Let’s get Tech-nical.

 It is a big week for Microsoft, Apple sets a date and the Galaxy Note II finds a carrier.

Xbox is now starting to ship out its Xbox Dashboard update.  Those who are informed like me received the update first.  It will roll onto other consoles within the next few weeks.  Is it odd that Microsoft did not update all consoles like in the past?  The update included the ability to PIN videos, games, or other content including Internet Explorer.

The Windows Surface RT tablet has a price and launch date!  A 32GB version without a touch cover will cost $499, but with a cover it will cost $599.  A 64GB version with a touch cover will cost $699.  You can pre-order all of these models now.  They will ship out Oct. 26 with the launch of Windows 8 and Windows RT.  The $499 delivery date has been pushed back three weeks because of the amount of pre-orders.

Apple doesn’t like Microsoft having all the spotlight, so Apple sent out invites to an event on Oct. 23 with the tag line, “We’ve got a little more to show you.” Apple is likely to announce the iPad Mini and a 13-inch Retina Display MacBook Pro. 

The Samsung Galaxy Note II has found a home on Sprint’s network.  It is expected to launch Oct. 25 with a $299.99 price tag.  It will launch with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and sport a hug 5.5-inch display. 

Best Buy has announced its own 9.7-inch tablet.  It will run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with a dual-core 1GHz processor.  It will launch on Nov. 11 with a $239 or $259 price tag.

That’s it for this week folks.  Check out the Spec Tech Blog this weekend for the video for my #3 favorite video game of all time.

Question of the Week: Would you buy an iPad now or wait for the Windows Surface RT? Email me at smsetser@valdosta.edu