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Thanks to Patently Apple, we recently saw how Apple could be planning a smart bezel on the iPad. Now it seems Apple engineers are also working on a similar concept for a future model iPhone. The iPhone smart bezel patent revealed by Patently Apple details some interesting features that could be added to the area surrounding the main display.

The smart bezel is described as an area outside of the main LCD screen comprising printed segmented electroluminescence displays. Presumably these would be dark until needed, and could be illuminated in different patterns to create buttons or give the user information depending on what the iPhone was being used for at the moment. This would free up more space on the main screen.

ChangeWave Research contacted 4,068 iPhone 4 users to get a detailed comparison of Verizon Wireless vs. AT&T Mobility services. According to the survey results, AT&T customers experienced dropped calls almost three times as often in the past 90 days as those with a Verizon iPhone 4. Whereas Verizon subscribers reported a dropped call rate of 1.8 percent, AT&T clocked in at 4.8 percent for the same question.

You might think these numbers would pose a problem for the AT&T customer service department. Actually, when looking at overall customer satisfaction with their iPhone 4, both companies came out even. Very satisfied and somewhat satisfied customers together made up 98 percent of respondents from both AT&T and Verizon.

The folks behind cash4iPhones.com and cash4BlackBerrys.com have launched a new, comprehensive site called HelloTotem.com that promises to pay you top dollar for your old, unwanted iPhone. HelloTotem wants to send you cash for that iPhone that's been collecting dust on your desk since you upgraded. HelloTotem is currently offering payment, often issued the same day your device lands at HelloTotem, for many different models of outdated smartphones including devices from Apple, Sony Ericsson, Motorola, HTC, Nokia, LG and BlackBerry. Every model of iPhone Apple has produced, save first generation iPhones, are exchangeable for what HelloTotem promises are the most competitive prices in the industry. HelloTotem also has plans to start offering cash for tablet devices, such as the iPad, in the near future.

The process is incredibly straightforward. Simply visit HelloTotem.com and enter your device and it's condition right on the homepage. You'll get an instant quote, a quote which Totem indicates is reliable 98% of the time. The other 2%, when quotes change, are typically from customers drastically overstating the condition of their device. According to Nicholas Fiorentino, Totem's CEO, in some cases customers understate the condition of their device and actually receive payment that exceeds their quoted offer. Once you accept Totem's quote, you'll receive a postage pre-paid mailer that you simply put your device in and ship back to Totem. Once Totem receives and processes the device, they issue payment.

iPhone Dev-Team is celebrating the third anniversary of their PwnageTool with the release of an untethered jailbreak solution for the latest Apple firmware, iOS 4.3.1. The new version of redsn0w will jailbreak all devices that support iOS 4.3.1 except for the iPad 2. Apple got smart with the iPad 2, and the device can't be compromised by the limera1n or SHAtter exploits used on other devices.

The current jailbreak was made possible by developer Stefan Esser (@i0n1c) who has a long history of researching security on Apple products. Redsn0w is available directly from the iPhone Dev-Team for both Mac OS X and Windows platforms. PwnageTool is also available for Mac OS X and required to jailbreak the second-generation Apple TV.

Two interesting new rumors have surfaced surrounding future iPhone camera designs. The first involves a leak from Sony regarding an 8 megapixel camera the company manufactures that sounds like it's headed for the iPhone 5. 9to5 Mac reports Sony CEO Howard Stringer explained how their best image sensors are produced at a factory that was affected by the earthquake in Japan.

He noted that this problem will delay shipment of images sensors to companies like Apple. The only thing is that Sony doesn't make image sensors for Apple... yet. The Street reported in April of last year that Apple would be moving away from current supplier OmniVision for the iPhone 5, and going with an 8 megapixel Sony component instead.