Tech 2.0 for Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Is there an iPad mini in the works? Apple has sent out invites to reporters for an event next Tuesday in San Jose, Calif. While the company will only say "We've got a little more to show you," analysts have said for months that Apple is developing a smaller iPad. The tablet is thought to be about half the size of the regular iPad and to start at $249 or $299. The regular iPad starts at $499. Reports suggest that the smaller iPad would have a screen that's 7.8 inches on the diagonal, a bit larger than the Kindle Fire or Google's Nexus. Apple usually starts selling a new phone or iPad a week or two after announcing it. But if it sees a new iPad as a minor product update, it could start selling it right after the announcement.

Microsoft's first tablet computer, the Surface, will start at $499 when it goes on sale Oct. 26. The price matches that of Apple's iPad, the most popular tablet computer. But the base model of the Surface has twice as much storage memory: 32 gigabytes. The screen is also slightly larger. Microsoft says the signature hardware feature of the tablet, a cover that doubles as a keyboard, will cost another $100. A step-up model for $699 has twice the memory, 64 GB, and includes a cover. Microsoft will be selling the tablet in its own stores in the U.S. and Canada and online in those countries, plus Australia, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong and the U.K.

A top European Commission data privacy official says there's "a trust crisis" in Europe when it comes to privacy issues and "Google must act now." Paul Nemitz says data privacy needs to be taken seriously. And Nemitz says a proposal to raise maximum penalties on privacy matters to 2 percent of a company's global sales should "ensure that privacy is also taken seriously in board rooms." European regulators want Google to clarify its new privacy policy and make it easier for users to opt out of it because of concerns that the web giant may be collecting too much data and holding it for too long.

Netflix's Internet video subscription service is branching out. It started showing movies and old TV shows on Internet-connected devices in Denmark yesterday. Swedish customers got their first chance to watch Netflix's selection on Monday. The Nordic expansion, which Netflix announced two months ago, will continue in Norway and Finland this week. Netflix has more than 26 million subscribers in the U.S. and almost 4 million in other countries, including Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland and dozens of Latin American countries.