Major Product Push: 7 Captivating Dell Tablets And Notebooks

New Tablets, New Notebooks

Dell introduced its line of Venue tablets, including Android and Windows devices, at a New York event on Wednesday, one of which will come with extra security features including a fingerprint reader. In addition, Dell's XPS notebook line received a refresh, complete with two new products and an updated version of the XPS 13. The company is making an intentional effort to "[market] a bit more strongly, going with the theme that [Dell] is making sure [it] is taking care of the consumer" in addition to its channel partners, according to Bill Gorden, general manager of consumer products, small screen devices, at Dell. Gorden told CRN in an interview the new products "will definitely be a part of Dell's channel strategy as well." Dell's Venue 7, Venue 8, Venue 8 Pro and the XPS 15 will be available starting Oct. 18, while the Venue 11 Pro, XPS 11 and XPS 13 will be available on an as-yet-to-be-determined date in November.

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Dell Venue 7

The smallest of Dell's new Android tablets, the Venue 7, has a 7-inch HD IPS display and is powered by a 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor. The device comes with a 16-GB hard drive and 2 GB of memory with the option to expand via the micro-SD card reader found on all of Dell's new Venue tablets. Operating on Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2, Gorden said the tablet would be upgraded to Jelly Bean 4.3 within a few months and again shortly after Android KitKat is released. This compact tablet weighs in at 0.52 of a pound and comes equipped with 3G wireless capabilities and Bluetooth.

Price: Starting at $149.99

Dell Venue 8

Similar to the Venue 7 tablet, the Venue 8 will operate on Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2 out of the box. According to Gorden, Dell has done little to customize the operating system other than adding a few of its own apps. The most significant preloaded app, Gordon said, is PocketCloud, an application that allows users to virtualize anything from a personal desktop or laptop to the tablet. PocketCloud simplifies streaming files and expanding storage no matter what brand the laptop or PC may be. The Venue 8 has an 8-inch HD IPS display, a 2GHz Intel Atom processor, 2 GB of memory and hard-drive options of 16 GB or 32 GB.

Price: Starting at $179.99

Dell Venue 8 Pro

Dell's second 8-inch tablet operates Microsoft Windows 8.1 and has a wireless keyboard and stylus option for added productivity. Like the Android tablets, the 8 Pro also comes loaded with Dell's PocketCloud application. The Windows tablet runs on an Intel Atom processor and is scaled from 2 MB to 1.8GHz quad-core. Options for 32-GB or 64-GB storage are available with an additional 2 GB of memory and the option to expand via the micro-SD card slot. The tablet's HD display has wide-angle viewing while the back of the device is textured for grip.

Price: Starting at $299.99

Dell Venue 11 Pro

Dell's most enterprise-ready tablet can be used as "an Ultrabook or even a desktop supporting up to two displays" with the addition of a docking station and keyboard, according to a Dell statement. The tablet has a 10.8-inch HD display with wide-viewing angles and is scaled to run on either Intel Core i5 1.6GHz or 1.5GHz dual-core processors, an Intel Core i3 1.5GHz dual-core processor, an Intel Pentium 1.2GHz dual-core processor or an Intel Atom 2.4GHz quad-core processor. The most advanced version of the Venue 11 Pro will be government-security-ready with a smart card, fingerprint reader and mobile broadband. Storage options include 32, 64, 128 or 256 GB with 2, 4 or 8 GB of memory and a micro-SD card slot.

Price: Starting at $499.99

Dell XPS 11

Dell's XPS 11 is a brand-new form factor for the company -- a convertible notebook with touch capability, able to rotate 360 degrees and function as a tablet. Gordon said the XPS 11 will be the lightest, thinnest Ultrabook on the market, weighing in at less than 2.5 pounds with an 11.6-inch display. The Windows 8.1 Ultrabook comes with an Intel Core i3 or i5 processor options up to 2.3GHz. Both the XPS 11 and 13 are enhanced with four microphones and capable of voice recognition beyond any previous Dell product on the market. The device also is equipped with near-field communication ability and marks the first time Dell is releasing a touch display on a Dell laptop to the consumer market.

Price: Starting at $999.99

Dell XPS 13

The XPS 13 holds the bragging rights of being the most compact notebook on the market, fitting a 13-inch HD display into an 11-inch form factor. The Windows 8.1 touch-enabled notebook comes with fourth-generation Intel Core i3, i5 or i7 options up to 3.3GHz and is packed with 128-GB or 256-GB SSD drive options with 4-GB or 8-GB system memory options. Altogether, the laptop weighs in at only 3 pounds.

Price: Starting at $999.99

Dell XPS 15

Dell's final addition to the XPS line, the XPS 15, is loaded with the same voice-recognition and near-field communication abilities as the XPS 13 in a larger 15.6-inch display. Amping up the oxide TFT display to the Quad-HD+ display option gives the device more than 5.7 million pixels. The XPS 15 comes with either a 3.4GHz Intel Core i5 or 3.6GHz Intel Core i7 processor. Storage options include 500-GB or 1-TB hard drives and 8 GB or 16 GB of memory. Intel Rapid Start technology allows the device to pick up where it left off within seconds of reopening the device. Dell's largest XPS offering weighs in at a starting point of 4.44 pounds.

Price: Starting at $1,499.99