Apple is rolling out its iTunes Match service to several new countries today, including Austria, Greece, Italy, Portugal and Slovenia. A full report on the launches was first revealed by MacStories. Even though iTunes Match is now live in Italy and terms of service have been changed to include Match in other countries, Apple has yet to update its official iTunes Match availability document.

iTunes Match was first launched in the US in November 2011, followed by further rollouts in December and January. The service is now officially available in 37 countries around the globe including Australia, Brazil, the UK and others. Although Japan was rumored to be getting the service in February, Apple has yet to launch it there.

It may not be the first time we've heard about Apple considering Near Field Communication (NFC) for a future iPhone, and it won't be the last. The technology has the potential to make paying for things as easy as passing your device near a wireless NFC cash register. Patently Apple has uncovered a recent NFC patent filed by the company in December 2011.

The premise of the patent is that iPhone owners could use NFC technology to easily share music with their friends or family. The process would work by allowing the user to wirelessly send a gift such as a song to a nearby iPhone. Sharing from the iTunes playlist would cost money, which would then be deducted from the gift giver's account.

The developer of LockInfo has released a new tweak for jailbroken iPhone users. Forecast is a weather-only addition to the lock screen that provides easy access to information from the native iOS weather app. Installing Forecast replaces the lock screen clock with a full weather widget.

In addition to the time, Forecast displays current temperature, daily high/low temps, and current conditions right on the lock screen. The Forecast tweak brings one of the best parts of LockInfo to users for a fraction of the price at just $0.99.

According to DigiTimes sources in Apple's supply chain are expecting the company to use in-cell touch panels on the next generation iPhone. These panels combine color filters and touch sensors into a single layer, which reduces thickness.

Toshiba Mobile Display and Sharp have stepped up production of the panels, making them an option for Apple's next iPhone. Although it doesn't reflect any known Apple prototype, the next generation iPhone concept above comes to us from Italian design studio ADR.

There's another unlocking option for GSM iPhone 4 owners looking to use their device on multiple carriers. The latest GEVEY Ultra 5.1 SIM interposer makes this possible without jailbreaking or violating your Apple warranty. Compatible with iOS 4.1 and later (through 5.1), the product supports modem firmware versions 1.59, 2.10, 3.10.1, 4.10.1, 4.11.08, and 4.12.01.

Of course, those with a jailbroken iPhone 4 can also use the GEVEY Ultra 5.1 to unlock their devices. More options are becoming available for unlocking including the SAM package method and even official unlocking of out-of-contract iPhones on the AT&T network.