MDM6600
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iPad 2 sliced up again, this time in the name of radio science
By now you've probably watched iFixit's recent iPad 2 teardown video several times while drooling profusely, but we just know you're itching to find out what's different with the innards of the WiFi-only, GSM, and CDMA versions. Well once again, iFixit's got you covered -- via an "exceptionally cool" user-contributed post, this time. A grand total of three iPad 2s were sacrificed in this round, revealing variations in case design, antenna count, WWAN board layout, radio chipset choices, and headphone jack assemblies. Besides clearly visible changes like the black antenna window on the 3G models and the microSIM slot on the GSM version, it's interesting to note that Apple made the same design choices with the iPad 2 and the iPhone 4. The CDMA model features an additional antenna over its GSM sibling, and uses a Qualcomm Gobi dual-mode radio which supports both CDMA and GSM -- the latter being unused -- along with an integrated GPS receiver, just like the iPhone 4 for Verizon. The GSM version, meanwhile, uses an Infineon chipset for GSM and a separate Broadcom module for GPS, just like the global iPhone 4. Follow the source link below for more sordid details plus high-resolution pictures.
Olive Telecom rolls out HSPA+ / EV-DO Rev. B dual-mode modem in Russia
Qualcomm's MDM6600 RF chipset might not ring a bell for you, but the ultra-flexible silicon -- introduced earlier this year -- has launched in a product you may have heard of: Motorola's Droid Pro for Verizon. What makes it so special? Basically, it supports just about every 3G+ standard you could possibly want, up to and including HSPA+ at 14.4Mbps and EV-DO Rev. B (with backwards compatibility to A, naturally) up to 14.7Mbps, and India's Olive Telecom is apparently the first to deploy it in a modem. It's not going to India, though -- instead, they've teamed up with Russian carrier Sky Link, which means you should theoretically be rocking among the best wireless speeds in Moscow regardless of the network technology in your local area. Follow the break for the full press release. [Thanks, Bhuvaneshwari]
