October 2012 Tech Releases: We Get The iPad Mini, Galaxy Note 2, And Microsoft Surface

September gave the world the Apple iPhone 5, and it looks like October is looking it will be an exciting month for U.S. tech consumers with three high-profile launches occurring: the Apple iPad Mini, the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, and Microsoft's Surface tablet. 

The first will be on October 23, when Apple will unveil a smaller, cheaper iPad that has been dubbed by the press as the 'iPad Mini.' The iPad Mini won't have the same Retina display as the new iPad 3, but rather a 7.85-inch LCD display. It is reported to feature older iPad 2 components under the hood, but instead of being marketed as a high-end tablet, Apple will surely tout its mobility and price. 

There's no word on official pricing, but estimates vary from $299 to $399, which would make it sit between the iPod Touch and the iPad 2 in Apple's lineup. 

Samsung will then kick off the U.S. release of the Galaxy Note 2 smartphone with an event in NYC on October 24. Carriers T-Mobile, Sprint, and U.S. Cellular should all have their Galaxy Note 2s out on shelves within a week. The Galaxy Note 2 features a 5.55-inch HD Super AMOLED display, a powerful 1.6GHz quad-core processor, and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean right out of the box. It will also come with the S Pen stylus. 

Carriers AT&T and Verizon will also offer the Galaxy Note 2. Current pricing for the 16GB model shows that the carriers should all be charging around $299.99 for the 16GB handset with a standard two-year contract.

On October 26 consumers can get their hands on Microsoft's first entry into the tablet market, the Microsoft Surface. The tablet sports a 10.6-inch screen, and will come in two models: Surface RT and Surface Pro. Surface will come with the Windows RT operating system, while Surface Pro will be running Windows 8 Pro. Microsoft is accepting pre-orders for the Surface RT. Pricing is set at $599 for the 32GB model with a black touch cover, and $699 for the 64GB version with black touch cover. For $499, you can get a 32GB model without the touch cover. 

Which one of these October devices has you the most excited? More importantly, which one do you plan on purchasing?