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Modern UI/Metro vs. Windows Desktop

The Dell Venue 8 Pro comes with a full Windows 8.1 operating system. It should not be confused with the older, "non-Pro" Dell Venue 8 tablet, which is powered by the Android operating system.

This Windows 8 operating system carries both the best features and weaknesses of this tablet, as it offers two distinct user interfaces and experiences:

• the first one, named "Modern UI", first released with Windows 8, was meant to be use with smartphones, tablets, touch-enabled and high-resolution "Retina-like" computer screens;
• the other one, named "Classic Windows" or "Classic Windows Desktop", is identical to the one you have on Windows 7, inherited back from Windows 95.

Applications designed for Windows 8 and Modern UI can be downloaded from the Windows Store, while the others can be downloaded either from the same Store, or from any other source.

Unlike Windows RT, designed for ARM processors (like those found on smartphones or small computers like the Raspberry Pi), Windows 8 can run the very same applications than your desktop PC, on a tablet. Which means that it can run all 32-bit applications made for x86 processor architectures, which were first made available by Intel and its 8086 back in.. 1978!

This dual user interface can sometimes lead to some confusion, and you'll often find yourself switching from one to the other, depending of the application you'll want to use. That's why I'll cover the use of the Venue 8 Pro with both interfaces.

You'll notice, at least, that you can even get access to all Android applications on your Windows tablet, thanks to App Player by BlueStacks, which, while still in beta, can already give access to all your favorite Android applications and games!

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