iPhone 5 and iPod touch 5th-Gen Parts Leak Ahead of Refresh - Softpedia

iPhone 5 and iPod touch 5th-Gen Parts Leak Ahead of Refresh - Softpedia

Apple is reportedly planning to refresh both the iPhone and its popular media player, the iPod touch, at an event later this year. Recent hardware leaks indicate that the latter will also be getting a display upgrade, perhaps an even bigger one than the iPhone 5.

The parts obtained by BadGizmo Repair support all the recent chatter about Apple’s next iPhone, including the bigger screen, different internals (such as a new flex cable holding the Home button in place), and the camera modules - front and rear.

Most importantly, the repair shop claims to have obtained the digitizer panel for the next-generation iPod touch. Unlike the iPhone’s touch panel, which reportedly measures 3.95 inches on the diagonal, the fifth-gen iPod touch’s panel tops 4.1 inches, says the source.

“There isn't much detail but it looks like the iPod Touch will be getting a 4.1 inch display,” says the company founded in 2004 as a small iPod repair business, based in Colorado Springs.

“I am hoping that this means the iPhone will also have a larger display,” says one of the founders, who speculates that if the parts are already being made, there’s an offset chance the iPhone 5 could be released in July.

Images of the same parts were obtained by MacRumors, which corroborated BadGizmo’s claims, albeit with an ounce of skepticism, since neither source was able to fully confirm the authenticity of the hardware.

It wouldn’t be strange for Apple to introduce a slightly taller iPod touch alongside the new iPhone 5. The pixel count should be identical, but the form factor is slightly different.

After all, we’re talking two different devices here, one of which is held in landscape mode more often than the other, for gaming and movie watching. Yes, the iPod touch is that device.

Idea cellular cuts 3G tariff by 70% - Times of India

NEW DELHI: Idea Cellular has announced upto 70% price reduction in its 3G services. Idea prepaid & postpaid customers will now pay 3p/10 KB of data, 70 per cent less over the earlier tariff of 10p/10KB.

The company has also launched its new pricing in sachet packs, regular packs and unlimited packs. Idea's new sachet pack of Rs 10 will now offer 30 minutes of high-speed internet surfing. The company has also unveiled HERO-25, a new sachet pack which will give 100 MB data with three days validity for just Rs 25.

For regular home & SoHo internet users, Idea now offers 1GB of data download for just Rs 250. For professionals and corporate customers, Idea has unlimited plan priced at Rs 950.

The price changes are applicable for mobile phones and data card users. According to the company, the revised tariff plan aims to take internet usage within the reach of rural, mid-town customers and will help first-time users to experience the benefits of 3G.

"We have been a pioneer in 3G since inception and with these new prices, Idea has brought 3G within the reach of the masses. I am confident that new prices will generate a lot of trial and will drive off take. Our new sachet packs of Rs 10 & HERO-25 are aimed at youngsters who will access high-speed internet on-the-go without worrying about the expense" said Sashi Shankar, CMO, Idea Cellular.

Idea has 2.7 million active 3G users with average usage of 330 MB/month.

Google closes $12.9 billion deal for Motorola Mobility - Chicago Tribune

"Motorola is a great American tech company, with a track record of over 80 years of innovation," Google Chief Executive Larry Page said in a statement. "It's a great time to be in the mobile business, and I'm confident that the team at Motorola will be creating the next generation of mobile devices that will improve lives for years to come."

That team, however, will not include Sanjay Jha, the former Qualcomm executive who joinedMotorola Inc. in August 2008 as co-CEO to turn around the ailing mobile devices division and prepare it to be spun off as an independent company at the beginning of 2011. Google said Jha has stepped down as CEO of Motorola Mobility, which will be headed by Dennis Woodside, a Google executive who was president of the Americas before being tasked with overseeing the integration of Motorola Mobility.

Page thanked Jha for his work, crediting him for "building the company and placing a big bet on Android," Google's mobile operating system that Jha used for Motorola Mobility's smartphones. Jha will "continue to work with Google to help ensure a smooth transition," Page said.

Woodside is already reshaping Motorola Mobility's executive team, bringing in new leaders for finance, marketing and human resources, among other areas. These changes mean executives such as Chief Financial Officer Marc Rothman and Chief Marketing Officer Bill Ogle are leaving the company.

However, Google said "many members of Motorola Mobility's team will continue in their current roles." These executives include Iqbal Arshad, a product development head who was behind the successful Droid line of Android-based smartphones at Verizon Wireless, and Dan Moloney, who leads the set-top-box division within Motorola Mobility.

Chris Hazelton, research director for mobile and wireless at 451 Research, said he believes Google is interested in tapping Motorola Mobility's hardware prowess in addition to the company's 24,500 granted and pending patents.

"Just the leadership change really shows that they are working to align the hardware more with Google services," Hazelton said, adding, "whereas (the acquisition) was a defensive move for (intellectual property), it's also now a defensive move for protecting those services."

Google declined to make Woodside or Jha available for interviews Tuesday. In a statement, Woodside offered a brief peek at his strategy.

"Our aim is simple: to focus Motorola Mobility's remarkable talent on fewer, bigger bets, and create wonderful devices that are used by people around the world," he said.

Woodside's remarks indicate that under his leadership Motorola Mobility will cut down on its number of new product introductions. In the past, relying on a small number of devices has gone badly for Motorola. It stalled when it couldn't replicate the success of the Razr, for example. But Hazelton said the strategy could pay off.