Topping tech headlines Monday, Apple's 7-inch iPad Mini tablet, expected to hit shelves this fall, looks like it's keeping its formerly dubbed moniker.
Apple blog Macotakara said Cupertino is officially planning to name its anticipated 7.85-inch tablet the "iPad Mini." Reports have placed the new tablet's release in October, following the expected Sept. 12 unveiling of the new iPhone. Despite the current iPad's newfangled high-res Retina display, rumor has it that the Mini may have a cheaper screen, making it competitively priced against Google's Nexus 7 and Amazon's Kindle Fire, both selling for a starting price of $199. Cupertino is expected to hold a separate iPad launch event, during an unknown date.
In other Apple-related news, through an internal memo to it staff, Samsung revealed that it was "very disappointed" by the verdict in its patent trial against Apple, but vowed to fight. The $1.05 billion verdict has "caused concern amongst our employees, as well as our loyal customers," the company said, but Samsung will continue to work until its arguments have been accepted, the memo said. Executives from both ends of the table tried to negotiate a deal before and during trial, but no agreement could be reached.
Meanwhile, details of RadioShack's upcoming no-contract wireless plans have been leaked, revealing pay-as-you-go monthly rate plans for both feature phones and smartphones. The new service is rumored to be launching Sept. 5, allegedly leveraging wireless provider Cricket Communications' infrastructure. The service will come in two pricing flavors, with options of 1GB or 2.5GB of data usage, as well as the possibility for unlimited minutes and text messages. The electronics retailer has made no official announcements about the rumored service.
Also topping tech headlines Monday:
- Nexus 7 Goes on Sale in France, Germany, Spain: Google on Monday released its Nexus 7 Android tablet in Germany, France, and Spain.
- IAC Buys About.com From the New York Times for $300 Million: IAC has announced the acquisition of About.com from the New York Times.
- Dropbox Enables Two-Factor Authentication: Dropbox this weekend confirmed plans to roll out two-factor authentication for all accounts in the coming days.
- Battlefield 3 'Armored Kill' DLC Starts Rolling Out Sept. 4: Armoed Kill, the third downloadable content pack for first-person shooter game Battlefield 3, will deploy on Sept. 4.
- Samsung Unveils Huge Galaxy Player 5.8: Samsung on Monday debuted its next-generation Galaxy Player 5.8, as well as two new LED display products.
- Ouya Wants to 'Disrupt' the Console Industry: Gaming industry veteran Julie Uhrman hopes to disrupt the traditional console gaming industry with her Android-powered, $99 Ouya console.
- Twitter Joins the Linux Foundation: Twitter has announced its joining the Linux Foundation, a nonprofit that oversees the open-source Linux operating system.
- Sony to Shutter Optical Drive Business by March: Sony is quitting the optical drive disc drive business by next March, according to Japan's Asahi Shimbun.
- LG Unveils 3D TV Game Portal: LG announced on Monday its Smart 3D TV game portal, which will provide gamers a number of titles in both two and three dimensions.
- Leaked Photos Suggest NFC Chip for iPhone 5: A Chinese blog has produced photos that suggest the next-gen Apple smartphone will have near-field communication (NFC) capabilities.
- NASA, will.i.am to Premiere Song Live From Mars: Black Eyed Peas co-founder William Adams, a.k.a. will.i.am, is working with NASA on an interplanetary stunt with chart-disrupting implications.
- Smartphone Adoption Rate Fastest in Tech History: According to a recent Flurry report, global smartphone adoption has exploded, growing faster than any consumer technology in history.
- Blue Calypso Targets LivingSocial in Latest Patent Defense: Digital word-of-mouth marketing firm Blue Calypso has filed a patent infringement complaint against Web coupon superstar LivingSocial.
- Leaked Wii U Release Date Disputed by Alleged Leaker: Accessory maker PDP says it didn't leak Nov. 18 as the launch date for Nintendo's next-gen game console and has no knowledge of when the Wii U is arriving in any case.
- Google Names Names in Oracle Case But Denies Paying Bloggers: Google recently released the names of people who blogged or commented on the Oracle-Google lawsuit, but continues to deny paying them to do so.
- Facebook App Center Under Fire in Germany: A German consumer group is fighting back against Facebook's App Center, claiming that the feature gathers personal information without users' consent, thereby breaking German law.
- Twitter Files Appeal in Occupy Wall Street Case: Twitter today filed an appeal in the case of the Occupy Wall Street protestor who is at the heart of a lawsuit regarding disorderly conduct.
- Hardware Guru Bob Mansfield Sticking Around at Apple: Apple names new hardware chief Dan Riccio and lead software engineer Craig Federighi senior vice presidents, as Mansfield takes on role developing 'future products.'
For more from Stephanie, follow her on Twitter @smlotPCMag.
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