Dell Venue 11 Pro 7139 (Security) review: Supremely powerful and super secure

What happens when you put an Intel Core i5-4300Y in an 11-inch tablet like the Dell Venue 11 Pro? It gets really, really fast. Indeed, having used the previously-reviewed Atom-based version of the Venue 11 Pro, I can attest to a rather significant jump in performance.

The “Pro” suffix indicates that this tablet runs Windows (Dell’s Venue tablets are Android devices), and the “7139 Security” tag adds a whole list of features not found in the more consumer-oriented Venue Pro. These include Intel vPro and TPM (Trusted Platform Module) support (for hardwired security and remote management), and a fingerprint scanner and smart card reader to keep the bad guys out.

Michael Homnick

The optional keyboard dock turns the Venue 11 Pro into a small Ultrabook.

In its basic form, the Venue 11 Pro is a widescreen Windows 8 tablet with some clever docking options: A small keyboard, a super-thin keyboard, and a port-laden pedestal that can transform it into a high-powered Ultrabook or an under-screened, all-in-one desktop. I say under-screened, because as large as the 10.8-inch, 1920x1080 display seems when it’s in your hand, it’s rather tiny when you have a full-sized keyboard and mouse in front of it.

You might also be interested in Laptops for work and play: the differences that matter.

The Venue 11 Pro was only doable in AIO configuration for weak-eyed me with the keyboard tucked in a tray underneath my desk. Dell’s Tablet Dock does support dual display configurations, however, and it’s equipped with both HDMI (max resolution of 1920x108) and DisplayPort (max resolution of 2560x1600).

Image: Michael Homnick

This optional dock ($140) can transform the Venue 11 Pro into a small all-in-one. Dell’s model 7130 and 7139 can drive a second display via HDMI or DisplayPort.

The 7139 (Security) model is a higher-end configuration priced at $1081. In addition to the aforementioned quad-core CPU and security features, it also comes with 4GB of DDR3/1600 memory and a SanDisk 128GB m.2 SSD. The tablet measures 0.6 inches thick and weighs in at 1.85 pounds sans keyboard. As tablets go, this one feels a bit thick, but I didn’t find it overly heavy. Then again, I tend to prop a tablet on my chest while lying down, or rest my elbows on the counter while I hold the tablet. Folks who hold the tablet without extra support might disagree.

Michael Homnick

If the fingerprint scanner doesn’t provide enough security for your needs, you can use a smart card with this Venue 11 Pro. 

The Venue 11 Pro 7139 features an 8MP rear-facing camera and a 2MP front-facing webcam. The right side is home to the power button, reset pinhole, microSD card slot (with a pinhole release), a micro-USB 2.0 port for charging the unit, and a mini-HDMI port. The lower edge of the tablet has only the docking port and auxiliary battery connection points. On the left are a full-sized USB 3.0 port, the volume control rocker, and the headset jack. The top is occupied solely by circulation vents—a Core i5 needs to breathe.

Michael Homnick

Dell’s best tablet is on the chunky side (shown here attached to the thicker of its two optional keyboards). 

The bottom of the Venue 11 is largely given over to a pressure-fit plastic panel that pops off to reveal the 36-watt-hour battery. It also facilitates access to other components, though the only thing you can get to without further disassembly is the micro-SIM card for optional cellular broadband. The Venue 11 Pro 7139 also supports 802.11ac Wi-Fi (via an Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260 adapter), Bluetooth 4.0, and WiDi/Miracast (for wireless video streaming to displays that support that standard).

Michael Homnick

Worried about battery life? This is one of the few tablets that lets you swap a dead one out for a fresh one.

Our test unit came with the 1.5-pound Mobile Keyboard ($160), which also houses a supplementary 28-watt-hour battery. The significantly lighter (0.72-pound), Surface-style Slim keyboard is also available for $110, but it does not include a second battery.

The Mobile Keyboard types nicely for its size, and the keys have good bit of travel. The one-piece touchpad, however, proved idiosyncratic at registering clicks when pressed in the corners, versus the center of the click area. Swiping, cursor movement, and tapping, on the other hand, registered without a problem. Dell also shipped its $27 Active Stylus, which provides Wacom-like abilities to the unit.

The Venue 11 Pro model 7139 scored a very un-tablet-like Laptop WorldBench 9 score of 52—a full 23 points higher than the Atom Z3770-based Venue 11 Pro we tested earlier this year. It felt super-lively in my hands-on and played even high bit-rate 1080p movies like butter. In spite of its faster CPU, the model 7139 managed to run for 4 hours and 48 minutes by its lonesome, and 7 hours, 46 minutes with the Mobile Keyboard keyboard/auxiliary battery attached.

The Venue 11 Pro 7139 (Security) is the fastest Windows tablet we’ve tested.

Sadly, the Core i5-4300Y’s integrated graphics (Intel HD Graphics 4200) don’t game. The tablet struggled to reach 15 frames per second with BioShock Infinite, even with the resolution dialed down to 1024x768 and image quality at low. Sound, on the other hand, was surprisingly good. Apparently the air spaces required to keep the i5 cool helps with bass response. The Venue 11 Pro sounds beefier than many full laptops I’ve reviewed. Yes, the games you can’t play will sound great!

Dell’s secure tablet delivered an excellent performance with our productivity app benchmark, too. 

If you’re into the Venue 11 Pro’s form factor, versatility, and accessories, but don’t care as much about—or can’t afford—this model’s performance and security features, a host of less-expensive configurations are also available. Dell’s website is confusing to navigate, but you should be able to find a model that fits your budget if you dig around. The Venue 11 Pro is warrantied for a single year by default, but you can purchase up to three years—including onsite service—for $216.

If you need a business tablet that can work all day and into the night, Dell’s Venue 11 Pro 7139 (Security) with its keyboard dock is the one to buy.

The Venue 11 Pro 7139 (Security) is a versatile business tablet/laptop/mini all-in-one that’s surprisingly usable in all three orientations—provided you can live with the heft and smallish display (as a desktop without a second monitor, that is). This high-end model proved particularly adept at movies and presentations, but it’s a highly capable, very secure Windows 8 tablet in nearly all aspects.

The package reviewed here, which includes several options including the stylus and keyboard dock with supplemental battery, costs $1081. That’s a lot of green, but its performance justifies its price tag. 

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How Mobile Tech Has Changed the Super Bowl

It’s been almost half a century since the first Super Bowl, and technology has changed the game. Mobile technology–smartphones, tablets, laptops, and other portable gadgets–has changed the game even more.

1. Pranks

The Super Bowl might not be known for pranks, but when you have a room full of people so immersed in what’s on TV, it’s hard to resist changing the channel and watching everyone get infuriated. Universal remotes have existed for a long time, but changing the channel with a remote is just about as sneaky as going up to the TV and changing the channel manually. You could go outside with a long-range remote, but it’s been pretty cold lately.

Smartphones can solve the problem: If you have a phone with an IR blaster which allows your phone to act as a remote, you can use it as a universal remote. So kick back, relax, pretend your texting and ruin everyone’s night.

2. Stats

There’s a lot going on during the game. People will be walking around and —God forbid — talking. You’ll want food and drinks, and anything could drag you away for a moment. But don’t worry: Your phone or tablet has your back. Always being connected means always having access to real-time feeds that will let you know what’s happening in the game. These instant updates will also come in handy for fantasy-football enthusiasts.

3. Munchies

The Super Bowl is about more than just football — it’s also about community, athleticism and gorging yourself with cheese-and-oil-covered food. Toss out the cook book, though, because there are a ton of recipes online. Just search for whatever kind of finger food you have in mind, and you’ll find some greasy snacks to feed your hungry friends. From bacon-wrapped jalapeno poppers to buffalo-chicken chili to nachos with the works, you can have the best recipes in hand while you run to the store or as you’re cooking.

4. Viewing

Let’s run through a few scenarios: You get caught in gridlock traffic; you are stuck at work; you’re shipwrecked on a deserted island. None of these things will stop you from watching the Super Bowl, as long as you have your phone, tablet or laptop (with a data card) handy. Streaming video is the closest thing there’s ever been to a cable killer, and you’ll be able to find the Super Bowl online this year.

Fox Sports will be streaming the game live on its website. Viewers will also be able to download the Fox Sports app to view the game on their iPad or iPhone. So, if you were afraid you were going to miss the game, dry those watery eyes.

5. Venting Frustration

Who needs a stress ball when you have a phone to chuck across the room? Apparently, football fans have a tendency to take out their frustrations on smartphones. The mobile-protection-plan company Square Trade reports that 23 million Americans have damaged their mobile devices while watching sports

This probably isn’t the most productive use of your energy, or your mobile device. Save yourself the trouble of getting a new phone, along with the well-deserved social shame, by not smashing anything. Maybe take a deep breath, and remind yourself of all the cool things your smartphone or tablet does for you.

From Laptopmagazine. Product reviews and advice for best reference

Review: Maingear's Shift Super Stock Z87 is an exercise in PC gaming decadence

Maingear Shift Super Stock Z87 $8,000.00 This incredibly expensive performance desktop packs premium components and water-cools them to deliver benchmark-destroying performance while remaining whisper quiet.

Booting up Maingear’s Shift Super Stock Z87 was a bit of a letdown. Given its $8000 price tag, I expected this high-performance hot rod to greet me with the throaty rumble of a precision-tuned sports car. But it didn’t make a sound because each of its ultra-premium components is water-cooled and whisper quiet.

At the top of the component list is Intel’s Core i7-4770K CPU—the pinnacle of the chip company’s brand-new Haswell family—and it’s overclocked to an insane 4.7GHz. You’ll also find three (yes, three) video cards based on Nvidia’s best GPU, the GeForce GTX Titan, each with 6GB of GDDR5 memory. There’s also 16GB of DDR3/2400 system memory, and not one, not two, but four of the best 256GB SSD we’ve tested—Samsung’s 840 Pro—configured as RAID 0 for blistering speed.

ROBERT CARDINThe Maingear Shift Super Stock Z87 is a mean, green gaming machine.

It’s a stupefying level of computing power, one that sets the bar for what an elite gaming PC should be. And this machine’s very existence demonstrates the enduring strength and appeal of the PC gaming market. Indeed, high-end gaming PCs like the Shift Z87 continue to sell well despite a precipitous drop in overall PC sales, and it’s not crazy to suggest that as more people abandon budget PCs and laptops in favor of tablets, premium hardware like the Shift will keep the PC gaming market afloat.

The Maingear Shift Super Stock Z87 turned in an exceptional Desktop WorldBench 8.1 score.

The Shift Z87’s Desktop WorldBench 8.1 score of 435 means it’s more than four times faster than our reference system, the modest Acer Aspire A5600U-UB13 . In fact, it’s the fastest desktop PC we’ve ever encountered. While that overall score is only modestly higher than the 421 that MicroFlex’s significantly cheaper MicroExpress 47B earned, the Shift Z87 blew the competition out of the water when we benchmarked it playing the latest games at very high resolution.

The MicroExpress 47B, for example, couldn’t deliver a playable frame rate with BioShock when we set the game’s resolution to 2560 by 1600 pixels and its visual quality to Ultra. That’s because the 47B is equipped with just one GeForce GTX 680 video card. The Shift Z87’s three Titan cards enabled it to play the game at that resolution at a mind-blowing 135 frames per second.

ROBERT CARDINLiquid cooling and a unique vertically oriented case enabled Maingear to significantly overclock the system.

As impressive as that is, the madness doesn’t stop there: The PCWorld lab team hooked the Shift Z87 up to three HD monitors and played Crysis 3 at a resolution of 5760 by 1440 pixels, all while achieving a consistent frame rate of 28 fps. That’s impressive performance, but more importantly it proves that all this power can afford you a real competitive advantage when playing games that challenge your situational awareness. Excelling during a Crysis 3 or Call of Duty deathmatch is easier when you can see everything in a 270-degree radius without moving your head.

High-resolution gaming is certainly no obstacle, as the Maingear Shift’s BioShock performance indicates.

But you don’t need to be a gamer to appreciate the Shift Z87’s exceptional performance. This machine also placed first in nearly every one of the productivity-oriented benchmarks that make up the WorldBench 8.1 suite, including PCMark 7 Productivity and each of the media editing and encoding tests we run.

The Shift Z87’s signature chassis orients the motherboard 90 degrees to the right so that the ports and fans that are normally on the back of the PC are located on top. This leaves heat-generating components, such as the video cards, hanging from their brackets. This vertical orientation reduces the stress that the very heavy Titan cards place on the PCIe slots, but Maingear also wisely mounted a bracket on each card for even more support. And because hot air rises, vertical channels between the cards keep the video cards cooler than they would be if they were mounted in a more conventional stacked configuration.

ROBERT CARDINOn most computers, this shot would be of the rear panel. On the Maingear Shift, it’s a top-down view.

This design is complemented by a proprietary, open-loop, liquid-cooling system that chills not just the CPU but also the motherboard’s voltage regulators to allow for higher overclocking. This also enables the system to run extremely quietly—I rarely heard the fans spin up to to full speed, even while gaming. You can gaze at all this hardware—helpfully illuminated by an internal white-LED light bar—through a clear side panel on the chassis. And that leads to one of my few complaints: The latch on that panel doesn’t easily disengage. I had to gently wrestle with it whenever I wanted to poke around inside.

This machine can also deliver top-drawer performance with media editing and encoding chores.

The Gigabyte G1.Sniper 5 motherboard at the heart of this beast delivers pretty much every connection option your heart could desire: a PS/2 jack, two USB 2.0 ports, six USB 3.0 ports, and a pair of gigabit ethernet jacks. And each video card has HDMI, DisplayPort, and DVI outputs. And there’s a full complement of audio input and output connectors for microphones, headsets, and speakers. A slick recessed panel near the front of the Shift’s topside pops up to reveal a a memory card reader, another pair of audio in/out jacks, two more USB 3.0 ports, and a mini-DVI port.

Most of us aren’t in a position to drop eight grand on a computer, no matter how powerful it might be. But the Maingear Shift Z87 sits at the apex of personal computing, and it’s always fun to lay hands on a super-powerful, lovingly crafted PC such as this—even if you’d have to be a high-rolling, Lamborghini-driving, trust-fund baby to afford one.

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Samsung’s Super Sunday Ad Pokes Fun at NFL’s Rules

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Maingear Shift Super Stock: King of the Hill

I try to steer clear of hyperbole. The fanciest gaming rigs are still mere machines, and I know enough about the underlying hardware to avoid being blown away by bars on a chart or tubes in a chassis.

But, wow. It's so blue (sorry, "Fusion Blue")! And that $300 paint job is just the tip of the iceberg. What the Shift Super Stock lacks in humility or frugality ($7967, as configured) it amply recoups in performance, versatility, and style.

The PCs that grace our Performance desktop PCs chart tend to focus on utterly demolishing demanding tasks (generally, games) as efficiently as possible. Most of the boutique vendors whose models grace our charts rely on off-the-shelf parts, which translates into a deemphasis of aesthetics. As a result, the chart is densely populated with drab black boxes. But a few vendors--Maingear among them--do things differently.

Maingear's Shift chassis is a recurring guest at or near the top of our charts. It's Maingear's own design, created in partnership with Silverstone. You'll be hard pressed to find anything like it on the market; the closest analog may be the Silverstone Raven RV01.

The big Shift chassis leaves plenty of room for large motherboards, triple SLI or Crossfire configurations, and liquid cooling--all standard fare for the category. But the Shift difference lies in design underlying its name: The machine's innards are tilted 90 degrees, so that the "rear" faces the top. It's simple really: heat rises. So the chassis packs large, slow-moving fans that pull cool air from the underside of the case, pushing warm air up and out the top. The components inside dissipate heat a bit more efficiently, slightly increasing their longevity and allowing you to dial the fans down a tad, to keep sound levels in check.

The model I reviewed included a window on the side and a white LED strip inside, so you can see the hardware in action. Getting into the chassis couldn't be easier: Just push a latch, and the case walls pop right off. Cable management is immaculate, too. The cables are routed through grommets into a chamber on the opposite side of the motherboard, leaving the main cavity of the PC readily accessible should you need to make changes inside. Though the hard drive bays offer tool-free access, you'll have to break out a screwdriver to get at the graphics boards.

Components include the requisite Intel Core i7-3960X processor, clocked at 4.8GHz and liquid cooled; 16GB of RAM, consisting of four 4GB sticks; three Radeon HD 7970 graphics boards are arrayed in triple-Crossfire;e four 120GB solid-state drives, arrayed in two RAID 0 pairs; a hefty 3TB platter drive to handle general storage; and a Blu-ray burner. There are no free PCI slots, as a hardware RAID controller is sandwiched alongside the graphics cards, but one hard drive bay remains open. Though the Shift's hard drive bays aren't hot-swappable, they are hosted in tool-free, readily accessible bays; pull on a latch, and they'll slide right out on their trays.

Performance is quite impressive, as you'd expect. On our WorldBench 7 benchmark test suite, the Shift Super Stock earned a score of 205. On our graphics tests, the Shift managed a frame rate of 95.4 frames per second on Crysis 2, at a resolution of 2560 by 1600 pixels, at high quality settings. At the maximum settings, it delivered 80.2 frames per second. Anything over 60 frames per second gives assurance of a smooth gaming experience, so the Shift Super Stock will be capably handling high-end PC games for years to come--as it should, given the price.

The Asus Rampage IV Extreme motherboard offers plenty of ports: six USB 2.0 ports, four USB 3.0 ports, surround analog audio outputs, an SPDIF optical output port, one eSATA port, gigabit ethernet, Bluetooth, a PS/2 serial keyboard and mouse port, and a clear CMOS button for getting out of sticky situations if your overclocking experiments go haywire. The Shift's design is especially handy here; since all the ports and connectors are up on the top, they're very easy to access (as long as you keep the machine on the floor--which I'd recommend, since it weighs 70 pounds).

A grille covers the ports, but its purpose has always been something of a mystery to me. When it's in place, you can route cables through a channel on the top, which gives the Shift a clean, clutter-free look. But then USB keys and the like won't fit. The grille is held in place with screws and is easy to remove, but I've never seen much sense in keeping it around.

Closer to the front of the box you'll find a break-out panel that pops up to reveal a pair of USB 2.0 ports, a FireWire port, microphone and headphone jacks, and a multiformat card reader. The upfront placement of these connections is useful, but they feel a bit dated--I would love to have seen USB 3.0 front and center. The panel didn't pop up all the way, either, so I had to nudge it a bit to get full clearance for USB keys and the like. Not a big deal.

The Shift Super Stock arrived with Windows 7 Professional installed, but it's bloatware-free. Two shortcuts on the desktop provide links to free Office and antivirus software, but you can delete those if you've rather stick to your own wares.

I have to take a second to call out the Shift's binder-based information packet. Housed in a simple plastic case, it packs quite a bit of stuff: a complimentary Maingear t-shirt, the installation DVD for Windows, software for the Blu-ray burner, and codes for some games. Then there's the documentation proper--a generic guide highlighting the features of all of Maingear's product lines, plus the Maingear manifesto. The highlight is the 55-point "Pit Crew Log" that guides you through every stage of the qualification process, including benchmark results, the bios and driver versions installed on the machine when it shipped, and the signature of the Maingear employee who built your PC.

Plenty of PCs work their way through PCWorld Labs, and it's tricky for one to stand out--especially among Performance desktops, which use very similar components, are overclocked to comparable levels, and earn comparable scores. But the Shift Super Stock ticks all of the requisite boxes for power, intimidating size, and daunting price tag, but then it goes beyond, with a singular chassis that couples accessibility and intelligent thermal management. And further still, with concise documentation that provides a timeline of the Shift's birth and brings up some measure of accountability if something goes wrong. I'm not exactly a fan of blue (I'd prefer dark green, or maybe subtle gray), but the automotive finish is stunningly well done; you also have the option of choosing a custom color in the configurator.

I can't honestly recommend that anyone go out and spend $8000 on a PC. If you know that you need this much performance to tackle your tasks, however, and you have gobs of cash to throw at your hardware, you'll be happy to know that the Shift Super Stock's build quality is superb, and that Maingear offers plenty of customization options.

Since I'm a bit of a miser, when I tackle these expensive performance behemoths I usually look into what it would take to build the machine myself. If I can save a few hundred bucks (or more) by investing a day or two of tinkering--which I enjoy--why should I involve a middleman?

The Shift Super Stock is as compelling a response as I need.

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Super Win Menu Puts All Your Programs in One Place

If you like all your menu choices fanned out at the root level, you'll love Super Win Menu. This program sits at the upper left of your screen in the form of a tiny, rather nondescript icon. When you click it, Super Win Menu presents you with a large single menu of the currently running programs, last used programs, and those programs you use most often. It also displays your most recently opened documents. Tiny icons take you to the control panel, printers, task manager, the run command, shutdown, Windows Explorer.

It's all there for you to see when you click on the "start programs" entry on Super Win Menu.When you click the very last option in Super Win Menu, "start programs," the menu expands to include all the programs you have on your Start menu. Depending on how many of those there are, the menu can grow quite large. One perk: This view revealed to me two programs I'd completely forgotten about.

There's not a lot else to Super Win Menu. It can and will save a lot of clicks or keystrokes that are wasted opening and collapsing submenus in the normal Windows Start Menu. However, if you don't access the Windows Start Menu that often and instead rely on desktop or taskbar icons, Super Win Menu might not be worthwhile. It's also rather pricey for what it does. That said, we all work differently and I'm sure there are users that will love the approach and be willing to pay for it.

Note: The shareware version pops up a nag dialog with a 5-second countdown every so often, but is otherwise completely functional.

--Jon L. Jacobi

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