Written by: Steven Setser
Yet again, this week proved to be a week filled with rumors and new gadgets.
Microsoft released a Remote Desktop app for Android and iOS that allows you to use your PC from an Android or iOS phone or tablet. Microsoft is working on a version for Windows Phone 8.
If you did not update your Windows RT device to 8.1, you can now. After a glitch for the upgrade was found, it was removed from the app store and has now been replaced. The Windows 8.1 PC upgrade is also available.
Apple had another keynote and announced some new hardware as well as gave us some updates. The Mac Pro has finally been given some specs. It has a 3.7GHz quad-core Xeon CPU, up to 12GB RAM, 1TB SSD and uses three 4K displays. It also has four USB 3.0 ports and six Thunderbolt 2 ports. It will be available at a later date at a starting price of $2,999.
Say goodbye to the iPad, unless you have an iPad 2. The iPad is dead, but the iPad Air replaces it. The iPad Air looks like a giant iPad Mini from last year. It has the new look, the new A7 and M7 chips found in the iPhone 5S and has better 4G. It will be available on Nov. 1 for $499.
The iPad Mini with Retina Display was also revealed to have a better screen, better Wi-Fi and the same new chips from the iPhone 5S. It will be available Nov. 1 for $399.
The iPad 2 will stay and have a price of $399, the same as the just-announced iPad Mini. Did Apple miss the price point of its small tablet?
Nintendo of Japan has stopped the production of Wii consoles. Nintendo representatives have said that production remains unchanged in the U.S., but for how long? It looks like Nintendo is shifting focus away from the Wii and onto its newest system, the Wii U.
Microsoft announced that it has extended its “Games with Gold” game program indefinitely on the Xbox 360. Microsoft said it will give more details later if the same service is coming to its next generation system, Xbox One.
Oops! Google accidently replaced its Nexus 4 shopping page with the rumored Nexus 5 for a few hours. It was said to have 16GB storage with a 4.95-inch 1080p display. No release was mentioned, but a price of $349 was.
Nokia announced the rumored “phablet,” the Nokia Lumia 1520. It has a 6-inch 1080p LCD display, a 2.2GHz Quad Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB RAM, wireless charging, a 20-megapixel Carl Zeiss optics rear-facing camera that can take RAW photos and a 3,400 mAh battery. It will also have a micro SD card slot and come with 32GB storage.
It will ship with the new version of Windows Phone which allows for quad-core processors, full HD screens and a third column of apps. This will come only to AT&T with an unsubsidized price of $749; no word yet of an on-contract price.
Nokia also revealed another “phablet,” the Nokia Lumia 1320. It is also a 6-inch phone with only a 720p HD screen, 8GB internal storage, a 5-megapixel camera and a 1.7GHz dual-core processor. It will come to AT&T with a $339 price tag.
Nokia’s first tablet, the Lumia 2520 was also announced. It comes with a 10.1-inch screen with full 1080p HD. It has Wi-Fi and 4G LTE models in red, black, white or cyan. Inside is a Snapdragon 800 processor, 8,000mAh battery and Windows RT 8.1. It has an HDMI and USB 3.0 port. There is also a keyboard case/cover that will cost an additional $149. There is no price or release date, but it will come to AT&T and Verizon before the end of the year.