Is there space for the 8 inch tablet?
How we got here
There was a time when a Windows Personal Computer was exactly that, a box sitting under your desk and if you wanted something to use when out and about then you purchased a mobile. Later on came the laptop, which meant you could take your computing with you as long as you had a lap or a desk to put it on. Batteries meant you didn't need to have it plugged in all the time, allowing you to use it on a train. Ultimately, things were relatively simple when you looked to buy a new computer. You opted for a desktop PC if you wanted power and/or a big screen or opted for a laptop if you needed to work on the move.
Fast forward a few years and things got more confusing. Tablets came out, namely the iPad, and life would never be the same as the line between content consumption devices and content creation devices become blurred. Introduction of the Windows ARM tablets, the Surface Pro and Surface RT for example, confused things more as they were the size of a tablet but came with a keyboard and Office which meant you could create content also. As it stands, my 'work kit' therefore consist of
- Laptop that sits on the desk at work or in the home office, large hard disk, good size screen
- Tablet to take notes in meetings at work and some content creation for those times when you don't want to lug a laptop about i.e. sitting on the train or popping into London for the day
The release of 8 inch tablets however has made me rethink how and when I would use different devices. I purchased through work, a Dell Venue Pro 8 tablet running full Windows 8.1 (not RT). I actually have grand plans for this device as it might be a replacement for our aging home laptop but I wont review the device itself quite yet for that purpose, this blog post is instead to investigate the need for an 8 inch tablet at all.
So where and when do I use it?
The 8 inch tablet currently appears to be for almost entirely a 'consuming device' although once I get a dock for it I am sure this will change. Although it has Windows 8.1 full and the legacy desktop, I find I spend more of my time either using it as a SmartGlass for my Xbox One or using it to read articles/news. It's a great size to be able to pop in a big jacket pocket and I am already taking it to place I wouldn't consider taking my laptop and have hesitated sometimes on taking the Surface RT, to the pub for example. Further proof of its 'reading and consuming' strength is that I tend to hold the device most of the time in portrait format, whereas my Surface tends to be used in landscape. I am yet to watch movies on the Dell Venue Pro 8 so perhaps this will change things slightly.
I have grander plans for the Dell Venue Pro as mentioned before, but for now I am really happy with it as a companion device to the personal laptop at home. Once I get a cover for it, I can see myself talking it with me when I visit 'friends and family' or down the pub to read. This I imagine is what people tend to do with their iPad Mini's, leaving the laptops and full size iPads at home in the living room. For work I think the 8 inch tablet has limited use unless you have a docking station, I imagine people also find the iPad Mini not quite right for the work either.
The interesting thing is that iPad Mini starting at £249 for 32GB is almost entirely for consuming information. The Dell Venue Pro 8 starts at £249 for 32GB has the portability of the iPad Mini but is essentially a fully fledged Windows 8 computer..... with a dock for mouse/keyboard/screen etc .... I imagine the DVP8 will transform and eclipse the iPad Mini.