storage, however you're only left with around 10GB to use due to the Android 4.4 KitKat size requirements. There is, however, microSD card support for up to 64GB additional storage, which is great if you want to add additional movies, music and photos to the tablet.

Around the edges, you'll find a speaker at the bottom, volume buttons on the right edge along with the memory card slot, and a power/standby button up top. The speaker, it's worth noting, is not all that great. The driver produces a tinny quality, and it's not very powerful. If you're watching videos or listening to music, I would highly recommend using headphones.

As far as the hardware goes, as I've mentioned before, there really isn't a standout feature here. It's a clean slate, a black slab that serves as nothing more than a portal to Android apps and multimedia. With that said, however, it feels sturdy and sleek – definitely not as if it was made cheaply.

Page 1 of 3Introduction and design

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Dell Venue 11 Pro (7139)

Pros All-day battery life. Bright, 1080p HD IPS touch display. Uses microUSB charging. Keyboard dock adds battery power. Desktop dock option. Swappable battery. Active stylus. Biometric security and TPM. Windows 8.1 Pro.

Cons Only one USB 3.0 port. No stylus storage. Limited recline angle on keyboard dock hinge. Aggressive default screen dimming. Bottom Line Dell's Venue 11 Pro (7139) is the company's top-of-the-line tablet with enterprise level security features. It's built to meet all the needs of an enterprise business, and it's our top choice for high-end business tablets.

By Joel Santo Domingo

The Dell Venue 11 Pro (7139) ($1,252.37 as tested) is the top-of-the-line version of our current Editors' Choice for entry-level business slate tablets, the Dell Venue 11 Pro. The Venue 11 Pro (7139) has an upgraded ultrabook-class processor and a similarly upgraded price. Our review unit had all the bells and whistles, including biometric security and TPM (Trusted Platform Module). Read on for a few minor nits to pick, but the short version says the Venue 11 Pro is our Editors' Choice for high-end business tablets.

Design and Features
The Dell Venue 11 Pro (7139) is physically almost identical to the budget model Venue 11 Pro. As a slate tablet, it weighs 1.8 pounds and measures 0.61 by 11 by 7 inches (HWD). It fits well in the crook of your arm and you can comfortably use it with the Active Stylus ($31.49 when purchased separately) all day. You can purchase the tablet alone without the keyboard dock and stylus for $1,080.89. The Synaptics-based stylus has palm rejection and supports mouse hover so you can look at mouseover text on websites or easily work with graphic arts programs. About the only drawback to the stylus is that there isn't any storage for it in the tablet body or the Dell Tablet Keyboard dock. This is only slightly worse than the Microsoft Surface Pro 3, which uses a fragile plastic loop to hold the stylus.

The 10.8-inch, 10-point touch screen is a bright and clear IPS display, once you defeat the aggressive automatic screen dimming by fiddling with the tablet's power settings, that is. The default settings dim the screen so much that you can barely see it in a moderately lit room. You can view multiple page spreadsheets on the 1,920-by-1,080 resolution display, or kick back and enjoy streaming 1080p HD movies from your favorite online video service.

You'll find a fingerprint reader and a NFC reader on the back panel of the tablet, which is one of the reasons why it is 0.2 inches thicker than the budget Venue 11 Pro. TPM 1.2 is standard on this 7139 security version of the tablet, which you may need to fulfill IT or contract requirements. This is more convenient than the security jacket you have to buy separately and install on the HP ElitePad 900. Our previous Editors' Choice for high end slate tablets Dell Latitude 10 Enhanced Security also had a fingerprint reader and TPM 1.2. The back panel opens with a fingernail, so you can remove the standard 36-watt removable battery. Extra batteries are available (36Wh for $80.99; 32Wh for $71.99). That's a significant business coup, since most tablets come with sealed batteries. 

The $1,195.47 price of our review unit includes the $139.99 Mobile Tablet Keyboard, which is identical to the one we tested with the budget Venue 11 Pro. It clips on to the tablet with a locking mechanism, which can be unlatched by pushing a button. When connected, the tablet acts like a top-heavy clamshell laptop, which is more convenient for typing sessions than using the on-screen keyboard. The keyboard is a bit smaller than full size, but is comfortable with good key feel. If there's any drawback to the keyboard dock, it's that the screen won't tilt back beyond 95 degrees. That may be inconvenient if you hold the system on your lap. The Editors' Choice for Windows slate tablets Microsoft Surface Pro 2 and its Surface Pro 3 big brother both tilt back further on their kickstands.

The Venue 11 Pro (7139) charges via a micro USB port, which also means that you can also power up your mobile devices with the same charger. You'll find a protected microSD card reader and a full sized USB 3.0 port on the sides of the tablet, along with a mini HDMI port. Mini HDMI is kind of an odd duck, because it's harder to find cables for it. The Sony VAIO Tap 11 has a more common micro HDMI port, and the Surface Pro bothers each have mini DisplayPort. 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 handle wireless connectivity.

After initially setting up the tablet, 82GB is available on the 128GB SSD. Since it's a business tablet, the Venue 11 Pro (7139) comes without any added software aside from a trial copy of Microsoft Office and the other standard Window 8 apps. The tablet comes with one year of Dell ProSupport (enterprise-level tech support) in addition to the standard warranty.

Performance
Under the hood, there's an Intel Core i5-4300Y processor, 4GB of system memory, and a 128GB SSD for storage. This configuration returned a very good 1,931 points on the PCMark 8 Creative Accelerated test, which measures performance on a group of day-to-day tasks including office tasks, photo editing, and web browsing. This is double the performance of the Intel Atom equipped Dell Venue 11 Pro (901 points), but lagging the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 (2,503 points). Likewise, multimedia test scores (6:54 on Handbrake; 6:19 on Adobe Photoshop CS6) lagged behind the Surface Pro 3 (2:59 on Handbrake; 4:48 on CS6) and the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch ultrabook (3:41 on Handbrake; 5:03 on CS6).

Battery life was very good, 6:29 for the internal battery, and 9:18 with the keyboard dock attached. The entry-level Venue 11 Pro is still our endurance leader, however, with 9:01 on the internal battery and a solid 18:00 with the external battery. The Surface Pro 2 is in the middle with 7:19, and the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch (4:36) and VAIO Tap 11 (3:55) barely last half a day.

The top of the line Dell Venue 11 Pro (7139) excels as a workhorse Windows 8 slate tablet with its detachable keyboard base. It's got a lot more performance potential than the similarly priced, Atom-equipped Dell Latitude 10 Enhanced Security, our previous high-end champ. Plus, the Venue 11 Pro has a detachable keyboard option, while the Latitude 10 is a simple slate. Therefore, it's no surprise that the Venue 11 Pro (7139) is our new Editors' Choice for high-end business tablets, replacing the Latitude 10.

View the original article here

Dell Venue 11 Pro (7139)

Pros All-day battery life. Bright, 1080p HD IPS touch display. Uses microUSB charging. Keyboard dock adds battery power. Desktop dock option. Swappable battery. Active stylus. Biometric security and TPM. Windows 8.1 Pro.

Cons Only one USB 3.0 port. No stylus storage. Limited recline angle on keyboard dock hinge. Aggressive default screen dimming. Bottom Line Dell's Venue 11 Pro (7139) is the company's top-of-the-line tablet with enterprise level security features. It's built to meet all the needs of an enterprise business, and it's our top choice for high-end business tablets.

By Joel Santo Domingo

The Dell Venue 11 Pro (7139) ($1,252.37 as tested) is the top-of-the-line version of our current Editors' Choice for entry-level business slate tablets, the Dell Venue 11 Pro. The Venue 11 Pro (7139) has an upgraded ultrabook-class processor and a similarly upgraded price. Our review unit had all the bells and whistles, including biometric security and TPM (Trusted Platform Module). Read on for a few minor nits to pick, but the short version says the Venue 11 Pro is our Editors' Choice for high-end business tablets.

Design and Features
The Dell Venue 11 Pro (7139) is physically almost identical to the budget model Venue 11 Pro. As a slate tablet, it weighs 1.8 pounds and measures 0.61 by 11 by 7 inches (HWD). It fits well in the crook of your arm and you can comfortably use it with the Active Stylus ($31.49 when purchased separately) all day. You can purchase the tablet alone without the keyboard dock and stylus for $1,080.89. The Synaptics-based stylus has palm rejection and supports mouse hover so you can look at mouseover text on websites or easily work with graphic arts programs. About the only drawback to the stylus is that there isn't any storage for it in the tablet body or the Dell Tablet Keyboard dock. This is only slightly worse than the Microsoft Surface Pro 3, which uses a fragile plastic loop to hold the stylus.

The 10.8-inch, 10-point touch screen is a bright and clear IPS display, once you defeat the aggressive automatic screen dimming by fiddling with the tablet's power settings, that is. The default settings dim the screen so much that you can barely see it in a moderately lit room. You can view multiple page spreadsheets on the 1,920-by-1,080 resolution display, or kick back and enjoy streaming 1080p HD movies from your favorite online video service.

You'll find a fingerprint reader and a NFC reader on the back panel of the tablet, which is one of the reasons why it is 0.2 inches thicker than the budget Venue 11 Pro. TPM 1.2 is standard on this 7139 security version of the tablet, which you may need to fulfill IT or contract requirements. This is more convenient than the security jacket you have to buy separately and install on the HP ElitePad 900. Our previous Editors' Choice for high end slate tablets Dell Latitude 10 Enhanced Security also had a fingerprint reader and TPM 1.2. The back panel opens with a fingernail, so you can remove the standard 36-watt removable battery. Extra batteries are available (36Wh for $80.99; 32Wh for $71.99). That's a significant business coup, since most tablets come with sealed batteries. 

The $1,195.47 price of our review unit includes the $139.99 Mobile Tablet Keyboard, which is identical to the one we tested with the budget Venue 11 Pro. It clips on to the tablet with a locking mechanism, which can be unlatched by pushing a button. When connected, the tablet acts like a top-heavy clamshell laptop, which is more convenient for typing sessions than using the on-screen keyboard. The keyboard is a bit smaller than full size, but is comfortable with good key feel. If there's any drawback to the keyboard dock, it's that the screen won't tilt back beyond 95 degrees. That may be inconvenient if you hold the system on your lap. The Editors' Choice for Windows slate tablets Microsoft Surface Pro 2 and its Surface Pro 3 big brother both tilt back further on their kickstands.

The Venue 11 Pro (7139) charges via a micro USB port, which also means that you can also power up your mobile devices with the same charger. You'll find a protected microSD card reader and a full sized USB 3.0 port on the sides of the tablet, along with a mini HDMI port. Mini HDMI is kind of an odd duck, because it's harder to find cables for it. The Sony VAIO Tap 11 has a more common micro HDMI port, and the Surface Pro bothers each have mini DisplayPort. 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 handle wireless connectivity.

After initially setting up the tablet, 82GB is available on the 128GB SSD. Since it's a business tablet, the Venue 11 Pro (7139) comes without any added software aside from a trial copy of Microsoft Office and the other standard Window 8 apps. The tablet comes with one year of Dell ProSupport (enterprise-level tech support) in addition to the standard warranty.

Performance
Under the hood, there's an Intel Core i5-4300Y processor, 4GB of system memory, and a 128GB SSD for storage. This configuration returned a very good 1,931 points on the PCMark 8 Creative Accelerated test, which measures performance on a group of day-to-day tasks including office tasks, photo editing, and web browsing. This is double the performance of the Intel Atom equipped Dell Venue 11 Pro (901 points), but lagging the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 (2,503 points). Likewise, multimedia test scores (6:54 on Handbrake; 6:19 on Adobe Photoshop CS6) lagged behind the Surface Pro 3 (2:59 on Handbrake; 4:48 on CS6) and the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch ultrabook (3:41 on Handbrake; 5:03 on CS6).

Battery life was very good, 6:29 for the internal battery, and 9:18 with the keyboard dock attached. The entry-level Venue 11 Pro is still our endurance leader, however, with 9:01 on the internal battery and a solid 18:00 with the external battery. The Surface Pro 2 is in the middle with 7:19, and the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch (4:36) and VAIO Tap 11 (3:55) barely last half a day.

The top of the line Dell Venue 11 Pro (7139) excels as a workhorse Windows 8 slate tablet with its detachable keyboard base. It's got a lot more performance potential than the similarly priced, Atom-equipped Dell Latitude 10 Enhanced Security, our previous high-end champ. Plus, the Venue 11 Pro has a detachable keyboard option, while the Latitude 10 is a simple slate. Therefore, it's no surprise that the Venue 11 Pro (7139) is our new Editors' Choice for high-end business tablets, replacing the Latitude 10.

View the original article here