Meet Dell's next-gen Windows 8.1 Venue tablets!

 

 

Watch out Apple: the next generation of Windows 8 tablets mean business. Hot on the heels of Microsoft’s own Surface 2 reveal, American computer giant Dell is storming ahead with a duo of new tablets that pack in some impressive specs. Meet the Dell Venue 8 Pro and the Dell Venue 11 Pro, two new tablets that aim to keep you productive on the go!

Dell’s new Venue tablets bring full-fat Windows 8.1 to you in a small, thin package, and they both give Microsoft’s latest tablets and Apple’s iPad a run for their money in the specs and looks department. Both tablets are very slim despite the beefy internal guts, and Dell is also providing a range of accessories to help you with your productivity when you’re on the move.

First up is the smaller of the two tablets, the Dell Venue 8 Pro, and like its name suggests, it’s an 8-inch tablet that comes with a HD IPS display and an Intel Atom quad-core processor under the hood. Dell has also armed it with a range of connectivity options, including mobile internet, Wi-Fi and micro USB. It measures up at just 8.9mm, and has a battery life rated for up to 10 hours. We got a quick play with it, and found it to be a very sturdy slate, completely free of any flex. Dell is also bundling Office 2013 Home & Student with the device and there’s also an optional Dell Active Stylus available.

The larger of the duo, the Dell Venue 11 Pro, features a 10.9-inch full HD IPS display, and is powered by Intel’s latest processors. You can configure your Venue 11 with either an Intel Atom quad-core Bay Trail processor, up to a fourth Generation Intel Core i3 and i5 processors or even an Intel vPro processor. The Venue 11 Pro also comes with full size USB ports, making it easy for you to plug in USB sticks and keyboards, while there’s also a user replaceable battery on the back which you can access by peeling back the rear cover. You’ll also be able to arm the 11 Pro with up to 8GB of RAM and a massive 256GB of storage, plus there’s also Wi-Di (wireless display) tech embedded and NFC too.

To go along with the tablets, Dell is also unleashing a range of accessories, including cases, an active stylus, a dock (which comes with a second video output to let you hook up an additional two monitors!) and two new keyboards that look like they can go toe-to-toe with Microsoft’s new Surface Touch Cover. First up is the simply named Dell Mobile Keyboard which comes with an additional battery to provide you with up to 18 hours of wireless freedom, and it also has a trackpad beneath its full sized chiclet keys. When folded up, it’s almost like you’ve got yourself an Ultrabook. The Dell Slim Keyboard is much more similar to Microsoft’s offerings, and gives you added protection and a stylus holder as well as a full sized keyboard with keys that have 0.2mm of travel, meaning you’ll feel some feedback as you type.

If you’re interested in picking up either of Dell’s new tablets, the Venue 8 Pro can be yours from 19 November, although the price is yet to be announced, while the beefier Venue 11 Pro will be available from 7 November for £349 – both from Dell’s website.

Do you fancy either of Dell’s new tablets, are you gunning for Microsoft’s Surface or are you happy with your iPad? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

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Samsung Galaxy S4 unleashed, brand new rivals reviewed, and next-generation PCs:

It’s been another epic week for tech fans, with brand new gadgets to play with, and one monster new flagship phone. We wouldn’t blame you if you struggled to stay on top of it all. Luckily, our Gadget Digest roundup is here to help: read on for everything you missed.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 arrives

The rumours were swirling for months, but at long last, it’s finally here: the Samsung Galaxy S4. Samsung unleashed the new Android super phone at a press event in New York last night, and it didn’t disappoint: it’s specced out to the max, and comes running some clever new software too, with a universal translator on board, as well as a feature that pauses videos for you when you look away from the screen. That’s not all either: the South Korean tech titan also served up a bunch of insane accessories, from a game pad to a wireless weighing scale.

Next-gen PCs galore

It’s been a big week for desktop computing too. Xi3, the company behind the tiny Piston gaming rig that’s been dubbed the first unofficial Steam Box, thanks to Valve’s involvement in its creation, put the device up for pre-order – though at $1,000, it might not have Sony and Microsoft too worried for their own consoles. Dell meanwhile unleashed its own bizarre desktop all in one PC, which doubles up as a gigantic, foot and a half long Windows tablet. Speaking of Windows, Apple did Mac users a solid and updated OS X to allow for Windows 8 installs – is the MacBook Air now the best Ultrabook?

Up close with the HTC One

It’s not just the Samsung Galaxy S4 we got to grips with this week: we also posted our full review of its new rival, the HTC One. Can the Taiwanese company’s all-metal Android monster phone and its UltraPixel give Samsung and Apple a run for their money? Check out our verdict to find out.

Chrome OS gets super charged

Google too has been hitting the headlines this week. Just days after we reviewed the beautiful Chromebook Pixel laptop, Android boss Andy Rubin stepped down. The search giant revealed that his job would be taken over by the company’s Chrome and Chrome OS boss – which got us wondering. Is Google’s lightweight laptop software about to get an influx of Android apps? Now that really should have Microsoft scared.

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Dell Latitude 10 Windows 8 tablet spotted, first of many to take on the iPad

 

To date we’ve been hearing lots of rumours of Windows 8 tablets, but this is the first time we’ve seen what looks like a Dell Latitude 10 running Windows 8.Want to know more about one of the first (possibly) confirmed Windows 8 tablets? Then check out the Dell Latitude Windows 8 tablet

The slide detailing the Dell Latitude 10 Windows 8 tablet was obtained by Neowin. It details the Windows 8 tablet in full. The key spec you can see in the slide above next to where it says operating system is Windows 8.

As further specs go, It appears that the Dell Latitude Windows 8 tablet is a 10.8-inch tablet with a 1366×768 resolution HD display, and come running a dual core Intel Atom processor.

The Dell Latitude 10 Windows 8 tablet will also feature a fingerprint reader, 2GB memory, up to 128GB of Solid State Drive storage and 8-megapixel and 2-megapixel rear and front facing cameras respectively.

Neowin reports a 6-8 hour battery life, with a larger battery able to bump that up to 12 hours, and a possible November release. No word on prices just yet.

In future we can expect to see many more Windows 8 tablets around the same date. Past reports have suggested that Microsoft is working with manufacturers to flood the market with up to 32 different Windows 8 tablets at launch in an attempt to put a dent in the Apple iPad’s market share.

A November release date has had already been tipped, lending further credibility to the Neowin report regarding the above Dell Latitude 10 Windows 8 tablet.

Unlike Windows 7, Windows 8 has been designed from scratch, with touch interfaces in mind.Its colourful tiles, side-scrolling interface and easy-on-the-eye menus reveal the sort of design touches that cemented the Apple iPad as arguably the best tablet around, in a market lacking many genuine contenders besides the Samsung Galaxy Tab and the likes of the Asus Transformer Prime.

The extra competition is great news for all gadget fans concerned. The possibility of cheaper tablets that are actually any good, and more choice can only be a bonus. Would you purchase a Windows 8 tablet?

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Microsoft boasts of 32 different Windows 8 tablets to take on iPad

The Apple iPad continues to be the leading tablet computer. To combat this Microsoft is reportedly working with its hardware partners to launch not one, but a total of 32 different Windows 8 tablets this year, with some costing less than £200.

By flooding the market with Windows 8 tablets, the plan is to decrease the market share of the iPad from 70 per cent to below 50 per cent by mid 2013, reports Digitimes. The Windows 8 tablets are already in development.

It is estimated that at the current rate of development there will be 32 Windows 8 tablets arriving this year, launched by the likes of Dell, Lenovo, Acer, Toshiba, Packard Bell, and more, priced from around $300 (£187) rising to $1,000 (£623).

Any of the prices mentioned could deliver some serious competition not just to the iPad, but other tablet devices, too such as the Amazon Kindle Fire abroad. Despite the increasing presence of tablets in the market, there is still a lack of choice of truly great tablets worthy of toppling the iPad.

Former Apple CEO John Sculley recently described the Samsung Galaxy Tab as the “only serious” competitor to the Apple iPad. Asus would of course have something to say about that. Its new quad-core Asus Transformer Prime TF700 is already on our most-wanted list.

Dell launches new 10-inch Streak Pro, proving size matters

The original Dell Streak is an impressive device, but for a lot of us 5 inches is simply too small to be effective as a tablet. The introduction of a new 10-inch model should solve that, with the new Dell Streak 10 Pro launching in China yesterday. Join us after the break to find out more.

Up until now, Dell has offered something truly different in the tablet market, with it’s Dell Streak sitting closer to smartphones in size than tablets like the Apple iPad. As good as the regular Streak is to use, however, it can still be a bit too small for reading eBooks or watching movies.

The Dell Streak 10 Pro is the latest addition to the range, and there should be no such issues with the new 10-inch model. The screen on the 10 Pro features a resolution of 1280×800 pixels, and like most smartphones it gets a Gorilla Glass finish to help resist scuffs and scratches.

Other specs on the new Dell Streak include a 1GHz nVidia Tegra processor, 1GB of memory and 16GB of storage. Whether that will be enough to differentiate it from the other tablets on the market we’re not sure – at least the tiny 5-inch Streak had a truly unique selling point – but it’s certain to be a lot more usable.

Initially launched in China, fingers crossed the Dell Streak 10 Pro will be making it’s way over to these shores soon.

Have you got a 5-inch Dell Streak? Would you consider upgrading, or is the small size the thing that attracted you in the first place? Leave a comment and let us know.

Dell XPS 15z lap top

 

The basics

While MacBook Pro users have enjoyed a high quality aluminium body on their laptops for years, Windows users have often ended up with cheaper machines finished in plastic. That doesn't have to be the case, however, with the Dell XPS 15z offering a semi-affordable metal-clad alternative.

The good

The Dell XPS 15z is a 15.4-inch machine, finished in magnesium and aluminium. The chassis measures under an inch in depth, and it's thinner than lots of rival laptops. It's tactile and robust, although you'll find several different metals in place – rather than the MacBook Pro's uni-body design. That said, the XPS 15z really is a nice laptop to use and to look at.  Surprisingly for a semi-portable machine, the Dell XPS 15z is available with a Full HD screen. With a 1980 x 1080-pixel resolution, it's a lot sharper than most of its rivals, and you'll have more space onscreen to work or multi-task with.  Performance is also impressive, with the XPS 15z offering an Intel Core i7 processor and a huge 8GB of memory in high-end models. There's also a powerful nVidia GeForce GT 525M graphics card in place, so you'll have no trouble at all playing the latest games or editing videos.

The bad

The fact the XPS 15z uses different types of metals creates a slightly unbalanced feel to the design, although there's no disputing the quality. We also found the 15z was slightly noisy in use, although never distractingly so.

The bottom line

Finished entirely in metal, the Dell XPS 15z has few proper rivals. The HP Envy 15 and Apple MacBook Pro both spring to mind, and the Dell undercuts both when it comes to specification. If you're in the market for a high quality PC, the XPS 15z is well worth a look.