AndroRat

At this point we’re all but certain that Apple will unveil the iPhone 5S on Sept. 10 alongside a number of new Apple devices. What we don’t know, however, is when the new smartphone will actually go on sale. It generally doesn’t take long for Apple to roll out a new product after announcing it onstage, but according to a new report from TechManiacs, the iPhone 5S may not hit stores until October 25—over a month after the rumored press event!

The site’s anonymous tipster claims that Apple will be completely overloaded with new devices, including two new iPhones, two new iPads and possibly a new MacBook as well, causing significant delays. We’re not sure how much we believe that, considering Apple has more than enough experience preparing for product launches and that the new iPads aren’t expected until just before the holidays. TechManiacs also reports that the low-cost iPhone 5C should hit stores on October 25 as well, offering consumers a clear choice between the flagship device and the cheaper plastic smartphone.

We’d love to discount these claims—both because we’ve never heard of this site before and because the news makes us sad—but it turns out TechManiacs has a proven track record when it comes to leaking iPhone release dates in the past. The Greek site accurately predicted that the iPhone 5 would launch on Sept. 21. 2012, publishing its report a full two weeks in advance of the launch. We hate say it, but it looks like Apple fans hoping to upgrade their handsets next month may be in for a longer wait than they expected.

The Galaxy Note III is the next big phone on the horizon, and today we’ve got a fresh list of leaked specs for the upcoming phablet. SamMobile reports that one of its “trusted insiders” have sent over some new information covering everything about the handset from its display down to the processor.

According to SamMobile, the Galaxy Note III will come in at least two variants, the SM-N900 and the SM-N9005, though both models look extremely similar. Based on the few differences between the two phones, they’re likely headed for different markets but should function pretty much the same. Here’s what SamMobile listed:

DISPLAY
SM-N900: 5.68 inch Full HD Super AMOLED (1920 x 1080) display
SM-N9005: 5.68 inch Full HD Super AMOLED (1920 x 1080) display
CPU
SM-N900: 1.8GHz Octa-core Exynos 5420
SM-N9005: CPU UNCONFIRMED
GPU
SM-N900: ARM Mali-T628 MP6
SM-N9005: GPU UNCONFIRMED
RAM
SM-N900: RAM UNCONFIRMED
SM-N9005: 3GB LPDDR3 RAM
CAMERA
SM-N900: 13 Megapixel with Optical Image Stabilisation
SM-N9005: 13 Megapixel with Optical Image Stabilisation
LTE CONNECTIVITY
SM-N900: No
SM-N9005: Yes
STORAGE
SM-N900: 16/32/64GB User memory ＋ microSD slot (up to 64GB)
SM-N9005: 16/32/64GB User memory ＋ microSD slot (up to 64GB)
OS
SM-N900: Android 4.3 Jelly Bean
(Current test fimrware: N900XXEBMH5/N900OXABMH5/N900XXUBMH5)
SM-N9005: Android 4.3 Jellybean
(Current test firmware: N9005XXEBMH9/N9005OXABMH9/N9005XXUBMH9)
BATTERY
SM-N900: 3,200 mAh
SM-N9005: 3,200 mAh

It all looks pretty standard, and not too out of line with the many rumors we’ve already heard concerning the Note III. We’re not sure exactly what to make of the lack of LTE on the SM-N900, but we imagine that’s headed to European markets where LTE is still starting to spread its wings. Either way, we’ll know for sure when Samsung officially announces the device on September 4 at the upcoming Samsung Unpacked event in Berlin. TechnoBuffalo will be there to cover the event live, but until then stay tuned for the latest rumors and updates.

Microsoft will release Windows 8.1, the first large update to Windows 8, in October according to a new report published on Tuesday. Microsoft released a preview of the update in late June, and reports in July suggested that the final build was on schedule to ship to manufacturing partners at the end of this month. The Verge said Microsoft’s release to manufacturing schedule is still set to meet that deadline, but that updates to existing machines aren’t expected until October.

The Windows update will reportedly make its debut alongside new 7-inch and 8-inch devices running the operating system. Microsoft is apparently hard at work on its own new Surface tablets with those screen sizes, though it’s unclear if they’ll launch at the same time as Windows 8.1 or if they’ll come at a later date.

Windows 8.1 delivers a number of improvements, including the re-emergence of the Start menu. It also allows users to tweak the sizes of Live tiles with a new smaller option, changes to multitasking (a tweaked Snap View), and the ability to boot straight to the desktop.