Will Apple have not one but two big launch events in 2012? According to AllThingsD, the next generation iPhone will hit the market on September 2012 before the company launches the much rumoured smaller iPad.

Various sources speculate the iPad mini has a "special event" scheduled for October 2012. Why a separate event? John Gruber at Daring Fireball offers a theory-- a new-format device will dilute media attention from Apple's most valuable device, the iPhone.

Think of the iPhone as a diva, and it refuses to share the spotlight...

The Apple vs. Samsung patent trial did reveal how Apple does not even bother with paying for marketing these days. Not when the media creates the kind of buzz (via glowing reviews and excited news reports) other vendors crave and pay millions for, all without Apple paying a single dollar.

Of course, the company still has to confirm any of this-- and, knowing how secretive it is, we will only get confirmation just days before any actual event. Plus, will Apple even start selling a smaller iPad to begin with? Steve Jobs was opposed to such a device form factor, after all...

Go Confirmed: New iPad Mini to Debut in October (AllThingsD)

Reuters reports RIM might be trying to sell cloud services provider NewBay together with other recently acquired "minor assets" as part of an ongoing strategic review process. 

NewBay provides cloud-based photo, video and social networking services for smartphones and PCs. RIM bought the company for reportedly $100 million back in October 2011. 

The acquisition was a "huge part" of earlier plans to change RIM's faltering futures-- until current CEO Thorsten Heins kicked off the review process of the company's various assets. 

Talk of a NewBay sale is hardly the first RIM-related hearsay in recent weeks. Last week Bloomberg reported the RIM enterprise-services unit (which operates the Blackberry messaging and support network) "attracted the interests" of IBM. 

Influential Jeffries analyst Peter Misek also said RIM was trying to "revive talks" with Samsung to license the BB10 smartphone OS-- a rumour later dismissed by Samsung. 

Go RIM Looks to Sell NewBay, Other Assets (Reuters)

Go Will RIM Find a buyer?

Remember the comments from Acer CEO J.T. Wang on Microsoft's going ahead with the Surface tablet? Maybe here is another reason for his outburst (or proof of Wang's belief that Microsoft is going into competition with him)-- Acer is not in the list of initial Windows RT OEM partners.

Microsoft lists Dell, Lenovo, Asus and Samsung as the first vendors selling Windows RT devices at launch. It also mentions Nvidia, Qualcomm and Texas Instruments as silicon partners.

Other than Acer, familiar names missing from the partner list include HP and HTC (apparently "shut out" of Windows 8 according to a July 2012 Bloomberg report).

A blog post from Microsoft VP of Ecosystem and Planning Mike Angiulo promises the OEM partners will not only offer tablets, but also PCs with “full keyboard and touchpad solutions, whether removable/dockable or a traditional clamshell.”

While Apple and Samsung continue dishing dirt at the patent trial of the century, Apple patent licensing director Boris Teksler reveals yet another interesting fact-- an "anti-cloning agreement" the company has with Microsoft.

The patent trial has Apple accusing Samsung of copying not only iPhone and iPad industrial design (a rectangular screen with rounded corners) but also the iOS UI.

But what is an "anti-cloning agreement"? The secretive Apple has a patent cross-license agreement with no other than Microsoft... only on the condition the 2 companies will never imitate each other's product designs. A copy of such an agreement between the 2 companies dating August 1997 is actually available online.

The patents in question cover design, form factor and also what Apple calls the "unique user experience."