Microsoft is looking to stir up interest in Windows 8.1 devices by offering ridiculous deals during the 12 business days before Christmas, judging by its first sale in the series. Starting Monday, the usually $299 Dell Venue 8 Pro tablet is on sale for $99. But the sale is quite limited.
For the "12 days of Deals" sale, Microsoft will list one item each day on a huge discount. On Monday, Microsoft has marked down the price of the Dell Venue 8 Pro by more than 60 percent, but the discount is only available in limited quantities. Online at the Microsoft Store, only the first 100 orders will get the ridiculous savings. In brick-and-mortar Microsoft stores, the first 20 buyers get that price (only one per customer).
After the few $99 Windows 8.1 tablets are gone, there's a consolation prize. The next 10 units (on average) in the brick-and-mortar stores will be $100 off for a price of $199. Online, that $199 deal lasts until supplies (of unknown quantities) run out. After the $199 tablets are gone, you're back to paying about $300 for the Venue 8 Pro.
Physical Microsoft Stores generally open at 10 a.m., and, judging by how few Venue 8 Pros that it is putting on sale, it appears Microsoft wants to have an enthusiastic line at the door before opening. If you're willing to show up early, you'll get an 8-inch tablet for a price that would make almost any tablet worth buying.
The Dell Venue 8 Pro is a great first Windows 8.1 tablet. With very few frills, the 8-inch tablet gets the basics right, providing a true Windows 8.1 experience in a small, portable, and light package.
The tablet sports an 8-inch IPS LCD screen with 1,280 x 800p resolution, powered by a quad core Intel Atom processor clocked at 1.34GHz with Intel HD Graphics, and supported by 2GB of RAM. Despite being only 0.35 x 5.25 x 8.5-inches in dimension, and weighing only 13.4 ounces (less than a pound), the Venue 8 Pro packs a 4830 mAh battery that gets the tablet anywhere between eight and a half to nine and a half hours of normal use.
The super-discounted tablet comes with a 32GB solid state drive at its cheapest, of which only about 11GB will be left for actual use, after you count the Windows 8.1 installation. Luckily, there's a cheap storage expansion option in the Venue 8 Pro's microSD card slot. There are a few other caveats with the Venue 8 Pro, including the fact that it doesn't have a full-sized USB port, HDMI port, or display connector, and a physical keyboard or stylus costs extra.
However, as with other Windows 8.1 devices, you're getting Office Home and Student 2013 included and pre-installed, and the Venue 8 Pro comes with a few other nice additions, like up-to-date Bluetooth 4.0, a 5-megapixel camera on the back, a 1.2-megapixel front-facing webcam, dual-band WiFi, Miracast screen mirroring support, and the option to add cellular data, though only through AT&T.
In any case, the Venue 8 Pro is a good Windows 8.1 tablet at $299, a great one for $199, and a no-brainer for $99.
- Contribute to this Story:
- Send us a tip
- Send us a photo or video
- Suggest a correction
