Tech world taking risks

Welcome back to another issue of Spec Tech.  This week Google kills a product, Windows 8 price increases and LG is rumored to have a new phone on the way.

Imagine having the first social streaming media player. In June Google released the Nexus Q, an orb that allowed you to stream music from your phone/tablet to a home entertainment center.  Now that sounds awesome, but not at a price of $300. Upon initial negative reviews from critics, Google refunded customers and stopped selling the product.
 
It is now dead, but could it be revived in May at Google’s I/O conference?

Are you one of those people who like BlackBerry’s?—the phone not the fruit. Well, on Jan. 30, RIM will finally unveil the BlackBerry 10.  This might be RIM’s savior or final nail in the coffin.  I will report more on this as information becomes available.

If you have thought about buying Windows 8, buy it now! The limited pricing of Windows 8 will expire at the end of January.  Right now you can upgrade for $40, but after this month it will cost $120, and Windows 8 Pro will cost $200.

The LG Optimus G Pro is on the way.   It’s rumored to have a 5-inch HD display, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage and a 13 megapixel rear camera.  It would also ship with Android 4.1—Jelly Bean.

That’s it this week folks.  Have a great weekend and come back next week for another issue of the Spectator.

Question of the Week: What phone would you like to see more: an iPhone 5S or a Samsung Galaxy S4? Email me at smsetser@valdosta.edu

Mastered 4K Blu-rays arrives soon

Hello and welcome back Spec Techies to a new year.  Glad to know that we all did NOT vanish on Dec. 21. Let’s catch up on new tech from the CES event last week.

First, the show was mostly about 4K television sets.  Don’t know what 4K is?  Well, it is an Ultra High Definition (UHD) pixel resolution.  Its pixel count is 3,840x2160-- four times the amount of pixels in your current HDTV.  Sony is really behind this revolution being the only cable/movie studio to create content for 4K.  In the summer, Sony will launch a 4K video distribution system as well as improve 4K blu-rays. 

Imagine you are at a sit down restaurant, but instead of waiting for a waiter/waitress to take your drink/food order, you simply order on your 22-inch Touch Table PC.  This is just a concept, but the MTT300 Touch Table PC would allow you to touch your desired order, pay and even listen to music all at your table.  Of course the waiters/waitress would still bring your order. 

Do you love playing games on your Android device but find that pesky touch controls are difficult to use?  Then Nvidia has got you covered.  Not only did they announce the new Tegra 4 processor, but also Project Shield.  This is a controller, which looks a lot like the Xbox 360 controller with a touch screen attached just above the controller.  This screen is 5-inches with an output of 720p.  But that is not where it stops.  It can also stream your PC games to the screen.  As a demonstration, they showed Project Shield running Borderlands 2 with no hiccups.  There is no release date or price yet.

Project Fiona was announced at the last CES.  The newly named Razer Edge is a 10-inch, Windows 8 tablet-- a full PC.  It had an attachment for physical controls before they were built directly on the system.  The tablet can be customized with an Intel Core i5 or i7 processor and Nvidia GeForce GT640M LE graphics.  It has a separate dock for USB and HDMI connectors.  You can get an i5 chip for $999 with 4GB RAM and 64GB SSD memory.  It will be available Q1 2013.

Well, hope everyone has a great rest of the semester. Starting Jan. 31, I will begin a new video series for my favorite video game systems of all time.  If you are interested in being a guest in my series, email me at smsetser@valdosta.edu.  The Spec Tech blog is located at http://vsuspectech.blogspot.com/

Question of the Week:  What is your favorite mobile Operating System? Android, iOS, or Windows 7/8?

SpecTech Top 5 Favorite Video Games (#1)

My favorite video game of all time is.......

Come back to see my new top 5 list; my favorite video game consoles of all time!

Games That Missed the Top 5

Old and recent games that just missed the mark in my top 5

SpecTech Top 5 Favorite Video Games (#2)

Save the world by yourself or with another player in this SEGA Genesis Classic

Sandy dampens Google debut

                I hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween! Now stuff your face with candy and read about Google and Microsoft in this issue of Spec Tech!

                Due to Hurricane Sandy, Google had to cancel its event to announce new devices, but Google reveled these devices online anyway. 

                The first new device is the LG Nexus 4 smartphone.  It has a quad-core processor, 4.7-inch display, has 8GB of storage, HSPA+ data, and wireless charging.  It is the fastest phone on the market with 2GB of RAM.

 It runs on Android 4.2: Jelly Bean and goes on sale contract-free for $299 on November 13^th. The 16GB version will cost $349. T-Mobile will, however, sell the 16GB version for $199 with a new two-year contract.

                Google and Samsung announced the Nexus 10 tablet.  It is a 10-inch tablet with 300ppi­—more than Apple’s Retina Display—a 16:10 aspect ratio, run Android 4.2, it contains a dual-core ARM Cortex-A15 CPU with 2GB of RAM.  It has two NFC chips, a microUSB, and microHDMI ports.

 It comes in a Wi-Fi only model for now.  $400 will get you the 16GB of storage, while $500 will get you a 32GB version.  The Nexus 10 will go on sale November 13^th from the Google Play store.

                The Nexus 7 no longer has an 8GB version.  Instead, Google lowered the 16GB version to $199 and introduced a 32GB version for $249.  You can also get a 32GB version with HSPA+ connection for $299.  These price changes take effect November 13^th.

                Microsoft showed off more of Windows Phone 8.  You can now customize the lock screen with an App that will tell you information before you unlock your phone.  Bing will now create recommendations for you with local hotspots and events.  There is a child safe interface called Kid’s Corner, where a child can access only certain content. 

They showed off Xbox Music and Xbox SmartGlass.  Windows Phone Apps now replaces the Zune Apps store and claimed that Windows Phone 8 now has 46 of the top 50 Apps on their devices.Windows Phone 8 devices will not arrive until November.

                Lastly, Microsoft celebrated this weekend with having sold over four million copies of Windows 8 since last Friday.  I assume this includes all new hardware as well as customers who upgraded from Windows XP, Vista, or Windows 7. 

                That’s it for this week viewers.  Come by the Student Union from 2pm-5pm on November 1^st to meet some of the Spectator writers, including myself.  I hope to see you there!

Question: What device would you like me to review? E-mail your answers to smsetser@valdosta.edu

                

Apple announces new iMac, two iPads

Hey Spec Tech readers.  Welcome to a new week with shocking news from Apple and Android about launching some new devices.

This week Apple gave another press conference where they announced the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display for $1699.  It has a 2.5GHz dual-core i5 processor with 8GB RAM and 128GB flash storage.  It also has a FaceTime HD camera.  You can purchase it now at Apple’s website.

Apple also announced the new iMac which is only 5mm thick!  The 27-inch iMac comes with a 2.9GHz quad-core i5 processor with 8GB RAM and a 1TB hard drive.  It starts at $1799 and ships in November. There is also an i7 processor version as well as a 21-inch version.

Apple has revealed some shocking news.  Apple typically updates products once a year-- but not this time.  Apple has killed the 3^rd generation iPad after only six months! The 4^th generation iPad—now called iPad with Retina Display-- will have an A6X processor, a FaceTime HD camera and have the new Lightning connector.  You can pre-order tomorrow and it ships Nov. 2. The iPad 2 will continue to sell at $399.

Apple didn’t announce one iPad, but two! The rumored iPad Mini is here.  It sports a 7.9-inch screen, an A5 processor (same as iPad 2), 4G LTE, the lightning connector and comes in slate black and silver.

Sprint is also a new 4G LTE carrier for both of these new iPads. AT&T and Verizon continue to provide service as well.

Apple compared it to the Google Nexus 7 proving how much better the Mini is than the Nexus--but the price is not right.  You can pick up a 16GB Nexus for $249 or the new iPad Mini for $329! You can pre-order the iPad Mini tomorrow and it ships Nov. 2.

On Oct. 29 Google will hold its own conference where it is expected to announce the Nexus 10 from Samsung, Android 4.2 and the LG Nexus 4.  The Nexus 10 will compete directly against the new iPad, with a screen better than Apple’s Retina Display.

Lastly, Microsoft has revealed that Xbox SmartGlass will launch tomorrow.  This is an App that you can use with your PC, tablet, or smartphone to control the Xbox 360.  It will also become a second screen with extra content.  Some content that will use this feature are Dance Central 3, Halo Waypoint, ESPN, HBO GO and Univision.

That’s it for this week.  Come back next week for an update on Google’s announcements

Question: Would you buy the new iPad or the iPad Mini? Email your answers to smsetser@valdosta.edu