iPhone 5 to Launch in Greece, India, and Other Regions on November 2::

As the year progresses, and the iPhoned 5 continues to remain in high demand, Apple will be rolling out their popular smartphone to a number of additional countries on November 2nd, including India, Greece, Romania, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic (via MacRumors).

The iPhone was reportedly set to launch in India last sunday, but according to The Economic Times, Apple pushed the launch back by a week due to compensate for shipping delays. Pre-orders for the device are expected to begin within the coming days.

India and China in particular are very competitive markets, and regions where Apple is working hard to increase their presence in order to keep up with their competitors – many of which have been selling in the regions for far longer than Apple.

Google Announces Nexus 4 Phone, Nexus 10 Tablet, Android OS 4.2

Google announced new Android devices and an update to their Android operating system on Monday. Google introduced a new Nexus smartphone, a 10-inch tablet named the Nexus 10, and also announced a new version of its Nexus 7 tablet that includes cellular connectivity. All three devices will run the latest version of Google’s Android operating system, Android 4.2, “Jelly Bean.”

AppleInsider:

The products were initially planned to be unveiled at a media event in New York, but Hurricane Sandy prompted the search company to cancel its media presentation. As such, the new products were simply unveiled via apress release on Monday.

Nexus 4

This new smartphone, developed with LG, has a quad-core processor, a 4.7-in display, (320 pixels per inch), and allows wireless inductive charging.

The new device runs Android 4.2, and offers Photo Sphere, allowing photos to be captured in 360 degrees. It also runs Miracast, a new feature similar to Apple’s AirPlay, which allows users to watch movies, YouTube videos, and games on an HDTV.

Google Now has been enhanced in Android 4.2, and adds flight information, restaurant reservations, and more.

The Nexus 4 will hit the market at $299 for an 8GB model, with a 16GB model running $349. It will be available in the U.S., U.K., Australia, France, Germany, Spain and Canada, unlocked without a contract on November 13th on the Google Play store. T-Mobile will be offering a 16GB version for $199 with a two-year contract.

Nexus 10

Google’s new 10-inch tablet will be a head-to head competitor to Apple’s full-sized 9.7-in iPad. The new device has a screen resolution of 2,650 by 1,600 pixels, (300 pixels per inch). Google is partnering with Samsung on the new device.

According to Google, the Nexus 10 will offer nine hours of video playback, and more than 500 hours of standby time. The device will feature forward-facing stereo speakers, and will support multiple users with Android 4.2. The users can be selected from the device’s lock screen.

The Nexus 10 will set you back $399 for the 16GB model, and $499 for the 32GB version. It will be available in the Google Play store beginning November 13th in the U.S., U.K., Australia, France, Germany, Spain, Canada and Japan.

Nexus 7

Doing away with the $199 8GB Nexus 7, which previously acted as their entry-level Nexus tablet, Google says for the same price customers will now get 16GB of storage, and $249 will now buy a 32GB model.

There will now also be a cellular capable Nexus 7 device, offering 32GB of storage and HSPA+ mobile connectivity for $299. The device will operate on more than 200 GS carriers worldwide, with AT&T as the U.S. carrier. The device will not be compatible with high-speed 4G LTE networks.

The cellular capable Nexus 7 will be available starting on November 13th in the U.S., U.K., Australia, France, Germany, Spain and Canada Google Play stores.

The Nexus 7 16GB and 32GB models are now available in the U.S., U.K., Australia, France, Germany, Spain, Canada and Japan on the Google Play store. It can also be found at Google retail partners Gamestop, Office Depot, OfficeMax, Staples and Walmart.

The latest batch of Google devices looks interesting. The device wars continue, with the real winners being us, the gadget-happy consumers.

How can Apple sell iPad mini for less than an iPod touch?

The big unanswered question about the new iPad is where it fits in Apple's price portfolio

FORTUNE -- There were a lot of eyebrows raised by a German blog's leak last week of what purported to be price points -- in euros -- of 16 iPad mini configurations, from 8GB Wi-Fi only to 64GB Wi-Fi and cellular. Converting the currency, subtracting Germany's 19% value added tax and doing some rounding, the price grid in dollars looks something like this:

8GB WiFi Black/White, $250
8GB Cellular Black/White $350
16GB WiFi Black/White $350
16GB Cellular WiFi Black/White $450
32GB WiFi Black/White $450
32GB Cellular Black/White$550
64GB WiFi Black/White $550
64GB Cellular Black/White $650

Some commentators, confronted with this grid, saw the entry price of $250 (or $249) as too high, considering that Google's (GOOG) Nexus 7 sells for $199 and Amazon's (AMZN) Kindle Fires start at $159.

Others saw $249 as too low. After all, the new iPod touch starts at $299. How in the world can Apple (AAPL) sell a 7.85-inch iPad for $50 less than a 4-inch iPod?

Two expert Apple watchers -- Daring Fireball's John Gruber and Asymco's Horace Dediu -- addressed that question this week.

Gruber's answer comes in two parts. First he argues that although bigger often costs more than smaller, miniature carries a premium. "Gadget prices tend to follow a U-shaped curve," he writes. "Big is expensive, small is cheap, miniature is expensive. The iPad (3) is near the beginning of the curve. The iPhone and iPod Touch are at the end. This new smaller iPad will be in the middle."

"Second is that Apple has no problem if iPod sales, including the Touch, continue to be cannibalized by other iOS devices. If a customer walks into the store and sees a (say) $249 smaller iPad and decides to buy that instead of a $299 iPod Touch simply because it's cheaper and bigger at the same time, that's still a win for Apple. The customer just bought an iPad."

Dediu begins by reminding us that Apple still sells a 16GB fourth-generation iPod touch for $199. When that device is added to the mix, the price chart he draws -- and which I've copied below -- makes a lot more sense. 

w = Wi-Fi only; c = Wi-Fi plus cellular. Source: Asymco

Dediu has created an interactive Pixxa "padcast" that shows how much iOS you can buy depending on how much you are willing to spend. If you have access to an iPad, you can get the padcast here.

iPad Mini to be WiFi-only, Launch Alongside Updated iPad 3?

                

As anticipation builds for Apple’s long-awaited iPad Mini, The Guardian claims to provide new details about the device. According to their sources, the iPad Mini will be WiFi only at launch, with no cellular data option, in order for Apple to keep pricing for the device as low as possible. It will also launch alongside an updated version of the 3rd-gen iPad.

The Guardian:

Apple‘s expected “iPad mini” will only come in a Wi-Fi version – but there will also be a revised version of the iPad with 4G connectivity compatible with the UK’s Everything Everywhere network, and sporting the new “Lightning” connector, industry sources have told the Guardian.

According to the report, the revised 3rd-gen iPad will include Apple’s new Lightning connector, as well as improved 4G LTE support that will work with the Everything Everywhere network in the U.K. It’s not surprising that the iPad Mini won’t include cellular data (it’s a budget entry-level device, after all),  although it does contradict some fairly convincing part leaks showing a 3G iPad Mini. It’s also possible that a 3G version will be released at a later time.

The idea of an updated iPad 3 being released ahead of a presumably much more significantly 4th-gen iPad is a bit bizarre, despite the fact that it has been reported frequently by a number of relatively credible sources. It does make some degree of sense, however – especially if Apple rolls out the update silently, replacing the current 3rd-gen iPad on shelves with minimal fanfare. Apple’s likely anxious to eliminate the now obsolete 30-pin dock connector from all of their current products.

The iPad mini is expected to be as thin as an iPod touch, and feature a narrow bezel, and is expected to be launched in October, with media invites rumored to be sent out any time now (maybe even today!) for the launch event. Apple has reportedly already ordered 10 million iPad Minis tor the first few months of sales.

The device is expected to sell for between $200 and $300 (1, 2), and will likely resemble a smaller version of the iPad 2. Check out our iPad Mini tag for all the latest news and rumors!

Chinese Company Successfully Cracks Apple’s Lightning Cable::

Apple’s new Lightning connector, used in the iPhone 5, and the new iPod touch and iPod nano, may be cool, tiny, and reversible, but as we reported shortly after the iPhone 5 was released, it also includes an authentication chip from Apple. This made it impossible for third-party manufacturers to make working cables and accessories – until now, that is!

MacRumors reports (via MIC Gadget) that Chinese accessory maker iPhone5Modhas successfully cracked Apple’s authentication chip, and has released a new iPhone 5 dock, as well as a custom glowing Lightning cable, which are both currently for sale on the website as a $40 package (or $20 each).

It’s rather unfortunate that the company wasn’t able to reduce the price of a lightning cable – at $20, you can purchase an official cable directly from Apple (often available at carriers for as low as $16), although it won’t glow and pulse like the iPhone5Mod cable.

Most important is the fact that they have cracked Apple’s authentication, which could pave the way for other third-party manufacturers to produce Lightning cables and accessories, and drive the price down to something more reasonable – as with many third-party 30-pin dock connector cables.