Apple is planning to begin production of a new iPhone similar in size and shape to its latest version in the second quarter of the year, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday. The business daily, citing persons familiar with the device's production, said the newest model of the smartphone could be ready for a summer launch. The newspaper said Apple refused to comment. The Journal said that in the meantime Apple was continuing to work with its Asian partners on a cheaper version of the iPhone that could be launched as early as the second half of this year.

Scientists used an iPhone and a camera lens to diagnose intestinal worms in rural Tanzania, a breakthrough that could help doctors treat patients infected with the parasites, a study said on Tuesday. Research published by the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene showed that it is possible to fashion a low-cost field microscope using an iPhone, double-sided tape, a flashlight, ordinary laboratory slides and an $8 cameral lens.

Regulators in Brazil on Wednesday rejected Apple's application to register its iPhone trademark in the country, having already recognized a local manufacturer's claim to the name. The Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) "denied Apple registration of the iPhone trademark," the institute's press office told AFP. The decision was officially published by the INPI. Apple had applied for exclusive rights to the iPhone name in Brazil in 2007 when it launched the wildly popular smartphone in the huge Latin American market.