Form an orderly queue for your free Windows Phone license. by Jason Inofuentes
Just a mock-up, but awfully pretty.
Aurich Lawson
It's hard to see an area at Microsoft that isn't going through some degree of transition, and Windows Phone is definitely no exception. Having carved out a small piece of the market, Microsoft has taken some big steps to improve the position of its still fledgling mobile operating system. Its first step was to develop a close relationship with Nokia; the second step seems to have been to buy Nokia's handset division outright. But that move has spawned much speculation that Microsoft's handset partners are disgruntled and considering eliminating their Windows Phone portfolio. According to areport from Bloomberg, Microsoft may be making a big move to stem the tide by cutting or eliminating its licensing fee.
Bloomberg reports that conversations between HTC and Microsoft have revolved around the idea of HTC putting Windows Phone onto its Android handsets as an alternative. It's unclear how this would work, but it could mean that users would choose a handset model and then choose an operating system, similar to being able to choose between Windows and Linux in some notebook models. The prospect of a dual boot solution seems ludicrous and impossible to implement, but Bloomberg's reporting leans strongly in that direction. As enticement to pursue this strategy, the report states that Microsoft has offered to cut or eliminate the licensing fee.
Whether it's a dual boot solution or something more sensible, the move would require Microsoft to broaden the supported hardware specifications of Windows Phone to support the higher-end hardware that'sde rigueurin Android handsets. Evidence for such an expansion of hardware support can be gleaned from the near certainty that this fall's GDR3 update to Windows Phone will include options for 1080p displays.
Microsoft has long derided the free operating system strategy, even going so far as to brag that licensing issues with Android have resulted in handset manufacturers needing to negotiate licensing deals with it—effectively saying that Android isn't free, it's just that Microsoft collects the money. For Microsoft to eliminate the licensing fee for Windows Phone would be a huge shift in strategy and might help revive the somewhat dormant Windows Phone lines from the likes of Samsung or HTC. At the same time, it would help repair any damaged relationships that Microsoft may have incurred in becoming a first-party handset manufacturer with the purchase of Nokia.
HTC may be a ripe target for such a deal. Its unaudited quarterly results, announced yesterday, demonstrate how tough things have been financially. After laying off a big chunk of its US staff, HTC reported a quarterly loss for the first time in the company's history. While it has had some design wins with the HTC One and One mini handsets, it has also had its share of weak spots, including the HTC First handset, which it made in partnership with Facebook. The last Windows Phone handset that HTC released was the HTC 8XT, a decidedly mid-range handset that hasn't delighted users the same way last year's HTC 8X did.
At press time, neither HTC nor Microsoft had any comment regarding these rumors, though Microsoft's representative did stress that conversations with their device partners are confidential. We will report further as this story develops.
To date, Dell hasn't been particularly invested in the tablet market. It has dipped its metaphorical toes in the water with Windows tablets like theLatitude 10and the Windows RT-running XPS 10. There are some less-successful experimentsin its more distant past, but so far the company hasn't jumped in with the enthusiasm of PC-making competitors like Asus, Lenovo, or even HP.
Today Dell expanded its efforts in the tablet market, launching a total of four tablets under its resurrected Venue brand. The tablets address a wide swath of the potential market—two run Android, two run Windows 8.1, and they range in screen size from seven inches to nearly 11—and they all use Intel's CPUs rather than chips from any of the major ARM partners. We got a chance to go hands-on with each of the tablets after the company's announcement today.
The “me too!” Android Venue tablets
Dell's Android-powered Venue 7 (left) and Venue 8 (right).
Andrew Cunningham
The two Android tablets, the 7-inch Venue 7 and 8-inch Venue 8, are competent but uninspiring. Both tablets share the same 1280x800 resolution IPS displays, which is in line with other budget Android tablets but short of the 1920x1200 displays in tablets like the 2013 Nexus 7 and the new Kindle Fire HDX. Both tablets are encased in sturdy plastic and run on Intel's older Clover Trail+ Atoms rather than the new Bay Trail chips—the 7-inch version uses a 1.6GHz Atom Z2560 and the 8-inch uses a slightly faster 2.0GHz Z2580. Both processors are dual-core chips with Hyper-Threading enabled, and both tablets run their near-stock Android 4.2.2 reasonably smoothly. While Dell alluded to future KitKat compatibility during its presentation, the company isn't ready to discuss update plans with any specificity.
Each tablet also includes optional LTE connectivity, 2GB of LPDDR2 RAM, 2.4GHz-only 802.11n, Bluetooth 4.0, and a GPS. The Venue 7 comes with 16GB of storage and the Venue 8 comes with either 16 or 32GB, and both sport a microSD card slot for storage expansion.
Both tablets have rear and front cameras. The Venue 7 uses a VGA front-facing camera and 3MP rear camera while the Venus 8 bumps the front camera to 2MP and the rear camera to 5MP.
Andrew Cunningham
Like the specs, the general build quality is good but not exceptional. Both tablets are backed with a smooth (but not slippery or glossy) plastic, and with the exception of the Intel branding on the back they feel like plastic Android tablets in the vein of the original Nexus 7 or Asus' newerMemo Pad HD 7. The Venue 7 weighs 0.52 pounds and is 0.38 inches thick while the Venue 8 weighs 0.64 pounds and is 0.39 inches thick—to compare, the2013 Nexus 7weighs 0.64 pounds and is 0.34 inches thick.
The good thing about both tablets is that the price is right—the 7-inch version starts at $149 and the 8-inch version at $179—but neither tablet has a "killer feature" that would recommend them over the Nexus 7. If you're really looking for an Android tablet in this size and general price range, thenewest Nexus 7is worth the extra cash. Both Android Venue tablets will go on sale October 18th.
So long, Windows RT: the Venue 8 Pro and Venue 11
Dell's Venue 8 has a great screen and can go toe-to-toe with Android or iOS tablets in thickness and weight.
Andrew Cunningham
The more interesting Venue tablets are the ones that run Windows 8.1, particularly the 8-inch Venue 8 Pro. We're still looking for a really great small Windows tablet after the disappointingAcer Iconia W3, and at least at first glance, the Venue 8 Pro seems like it could get the job done.
Like the Android tablets, the Venue 8 Pro is limited to a 1280x800 IPS display, which at 189 PPI isn't particularly crisp but features decent color and good viewing angles. Everything on the inside of the tablet gets a significant upgrade, beginning with a newBay Trail-based1.8GHz quad-core Atom Z3740D. Bay Trail should offer significantly upgraded CPU and GPU performance over older Clover Trail and Clover Trail+ tablets, potentially helping the Venue 8 Pro out especially when running Windows desktop apps.
The Venue 8 Pro also includes 2GB of DDR3L, dual-band 802.11n, Bluetooth 4.0, a TPM module, a 5MP rear camera and 1.2MP front camera, and a micro SD card slot. Optional LTE. 32GB or 64GB storage options are also available, though it's still on a slow eMMC interface that will be significantly slower than a SATA or PCI Express storage interface. All of this fits into a package that is actually thinner than the Android-equipped Venue 8 at 0.35 inches, though it's slightly heavier at 0.86 pounds.
The Venue 8 Pro feels significantly more, well,tablet-ythan the Iconia W3, which is just a little too thick and heavy to fit in next to tablets like the Nexus 7 or iPad mini. The weight, thickness, and soft-touch back make the tablet nice to hold, and the tablet's UI is smooth and responsive on both the Start screen and the desktop. The tablet should get about ten hours of battery life, though of course we'll have to wait to get a review unit before we can put that claim to the test.
The Windows button has been relocated to the top of the tablet, rather than the front.
Andrew Cunningham
The Venue 8 Pro with its cover, keyboard, and pen accessory. None of these were available during our hands-on time.
Dell
You might notice that there's no Windows button on the front face of the Venue 8 Pro, a bit of an oddity given the button's ubiquity in nearly every other Windows 8 tablet or convertible we've seen in the last year. The button has been relocated to the tablet's top edge, which may take a little getting used to. Power and volume buttons, a headphone jack, and a USB 2.0 port are also peppered around the tablets edges. Finally, the tablet has a few optional accessories, none of which were on hand at the event: a Bluetooth keyboard, a cover that doubles as a stand, and a pen accessory that works with the tablet's Synaptics digitizer are all on offer, though pricing was not discussed.
The Venue 8 Pro (and the other Bay Trail tablets we've glimpsed so far) finally feels like a true Windows tablet, and not just an Ultrabook or netbook pretending to be a tablet. It starts at $299 and will go on sale on October 18th.
The Venue 11 Pro, ensconced in its keyboard dock.
Andrew Cunningham
Joining the Venue 8 Pro is the Venue 11 Pro, a larger tablet that gets into convertible PC territory thanks to a trio of different docking solutions—one for sitting the tablet on a desktop, one that acts as both a (shallow) keyboard and a cover, and one that effectively turns the tablet into a small laptop and boosts its battery to around 17 hours.
The keyboard part of the keyboard cover. It's serviceable, but key travel is predictably pretty shallow.
Andrew Cunningham
The cover also serves as a stand.
Andrew Cunningham
The "Mobile Keyboard" accessory transforms the tablet into a small laptop. Press the button in the middle of the dock to remove the tablet from the dock.
Andrew Cunningham
The desktop dock, not available for us to try at the event, gives the tablet an extra USB port and two display outputs.
Dell
The specs are a little more difficult to nail down in the Venue 11 Pro. The $499 starting price will get you a Bay Trail-based Atom Z3770 with 2GB of RAM in a tablet that weighs 1.6 pounds and is 0.40 inches thick (this is the version of the tablet that Dell let us get our hands on). There's also a Haswell-based version of the tablet, which includes Y-series dual-core Core i3 and i5 CPUs, can include 4GB or 8GB of RAM, and is up to 0.61 inches thick. In this configuration, the Venue becomes more of a Surface Pro 2competitor.
All versions of the tablet come with a 10.8-inch 1080P display, dual-band 802.11n (802.11ac is available in the top-end Core i5 configurations), NFC, a TPM, Bluetooth 4.0, and optional LTE. 32GB, 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB storage configurations are all listed on the spec sheet, though we'd bet that the 32GB and 64GB configurations are limited to the Atom versions of the tablet and the larger storage options only come with the Haswell versions.
10-inch widescreen tablets: still not comfortable to hold in one hand.
Andrew Cunningham
In any event, even the Atom-based version of the tablet is a bit on the large side thanks to its large display—like many widescreen tablets, the Venue 11 is difficult to hold in one hand for long. The smooth soft-touch plastic back feels good in the hands, though, and despite the higher-resolution screen, the Atom SoC doesn't doom you to a laggy or stuttering user interface.
The Venue Pro 11 goes on sale in the UK on November 7th, with US availability to follow at some unspecified date. Pricing for its three main accessories was not announced.
Windows or Android, the Venue tablets are entirely Intel-powered.
Andrew Cunningham
The two Windows 8.1 Venue tablets really drive home how far Intel's silicon has come since those first Windows on ARMannouncements began to trickle out. Whatever configuration you buy, you're getting full x86-powered Windows, and following the demise of its Windows RT-poweredXPS 10 tablet the company has announced that it has "no plans" to introduce further Windows RT products. That leavesMicrosoft's Surface RT and Surface 2as the last Windows RT devices standing, and while it was once the case that ARM SoCs provided for much thinner and lighter tablets than Intel chips could, that clearly isn't the case any longer.
