A newly discovered Apple patent filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office outlines a new method for iPhone users to determine carrier rankings.

The filing, submitted in April of last year, and discovered by Apple Insider this week, would allow iPhone owners to search for competing carriers and service plans directly on their phones. In 2010, Apple was rumored to be working on an embedded SIM iPhone service that would allow users to shop for a plan on their device, instead of dealing directly with the carriers. This angered European carriers who threatened to cut subsidies if Apple went ahead with their plan.

You may have heard that past results do not indicate future performance. Well when it comes to leaked iPhone case designs the track record is relatively good. That's why MacRumors decided to hire some professional designers to speculate on what the iPhone 5 might look like.

Pictured above is one of the renderings, based directly on leaked Chinese iPhone 5 case designs. Measurements were taken to reverse-design the Apple device that would fit inside these cases and the result is an iPad-like refinement of the fifth-generation iPhone.

Facebook rolled out a new messaging system for iPhones and Android devices on Tuesday. The new Facebook messaging app simplifies the way you stay in contact with your friends and family by offering an extension of the Facebook messaging feature.

Facebook Messaging is a separate app that allows you to use one click to receive or send messages that are sent through notifications or texts, making it easier for you to connect with your friends on facbook or in your phone's contact list. The app saves all e-mails, texts, and messages so you can keep track of conversations on your mobile device or computer.

Apple is set to release iOS 5 this fall and with it a long list of new features. Some of these have been announced by Apple while others have been discovered by developers. One major change on the horizon falls into the latter category: deep voice recognition integration with the entire iPhone iOS system.

New screenshots have been revealed by 9to5mac showing how speech-to-text functionality is built into iOS 5. Although speech transcription has been rumored for some time, it's possible these screenshots show parts of iOS 5 that will not be released by Apple in the final version.

iPhone 4 owners who use FaceTime are no doubt familiar with the FaceTime Unavailable message: Turn on cellular data or use Wi-Fi to use FaceTime. Reports indicate that Apple may be planning to enable FaceTime over 3G with the release of iOS 5. This is a welcome change however some wireless carriers might not allow the practice, especially with unlimited data plans.

Fortunately you can ensure 3G access to FaceTime right now with a jailbreak Cydia package called My3G. We've featured My3G as a must-have app in the past and for $3.99 it's still worth every penny. Not only this, but My3G will also allow other data apps to use the 3G connection instead of operating on Wi-Fi only.