iPad Mini in Production, Hits Stores November 2

Today’s mobile news roundup: iPad Mini in mass production; Samsung to release Galaxy SIII; and PlayStation Mobile goes live.

iPad Mini already in mass production

The Wall Street Journal reports that South Korea’s LG Display Co. and Taiwan’s AU Optronics Corp began mass producing components for Apple’s iPad Mini last month.  According to their sources, the iPad Mini’s liquid crystal display screen is sized at 7.85-inch but will have a lower resolution to that of the iPad 3.

Earlier this year, rumor broke that Apple was working on a smaller, 5-inch, iPad that would have the same resolution as their normal sized iPad.  But the rumor was dismissed since some claim that Apple has various designs for their products but not all of them go into actual production.  Then in July, reports surfaced that Apple is pushing to produce a 7-inch iPad to compete with the smaller, cheaper tablets such as Barnes & Noble’s NOOK Tablets, Amazon’s Kindle Fire, and Google’s Nexus 7.

AllThingsD reported that the iPhone 5 launch and the rumored 7-inch iPad would be unveiled in September, but later reported that the devices would be launched at separate events with the iPad Mini launching in October.

As for the launch date, according to a major Apple investor who says “he’s heard it from multiple sources,” Apple is to send invites on October 10 for an event on October 17 – when the iPad Mini is to be unveiled.  Then the iPad Mini will be available for purchase by November 2.

In other Apple news, though many are complaining about their new Maps, the iPhone 5 is selling better than expected as wait time for online purchase of the device is now at 3-4 weeks.

Samsung to release small Galaxy SIII

Reports are surfacing that Samsung is getting ready to unveil a smaller Galaxy SIII after press invites were sent by the South Korean company for an event on October 11 in Germany.  The invite, written in German, is quite simple, but as usual it provides clues as to what the event is for.

There’s a big “S” in the middle, which means Samsung is introducing yet another Galaxy S- device.  As for what exactly the device will be, the tag lines on the invite read:

“Prepare for something small to make a big entrance,” and another one reads, “Ready for a little sensation?”

So it seems like Samsung will be revealing a smaller Galaxy S-, and some are saying it’s that mini version of the Galaxy SIII, since that’s their hero smartphone at the moment.

In other Samsung news, in the hopes of overturning Apple’s $1 billion victory, the company filed for jury misconduct.  Samsung accuses jury foreman Velvin Hogan of jury misconduct for failing to inform the judge that Seagate, with close ties to Samsung, sued him and that the lawsuit caused him bankruptcy.  What Samsung is getting at is that his past affected his judgement on the trial.

PlayStation Mobile goes live on PS Vita and Android smartphones

Sony’s PlayStation Mobile, the cross-platform gaming service,  currently supports Sony’s Tablet S and P and HTC smartphone One S, X and V, but is now available for the PS Vita and other selected Android devices.  The service is available in US, Canada, UK, France, Spain, Germany and Australia, and soon in other parts of the world.  The beauty of the PlayStation Mobile is that items purchased can be enjoyed in other PlayStation certified devices.  Gamers can download free games at the store but some games are priced at $7.49.  For game developers, the  Mobile SDK will be available on November with an annual fee of $99.