Dell Venue 11 pro Tablet PC Review

[knave]

I had an opportunity to pick up a dell venue 11 pro PC tablet for cheap$ recently. ($300 less a $125 gift card I had to use)

Specs: intel Core i3, 4gb ram 128 gb ssd with full windows 8.1 with a 1080p display.
It has a Full USB port, Mini HDMI, Micro USB and an SD slot. Bluetooth and Wi-fi
Bottom line: I like it but don't love it. (4 out of 5)

Software:
Windows 8 is fine. The tablet software is quick and responsive, I tend to stick to normal windows operation though.
In some areas the touch interface is not as optimized or smooth as in a quality IOS or Android tablet.
The ability to have full office, adobe, Browser, Steam, VLC, e-book reader and any other PC application I wish is awesome. It is awesome despite the interface limitations some applications have, namely they want a real keyboard. Except for the virtual keyboard portion the web browser is optimized very well for the touch interface. All web based content is a pleasure to use; News, Youtube, Netflix, HBO-go, etc.
Games: I installed some games off steam to try and they ran fine but I wouldn't want to play them without a keyboard. I am having it download Civ V now which I found out has built in Touch controls. It is cool that it will stream games off of my Game PC in the other room. Every application I've tried so far has recognized the touch interface as the mouse.

Hardware:
I was looking at the venue 8 pro as a replacement to my aging android tablet. I chose the Venue 11 pro (i3) because the specs are a lot better for the $100 more I spent not to mention the 1080p display. The screen looks great, really good for video and web browsing. Its a huge plus that the aspect ratio is the same as I use on my Laptop. Web pages look/work the same as opposed to compressed on my android devices. It is obviously larger and less comfortable to hold for long periods than my 7" tablet, But it is worth it for the screen real estate.
It looses a few points in the build quality. The back cover flexes quite a bit and my unit has an issue where pressure in just the right spot on the back will cause display issues. I called Dell and they are sending a replacement.

In conclusion, I think it is a good device and I an happy with my purchase. It is not a replacement for my Laptop rather it gives me PC options when on-the-go and consistency in how I consume content. I could get the Bluetooth keyboard for it which essentially turns it into a laptop, however do not need another laptop...perhaps my mind will change as I use it more. I may instead try a Bluetooth gamepad and use steam in big picture mode.