Very Impressed...

[waazzupppp]

So, I was lucky enough to snag one of the 64GB units when Dell had the refurb price and the 25% off coupon going. I had been looking for a Kindle (or another e-reader) deal for a bit as I had a Acer Aspire Netbook (AO-725-0899) and a Toshiba Thrive tablet that were just bulky to read on. My Lumia 925 screen is just a bit too small to read comfortably on as well, so a 6-8" reader made the most sense to me - especially from a pricing stand point. All said, the $190 price for the 64GB model was less than a Kindle would have run with similar capabilities and the Venue Pro offered a full Windows PC on top of it. So, I jumped in...

First impressions were good - the Dell actually synced with my Acer and installed the same Apps (or had them on the start screen waiting for me to OK the downloads) and it allowed me to place my OneDrive storage on the SD card. The screen is better than my Thrive's and Windows is smoother on this than it is on my Acer. Good so far. The connectivity isn't as strong as the Thrive or the Acer, but I wanted a tablet, not a home computer, so this is a sacrifice I was willing to make. It wasn't until after I did some additional research that I found out I could hook a USB Video out hub up and really make it a PC anyways.

Ok, so that said, how does it do as a tablet...

Blogging - I use Windows Live Writer for blogging on my Acer and PC. Fortunately, being a full Windows 8 device, I was able to download and install Live Writer 2012 with no issues at all. I was blogging at Starbucks the next morning.

Reading - I use the Kindle App for Windows and it is fantastic. The Venue is light and comfortable to hold. My hands are just a bit small to hold it by the back of the device one handed, but I can make due that way if I feel like it. The Kindle App works great, as does the Kobo Reader and the few others that I tried out. I prefer the Kindle App for the most part since I get so many free books from Amazon.

Photo Editing - Ok, so on my Acer, I found this amazing part of the OneDrive App that I haven't been able to stop playing with. If you open OneDrive, then your Camera Roll, you can select an image, swipe up and select EDIT from the far right. This brings up a pretty powerful editing tool to tweak and edit photos right from your Windows Phone Camera Roll. So, I snap a shot on my way to work, open up the OneDrive on my tablet when I get to work and can have it edited and saved in about 2 minutes. Pretty powerful stuff right there. I've also tried using GIMP, but haven't wanted to load Photoshop as that's what I have my BIG PC for...

Gaming - I've done a few games on the Venue, though not many taxing ones. Games like Kingdoms & Lords loads perfectly fine and is much easier to play on the tablet than my phone. The World Series of Poker Xbox game tends to take forever to load, but after that it seems to work just fine. I also did a Wild West Bowling game that was quite phenomenal as well. Overall, the Windows Store games work great - and the few PC games I tried out worked fine as well - though I don't do many of the GPU taxing games like some people do.

Overall, I am super impressed with the Venue 8 Pro... It's completely what I wanted...

 

[James8561]

Yea it's basically what netbooks were supposed to be except even better. It's most important advantage is the ability to run x86 apps

 

[waazzupppp]

I agree... I know some will complain about the smaller display, but I would rather have the portability than a larger 10-12" display. The fact that I can run full Apps (including Bluestacks that runs all the Android stuff) is just mind-blowing!

 

[Old_Cus]

Like you I've enjoyed my Venue also. Recently I purchased the updated stylus (A02) and now I'm enjoying it even more!

 

[deadwrong03]

I agree... I know some will complain about the smaller display, but I would rather have the portability than a larger 10-12" display. The fact that I can run full Apps (including Bluestacks that runs all the Android stuff) is just mind-blowing!

Where can I get bluestacks from

 

[xandros9]

Where can I get bluestacks from

15 seconds on a search engine will turn up this among other things, it would've been quicker for you to have gone straight to your search engine of choice. Just saying.

http://www.bluestacks.com/app-player.html

 

[Thunderbuck]

I'm a reluctant convert from a BlackBerry Playbook. I also have an XPS 10 WinRT tablet from last year that will be going up for sale shortly.

Took delivery of my Venue 8 Pro this week, with the keyboard case and the stylus. VERY pleased so far; I, too, like the smaller form factor (the XPS 10 was too big/heavy for some uses) Smooth, decent graphics. I also REALLY like the way Microsoft's online services syncs up content/settings between devices.

Keyboard case is very clever, though I've had the keyboard slip off the outside a couple of times. Stylus is essential, I think (that was my deciding factor in going with the V8P over other 8" Win8 tabs), though OneNote is hanging on ink recognition. Hopefully I find a resolution for that soon, but that's the only thing that even remotely approaches a complaint.

Traveling in a couple of weeks, and look forward to bringing my tablet and accessories in one small shoulder bag instead of lugging my laptop in a heavy backpack.

 

[xandros9]

I'm a reluctant convert from a BlackBerry Playbook. I also have an XPS 10 WinRT tablet from last year that will be going up for sale shortly.

Took delivery of my Venue 8 Pro this week, with the keyboard case and the stylus. VERY pleased so far; I, too, like the smaller form factor (the XPS 10 was too big/heavy for some uses) Smooth, decent graphics. I also REALLY like the way Microsoft's online services syncs up content/settings between devices.

Keyboard case is very clever, though I've had the keyboard slip off the outside a couple of times. Stylus is essential, I think (that was my deciding factor in going with the V8P over other 8" Win8 tabs), though OneNote is hanging on ink recognition. Hopefully I find a resolution for that soon, but that's the only thing that even remotely approaches a complaint.

Traveling in a couple of weeks, and look forward to bringing my tablet and accessories in one small shoulder bag instead of lugging my laptop in a heavy backpack.

I take it you are using the official Dell keyboard?
How is it, being as compact as it is?
How are the viewing angles when the case is being used as a stand?
I'm guessing lapability would be laughable.

 

[Thunderbuck]

I take it you are using the official Dell keyboard?
How is it, being as compact as it is?
How are the viewing angles when the case is being used as a stand?
I'm guessing lapability would be laughable.

Yes, I got the OEM Dell case/keyboard combo. I really like the build quality (that goes for the tablet itself, too). It's not bad to type on, and you're right, it's not especially "lapable" (that sounds kind of dirty, but anyway...).

I DO expect, though, that it would be fantastic on the tray table of an airliner. I'll try that out and let you know.

 

[garak0410]

Yes, I got the OEM Dell case/keyboard combo. I really like the build quality (that goes for the tablet itself, too). It's not bad to type on, and you're right, it's not especially "lapable" (that sounds kind of dirty, but anyway...).

I DO expect, though, that it would be fantastic on the tray table of an airliner. I'll try that out and let you know.

I've got the OEM Keyboard/Case...Case is a little bulky to use the tablet while it is in it and hard to keep the cover folded back. Keyboard is nice but I have to look at the keys as I type...not used to the layout.

Even having a Surface Pro 2 and a Surface Pro 3 pre-ordered, this has been my go to device since it is portable and a joy to use.

 

[nasellok]

So I've had this device since it first came out, and have been super happy, especially with the performance. I an an architect, and the Atom processor was a huge concern of mine going into it, but I've been pleasantly surprised. It runs AutoCAD perfectly, also sketchup and PhotoShop run great. Was completely shocked, it runs then better than my 4-5 year old ThinkPad (W500 with core2duo that has an actual GPU) running win 8.1.1).

My only critique, is that it really needs an HDMI out port. That being said, it still is the smallest and most portable PC your going to get. I bought the Fintie 7" keyboard and case, and out really feels like a mini laptop now..... Loving it

 

[psychotron]

Absolutely love mine as well, nothing but a great experience with this device. Will definitely buy next Gen when the time comes.

My only critique, is that it really needs an HDMI out port. That being said, it still is the smallest and most portable PC your going to get. I bought the Fintie 7" keyboard and case, and out really feels like a mini laptop now..... Loving it

Concerning HDMI, have you considered getting an OTG cable and a dock like the Plugable UD-3900? Not only would that allow you to connect it to HDMI, but a whole host of other devices as well. Had my eye on one for a while now, just haven't had the disposable income to pull the trigger yet. Looks like a great solution.

 

[garak0410]

Absolutely love mine as well, nothing but a great experience with this device. Will definitely buy next Gen when the time comes.

Like I mentioned...I have an Surface Pro 2 and a 3 on pre-order but I've barely picked up my SP2 since getting the Dell Venue 8 Pro. Something about this form factory that makes it a joy to use. Light word document editing is quite easy...consumption in portrait mode is actually pretty good. Battery life is great. I am sure when my SP3 comes, I'll be using it heavily but I am thinking I'll come back to the Venue a lot as well.

 

[WillysJeepMan]

So I've had this device since it first came out, and have been super happy, especially with the performance. I an an architect, and the Atom processor was a huge concern of mine going into it, but I've been pleasantly surprised. It runs AutoCAD perfectly, also sketchup and PhotoShop run great. Was completely shocked, it runs then better than my 4-5 year old ThinkPad (W500 with core2duo that has an actual GPU) running win 8.1.1).

My only critique, is that it really needs an HDMI out port. That being said, it still is the smallest and most portable PC your going to get. I bought the Fintie 7" keyboard and case, and out really feels like a mini laptop now..... Loving it

If it had an HDMI port, I'd own one. The fact that it's only port is microUSB greatly limits the flexibility of the device for what I would use it for. Ideally, a tablet shoud have microHDMI, microUSB, microSD, and A/C charging port.

 

[Ted#WP]

If it had an HDMI port, I'd own one. The fact that it's only port is microUSB greatly limits the flexibility of the device for what I would use it for. Ideally, a tablet shoud have microHDMI, microUSB, microSD, and A/C charging port.

With the abundance of the micro USB chargers as de-facto, AC charging port is becoming a negative impact, a deterrent, to the decision making process of buying a tablet. So, say no to dedicated AC charging ports.

 

[WillysJeepMan]

With the abundance of the micro USB chargers as de-facto, AC charging port is becoming a negative impact, a deterrent, to the decision making process of buying a tablet. So, say no to dedicated AC charging ports.

Having those ports is more important to me than the ability to buy a $2 micro USB charger. I don't have a problem with proprietary chargers per se, and if it frees up the microUSB port for docks and peripherals, that is more desirable for me.
​

 

[vertigoOne]

Having those ports is more important to me than the ability to buy a $2 micro USB charger. I don't have a problem with proprietary chargers per se, and if it frees up the microUSB port for docks and peripherals, that is more desirable for me.
​

Kill many birds...https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/plugable/plugable-pro8-docking-station-with-charging-for-ve

 

[WillysJeepMan]

Kill many birds...https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/plugable/plugable-pro8-docking-station-with-charging-for-ve

Nice for home/office, but not helpful for on the go mobile use. Docks like that are a workaround not preferable for how I would use a DV8P.

 

[vertigoOne]

Nice for home/office, but not helpful for on the go mobile use. Docks like that are a workaround not preferable for how I would use a DV8P.

This would probably be best for a portable solution, maybe paired with chromecast for display:

Mobile Design Labs | Mobile Tech Made Elegant

 

[Guytronic]

Very Impressed...

Me too!
Got the 8 Pro recently from a seller here at WPC.
It has been slowly creeping into my digital lifestyle.
To say the truth I wish I had realized the Venue was a much better option over the RT.

Could the Venue 8 Pro be a Surface killer?!
(kidding there...)

Not sure, yet I think I need the newer pen, yet after changing the battery the pen is acting better.
Those little AAAA batteries are pricey! lol

Anyhoo no real complaints here...