Logos 5 on 8 inch Windows tablet - success!

Logos 5 runs successfully on i5 tablets such as the Surface Pro. However attempting to run it on an Atom processor yields effectively unusable performance. That is due to the use of a Clover Trail Atom processor. There is now a swathe of 8 inch Windows tablets running Windows 8.1 using the new Bay Trail Atom processor. I just received my Dell Venue Pro 8 inch tablet. It runs Logos 5 - the full desktop version wonderfully.

Swipes to turn pages are quick, and tapping on a word brings up the information on that word with very little lag. It's like a quick PowerPoint transition. Logos 5 is not optimized for touch, but I have no problems using it as such. The Dell has an optional active stylus which works well though not perfectly.

The 8 inch screen is limiting. I am currently using the same settings as on my Surface Pro which has 10.6 inch screen space. So I will need to experiment with some new layouts, perhaps with bigger fonts and less panels.

But success. $349 got me the 64gb version,, which includes free the MS Office suite.

God Bless,

Richard.

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Mike Childs

Thanks Richard! Great report. <|P>

Very interested in you comments: "Swipes to turn pages are quick, and tapping on a word brings up the information on that word with very little lag. It's like a quick PowerPoint transition." <\P>

And that performance was with only 2 GB RAM on the Dell Venue Pro 8. In a few weeks there will be a Dell Venue Pro 11 with 8 GB of RAM. It should run Logos 5 very well. <|P>

I am considering the Venue Pro 11 to replace both my iPad and my laptop. I am trying to decide between the Venue Pro 11 and a convertible laptop. <|P>

Richard Kingston

Update: So I have now been using Logos 5 on the Dell Venue Pro 8 (8 inch Win 8.1 tablet) for two days. Here are my further thoughts:

Totally usable. Best to use two panes with multiple tabs in each. This way you can have your Bibles and Commentaries in the left pane and easily move between them using tabs. In the right pane tabs such as Info, Exegetical Guide, Passage Guide. Everything syncs well, though with some lag in the right hand pane due to the nature of those tabs.
Be prepared for the odd "Application not responding" message. Just be patient - three seconds at most and only then periodically.
Get a tablet with an active stylus. Logos 5 is not designed for touch screens and sometimes you need the precision of the stylus.
Be aware that Logos 5 on an 8 inch tablet is only a supplement to full study on a desktop or a decent sized laptop.
What else do you want to do with your tablet?

Win 8 does not play friendly with Google. The native Win8 mail app needs a third party app to get Gmail. Even then I am told it is flaky, though it worked fine with me.
The mail app is hard to read unless you have good eyesight. There is no sensible way to get the text bigger and yet see it all on one page - unless you open up a second window. That is such a pain.
The calendar app does not sync with Google calendar. You could switch to Outlook I suppose for your calendar and email.
Not as many useful apps on Win8 suited for a small screen tablet as there are for iOS and Android. For example a task manager. They are there certainly gTasks for example. But, increasing the font size is not there. I have the whole system set at 125%, but that does not address the problem.
Google Chrome is not friendly. Though Internet Explorer is great.
OneNote is free and is great as a searchable database for notes and clippings.

So, my final decision is? Return it to Dell. It will be in the mail on Monday. I was so disappointed since it is a great tablet, with an excellent screen. But if it does not do what you want, and there are no sensible workarounds, then it is not worth it. Others may find the pros outweigh the cons.

Also really challenge yourself as to why you want Logos 5 on a small tablet. Portability was my answer. Easily pick it up at lunchtime, waiting in a doctor's office. At those times, was I really thinking of extensive study beyond the capabilities of a non-connected iOS or Android device? Time and again, I get drawn back to my desktop for serious study, or to my Surface Pro 10.6inch if I want to sit in bed and do some semi serious study and contemplation. By the way on that size screen, the problems with the font sizes for emails and my task manager.

So, I will head off towards an 8 inch Android or wait for the new retina iPad Mini 2.

I hope this helps.

God Bless, and keep studying and applying.

Richard.

권동현

Thank you Rechard. I was looking for a review like yours. I am so interested in the new dell venue 8 pro for using Logos 5, but wasn't sure about the performance. I have read lots of reviews but most of them are just about gaming, Your report is very helpful to me.

Richard Kingston

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/542897#Comment_542897

You are very welcome. I picked up my Nexus 7 and made an attempt to compare what I had there against the Dell Venue Pro. The major difference is you need to be online with an Android device to get any of the clever features such as the Passage Guide or comparison of verses across Bibles. The android and iOS versions are certainly companions to the full Logos 5 version on a desktop machine or a tablet running Win8. I felt rather cheated in some aspects. But I kept coming back to why I wanted the Bible on a tablet. It was for quiet moments of reading waiting somewhere. I really would not be doing any studying at those time in the same way as you would at a desk. So there was no need for me to have the full version. Android does that very adequately. I hope that Logos will add more features.