Nearly a month ago,
Electronista took a look at the new
Dell XPS 18, an 18-inch all-in-one detachable tablet hybrid. We had some concerns about the device -- it fell in the middle of the performance range for modern all-in-one computers, and the 18-inch form factor made it a bit awkward as a tablet. In our first examination, we really had no idea who the target market for the device was. After mentioning our issues with the device to Dell, we have been given a unique opportunity for a new device review --
Electronista has been granted special dispensation to hold on to the XPS 18 for a few months before returning it to the Texas manufacturer, rather than the normal few weeks allotted to reviewers, to see how it integrates into a family over time.
Our chosen test family is multi-generational. Under one roof are two senior citizens, three adults, and three children -- one of which is disabled. The house is predominantly Apple-based, with a large amount of Cupertino hardware, both old and new, in use daily. As with most technically-savvy families, however, there are also Windows PCs of several flavors and ages in the house.
The
Electronista employee in charge of this effort has 33 years of computing experience, with other levels of technical ability in the test environment, ranging from toddlers hammering on touch screens through to senior citizens re-entering the digital age with iPads after retiring from daily computer use at a Fortune 500 company. We don't know how the long-term experiment is going to go.
There are no tests planned, no integration meetings with the family scheduled. We're rolling into this with no preconceptions, with the exception of our initial hands-on. Over time, we'll be running tests on the XPS 18 for performance, and seeing what natural use patterns for the device evolve. The testing is as much an analysis of Windows 8 for daily (large!) tablet use as it is of the hardware itself.
This ongoing "review" will periodically pop up here, in the news page, as events warrant. We're going to attempt to update at least once a month, until the device is recalled at some point in the future. We've got access to Dell representatives for questions during the evaluation as well. If readers have any questions about the device, or want any (non-destructive, please!) specific testing done, feel free to let us know in the comment section.
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