Dell Venue 8 Pro

[imported_brandon]

The only changes I can think of that might impact it that I made was enabling DEP for everything.

I'm also running on a connection tethered to my phone.

Edit: I ran troubleshoot as admin, and it keeps fixing things. Once I reboot, it finds more things to fix. I still can't install apps from the store. I can't think of what else to try.

 

[desura]

so im kinda meh about this now. x86 sounds great on paper, but at this point, android has so many replacement apps that it can pretty much do everything an x86 pc could.

 

[imported_brandon]

so im kinda meh about this now. x86 sounds great on paper, but at this point, android has so many replacement apps that it can pretty much do everything an x86 pc could.

I love this tablet, though you do have a point. I have a Nexus 4, had a Nexus 7, and I find metro to be far more user friendly and intuitive on a tablet than Android.

 

[ControlD]

The only changes I can think of that might impact it that I made was enabling DEP for everything.

I'm also running on a connection tethered to my phone.

Edit: I ran troubleshoot as admin, and it keeps fixing things. Once I reboot, it finds more things to fix. I still can't install apps from the store. I can't think of what else to try.

Can you try downloading over wifi just to remove your tethered connection from the equation?

If nothing seems to help, I would try doing a factory reset so you know you have a clean Windows install.

 

[ControlD]

so im kinda meh about this now. x86 sounds great on paper, but at this point, android has so many replacement apps that it can pretty much do everything an x86 pc could.

If someone is looking for an "app-centric" experience then I would say an Android or iOS tablet would be a better option.

So far I am really liking this tablet. For the $229 I paid, I really couldn't ask for much more. My main reason to try a Windows tablet was to get out of the app store reliance on being able to do what I want. Simple things like watching streaming video from my Plex server I can do without an app. All I need is Chrome with the Plex app installed and things work perfectly. I can also run some of my full blown Windows applications that I want on the go.

As far as apps go, I have found everything I need. Netflix has a very nice Metro app as does Amazon (Kindle). The only thing I am missing from my iPad days is a decent selection of tablet friendly games but that is a minor concern as I didn't do that much gaming anyhow (I do miss Minecraft PE and being able to connect to my daughter's games).

I don't have any real hardware complaints. A little more memory would have been nice for sure but it isn't crippling. Bluetooth is a big deal for me and it works much, much better than on my Android devices (which have terrible Bluetooth performance). Wifi performance is good. A full sized USB port would have been nice, or ever a second micro connector, but OTG cables are cheap and seem to work well enough.

 

[imported_brandon]

Can you try downloading over wifi just to remove your tethered connection from the equation?

If nothing seems to help, I would try doing a factory reset so you know you have a clean Windows install.

Tried over wifi, still got the same issue, though it was my neighbor's wifi, which I got permission to use, since I disconnected my home internet due to moving soon.

 

[jacktesterson]

I picked up a like new Dell Venue 8 Pro with a Case, a 32GB Sandisk MicroSD CL10 Card and a genuine Stylus from Dell - for $170.00

Decent deal?

Going to give it a go again. Want a Tablet, but want something different and this was cheap.

 

[Chrono]

I picked up a like new Dell Venue 8 Pro with a Case, a 32GB Sandisk MicroSD CL10 Card and a genuine Stylus from Dell - for $170.00

Decent deal?

Going to give it a go again. Want a Tablet, but want something different and this was cheap.

Nice price! I've found the stylus to be somewhat.. useless though... Honestly I wish the resolution was higher.. then it would be very nice for reading/multimedia/etc...

 

[jacktesterson]

I forgot how great the web experience is on this tablet.

Not going to lie I like the tablet but just wish it had a 1920x1200 screen.

I primarily use a tablet for browsing.

Overall the screen is bright with good color. Its fast and does what I want. And its different. I love my Android phone but like change and I'm not fond on Apple products.

Overall think Ill keep using Windows tablets for a while. I want 8 inch screen with at least 1080p. Until that happens....

 

[jacktesterson]

I picked up a brand new Surface 2 for $225.00 today at a fundraiser auction.

I really like it. I hardly touch desktop mode anyways.

Guess I lied about the Venue 8 Pro sticking around. I'll probably sell it now. Wish I had known I would come across this Surface 2 days later.

 

[EvilYoda]

I picked up a brand new Surface 2 for $225.00 today at a fundraiser auction.

I really like it. I hardly touch desktop mode anyways.

Guess I lied about the Venue 8 Pro sticking around. I'll probably sell it now. Wish I had known I would come across this Surface 2 days later.

You don't find it a bit large and heavy to use as a tablet for extended periods of time?

 

[jacktesterson]

You don't find it a bit large and heavy to use as a tablet for extended periods of time?

It's not that bad - It's heavy though for a tablet.

 

[edro]

For $200, the Venue 8 Pro is awesome.

I have had mine for about a month and I rarely touch my laptop now.
It's fast, bright, and does what I want for that price point.
I really like Windows 8.1 so far.

Because it's full blown Windows 8.1, it isn't as stable as an iOS device.
Sometimes it hangs when I close a heavy application (Hearthstone), but usually snaps out of it after 10-20sec.

Metro mode is great IMO for eBay, Amazon, Facebook, Browsing, etc.

 

[paperwastage]

For $200, the Venue 8 Pro is awesome.

I have had mine for about a month and I rarely touch my laptop now.
.

But you still need a separate (bigger/more powerful) laptop/desktop right ? Can't survive solely on this devic and your smartphone?

Its hard to recommend this to other people.very hard to be a laptop replacement, more of a tablet(iOS/android) replacement/alternative or laptop assistant

 

[SithSolo1]

I really wish it had some kind of hdmi out.

 

[SunnyD]

I picked up a brand new Surface 2 for $225.00 today at a fundraiser auction.

I really like it. I hardly touch desktop mode anyways.

Guess I lied about the Venue 8 Pro sticking around. I'll probably sell it now. Wish I had known I would come across this Surface 2 days later.

Surface 2 or Surface Pro 2? If the former, you might end up slightly disappointed.

 

[jacktesterson]

Surface 2 or Surface Pro 2? If the former, you might end up slightly disappointed.

Surface 2.

Why would I be disappointed? Even with the Venue 8 Pro, I spent 95% of my time using Metro and Metro Apps.

I have a real laptop for x86 stuff.

I use my Tablet for Browsing, Media and Social Media primarily - On my couch, in my bed, travelling, etc. Works great.

The Split screen functionality is so much better in Win 8 compared to other tablets offerings. Last night I was browsing the web on 2/3 the screen and playing youtube video on the other 1/3 for example.

Happy here. The screen alone is worth it for me.

 

[ControlD]

But you still need a separate (bigger/more powerful) laptop/desktop right ? Can't survive solely on this devic and your smartphone?

Its hard to recommend this to other people.very hard to be a laptop replacement, more of a tablet(iOS/android) replacement/alternative or laptop assistant

It did replace my laptop, but you are correct that I still need my desktop for any heavy tasks like gaming or compute intensive programs. For me it is a good middle ground that serves both my normal tablet activities as well as what I used a laptop for and in fact I am now using the VP8 as a replacement for both.

 

[quikah]

The Split screen functionality is so much better in Win 8 compared to other tablets offerings. Last night I was browsing the web on 2/3 the screen and playing youtube video on the other 1/3 for example.

Split screen is awesome, but one thing that has been bugging me with Metro IE is the odd back behavior. It always reloads the page, it shows a static screenshot of the previous page which cannot be interacted with it while it is reloading. Really annoying. Everything else about it is great.

Wish there was a better alternative, Chrome metro mode is HORRIBLE. Firefox stopped development.

 

[jacktesterson]

Split screen is awesome, but one thing that has been bugging me with Metro IE is the odd back behavior. It always reloads the page, it shows a static screenshot of the previous page which cannot be interacted with it while it is reloading. Really annoying. Everything else about it is great.

Wish there was a better alternative, Chrome metro mode is HORRIBLE. Firefox stopped development.

Its not perfect for sure

I find web browsing overall better compared to Android tablets.

I already have a Android phone with a fairly big screen. I like having this tablet as something different to play with. I never use Metro on my desktop or notebook.

I'd love to have an iPad Air but I'm not forking over $500+ for a tablet.

For $225 I don't think I could do much better than a Surface 2.

I do wish there was more Google apps however, but the web browser works fine for what I need on this device.

Hopefully VLC gets released on RT soon.

 

[jacktesterson]

But you still need a separate (bigger/more powerful) laptop/desktop right ? Can't survive solely on this devic and your smartphone?

Its hard to recommend this to other people.very hard to be a laptop replacement, more of a tablet(iOS/android) replacement/alternative or laptop assistant

I agree 8 inches is too small for productive desktop use on the Venue

 

[Raduque]

I bought one of these for cheap at Wal-Mart a couple days ago. It's going in my dash after I finish building a mount for it.

 

[desura]

So what killed the tablet for me was the propensity to misread the touchscreen. It probably has the worst touchscreen I've ever used, with tons of misreads.

Was that the case across all of them, or just specific models?

 

[ControlD]

So what killed the tablet for me was the propensity to misread the touchscreen. It probably has the worst touchscreen I've ever used, with tons of misreads.

Was that the case across all of them, or just specific models?

I think it has to be just certain copies. I haven't had a single negative issue with the touch screen on mine, it has been as good as our iPad or Note 10.1.

 

[Denly]

I think it has to be just certain copies. I haven't had a single negative issue with the touch screen on mine, it has been as good as our iPad or Note 10.1.

+1, no issue here compare to Ipad mini

The only complaint I have with metro IE so far is on one of the groupbuy site the purchase manual is a pop up and when I click "buy" within the pop up nothing happenned.